April 10th.—(1) Sung Sen, (Vice-Presi-dont of the Board of Ceremonies at Moukden) reports that certain shipwrecked Chinese seamen have been sent back from Corea, The memorialist received a report from Hsing Lin, Commandant of the garrison at Feng-huang Ch'ény, accom-Panying certain sailors who had been shipwrecked in Corea, consisting: of nine Chinese, one native of Hawaii and seventeen Siamese. Ho stated that they had been sent from that country by road, under care of the Corean official proceeding to Peking to offer the annual congratulations to the El On arrival at Feng-huang Oh' Commandant examined the Chinese captain of the vessel and learnt that he was a native of Jao-ping Hsien, in the Prefecture of Ch'ao-chow Fain Kuang-tung; that his vessel was a trading junk, and that he had hired for sailors nine men from his own province, seventeen Siamese, and a Hawaiian, He had taken in a cargo at Yingtzi(Newchwang)and was returning to his own province when he encountered 'a violent gale which drove him to T'u-tun-p'u, in the district of jen in Corea, The authorities of th place took good care of them, providing, them with shelter, food and clothing, consented to send the crew, both native and Siamese, to Yingtzii, there to wait for some ship to take them back to their own country. The memorialist examined the sailors on their arrival, and found th statements to agree with the Commandant' report. The Siamese, how: unable to understand Chinese memorialiat's office is not deal with cases of shipwreck, the native and Siamese seamen to the yamen of the military Governor of Moukden to be dealt with according to the law in such cases, and sent back to their own country after due examination. The memorialist finds that in the twentieth year of Tao Kuang it was decreed that in similar cases the sum of Tls. 30 should be issued the Moukden board of revenue to the jorean officials. This has since been the invariable custom, and the memorialist be that the issue of a simi authorised.—Rescript (2) A further memorial from the same official, reporting a similar case in which three shipwrecked Chinese had been sent on by the Corean Government to the Commandant of Feng-huang Oh'eng, and thence to the memorialist. The despatch from the Corean Prince, accompanying the sailors, stated that a vessel was reported by the wind on to the Corean coast, and that officials were at once sent down to look after the crew. They proved to be three Chinese from Shantung, who, while returning from the small islands off the coast of that province, where they had been collecting seaweed, had been caught in a gale and carried over to Corea. The memorialist begs that the Corean officials who escorted them over the frontier may be rewarded with the customary gratuity of Ts. 30.—Rescript: Noted.
11th April—(1) A decree from the Empress Dowager, commanding the Prince of Ch'un to wear mourning for 100 days, ~(2) A decree. The Tartars General, Governors-General, Governors, Lieutenant-Generals, Deputy-Lieutenants Generals, Provincial Commanders-in-Chief, and Brigade Generals from the several provinces, being occupied at their poste their duties, are not to apply for permis sion to come to the capital and salute the coffin of the deceased Empress. Let them conscientiously attend to their duties, and not interrupt the routine of business by giving their mind to an empty ceremony.
(8) A decree commanding that the products of the several provinces required by Jaws to be sent annually to the Emperor by the Governors-General, Governors, Tartars-General, Governors of Imperial Prefectures, Salt 'Comptrollers, and Superintendents of Imperial manufactories, be, for the space of one year, not sent' to the capital. and high officers of-atate in the capital to wear mourning for 100 days. The high officers and Princes whose names are not mentioned in the decree are required to wear, mourning for 27 days only, after which their mourning clothes should be burnt.
—(CourtCircular.) The Princes sters charged with the condluot of the Inyperial obsequies report, that the remains of Her late Majesty will be moved to the Kuan-te Tien upon the 18th inst.
The Board of Ceremonies requests the appointment of officials to read the offices for the dead. The following officers have been appointed: Ch'ing Fa, Jui Hsiang, Wan-erh-ching-o, and Chih Hsiang.
The same Board further reports that on the 14th services will be held preparatory to the removal of the Imperial remains, and further services on the 18th after coffin has been deposited in the Kuan-te Tien.
They likewise announce that libations will commence to be offered on the 24th mat., and that the grand service of sacrifice will be held on the 26th, Audience was given to the members of the Grand Council.
(2) Tsdng Kuo-chian, newly-appointed Governor-General of Shensi and Kansu, reports the death at his home in Anhui of Li Ho-chang, formerly Taotai of the Kan Liang Circuit in Kansu, and brother of the Grand Secretary Li Hung-chang, He enters into a long history of the deceased officer's and speaks in high terms of his and military successes, concluding prayer that temples may be permitted to be erected in his honour, and 4 record of his services compiled by the State Historiographer's Oftico.—(Granted by decree of 27th March.'
(2) The Governor of Hunan reports the remittance of the first instalment of the subsidy duo from that province to Peking. The amount of subsidy at which the Province of Hunan is assessed for the year 1881 is as follows Exclusive of supplementary subsidies for frontier defence, grain commutation allowance, and refund of arrears (the amount of the former being Tls. 80,000), to be taken from the lekin receipts. The total now remitted is is. 169,559.
(8) The Superintendent of Customs at Shan-hai Kuan reports the capture of a smuggler of ginseng, who "has been dealt with in the usual manner.
April 13th.—(1)_A decree, The. lata Empress Dowager Tz'ti-An-Tuan-Yi-K'ang-Oh'ing-Chao-Ho-Chuang-Ching performed the offices of a Mother to the Empire; She bestowed Her tender love upon [the people] and directed the administration of the atiairs of State; She shed happiness throughout the world; and the brilliant reputation that Her perfect character has gained, surpasses history both uew and old. Now that Her fairy car has ascended upon high, We find it impossible to assuage in the smallest degree Our woe and lamentation. We have, with all reverence, consulted ceremonial precedents, and find that it is Our duty to add to Her name a Posthumous Title, in token of Our veneration for Her. Let the Grand Secretaries and the nitta chief Ministries of State consult together, and, after solemn deliberation, advise Us of the result.
(2) Memorial from LiP'ei-ching, Director-General of Grain Transport, reporting the he has taken to render the Grand ial navigable for the grain fleet, that is shortly about to proceed northwards, After the period of hoar frost last year, the Kiang Poh section of the Grand Canal became very shallow, owing to the small
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.