(2) A Memorial from S0-long-o, Imperial resident in Tibet. Lo-pu-tsang-tun-chu, a an lo Nomén Han and Lamaist Superior, who is charged with the control of affairs at Tashilumbo, has represented to the Memorialist that the time having arrived when Ulterior Tibet should send an abbot on a special tribute mission to Peking, all the preparations have been duly made, and the Abbot Ko-ch'ing-lo-pu-tsang-i-hsi_has been selected fortheservice and assigned a retinue of lay and clerical members. {t is requested that they may be allowed to revert to the old custom of travelling vid Hsi-ning as being the quickest route. 'I'he Memorialist, observes that the tribute missions from 'Tibet used formerly to travel always by this route, but as it was obstructed: dari the Mohammedan rebellion in the reign of 'T'ung Chih, permission was then given, at the instance of the Tibetan treasury,' to make the journey by way of Szechuen instead. Though the application only implies a return to former usage, still in view of the fact that the change was made ten years ago, and the doubt he feels as to whether animals, supplies, etc., can be furnished along the northern route on the old scale, the Memorialist considers it to be his duty, in a matter that concerns the Court so closely as a question of tribute, to make careful enquiries before he allows the mission to start on its journey. He has accordingly written to the Governor-General of the Shen Kan Provinces and to the Imperial agent at Hsi-ning for information on the subject. The Nomén Han has been directed to await the result of these injuiries, when Memorialist will again address the Throne and report the action which he proposes to adopt.
REPENTANCE AND PARDON OF A IIGHWAYMAN, (3) In a Sub-memorial the Governor of Kirin reports the submission of a highwayman, by name Kao-fu, who was one of band of brigands that overran Petuné and the Ch'ang-chun District last winter. The Imperial troops were sent in pursuit of them, but though their extermination was reported, Kao-fu managed to elude capture. From a petition which has been presented in his favour and signed by sixty respectable householders, it now appears that the man entered upon a career of brigandage sorely against his will, and was driven to take the step by the false representations of people to whom he had made himself obnoxious by
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.