The Temporary Gate erected in lieu of the Palace Gate recently accidently burned will cost over Tls. 30,000. The Board of Revenue has presented Tls. 10,000 to the native fire-brigades which came to the rescue, but this has been declined, and as a substitute they have been honoured by the permission to use a dragon flag.
The cost of restoring the Gate as it was before is estimated at Tls. 570,000, but the work will not commence until after the Tmperial marriage, It was of ten different kinds of valuable wood, cedar, sandal, ance. The guards have been handed over tothe Board of Punishments, and it has been decided, in accordance with the precedent in the case of the burning of the Kuen-tsing Palace in the first year of Kia-king (1796) that these unfortunate men shall be put to death by strangulation in autumn, after a period of imprisonment.
There is a report that the fire-god himself appeared during the fire, in the guise of an old man in official dress, and warned the atticers who were rushing to extinguish the flames, that their efforts would be fruitless, disappearing when they tried to seize him.—Shén Pao.
'On 4th February the Viceroy Li Hung-chang celebrated his 67th birthday, and received many congratulatory visits' from Chinese and military officials and from foreigners at Tientsin. The Viceroy then appeared to be in excellent health and spirits, and treated all the visitors with extreme affability.—Hu Pao.
We have already related the riot which arose at Chinkiang from a foreign policeman striking and injuring a man named Kang Mactsze, and the burning of the foreign houses and Consulate by the mob. We now hear that the Magistrate Sie has put out a proclamation to the following effect:—'* Be it known; Owing to the recent riot and burning of. foreign houses, enquiry must now be made and action taken in accordance with Treaties.
All of you people must attend each to his own affairs, and conduct his business in Petes and quietness; not ridering idly the river shore, or collecting in noisy crowds, by which conduct you would bring down punishment upon yourselves, an frustrate the earnest desire of both the Chinese and foreign nations to protect those who are engaged in commerce, Let all obey with awe." As the people were leaving' their abodes in the neighbourhood of the riot in great fear of possible trouble, another proclamation was issued by thi Magistrate to re-assure them. It runs "Th consequence of the riot in the foreign settlement, the shopkeepers along the river bank, giving too easy credence to idle rumours, have been removing und retreating to other places, ignorant of the fact that the arrival of vessels-of-war is only a measure of protection for the foreign merchants, and has no other end in view. Let all who have removed make haste to return to their homes; and let those who are meditating a retreat, cease their preparations for it. If these removals do not cease, the people who are rentoving will find that they are foolishly getting into trouble through their obstinacy, and when orders have gone out to punish them, it will be too late for them to express regret." These proclamations have had a considerable effect in quieting the alarm of the orderly natives. In the foreign settlement none but Chinese police are now seen going their rounds, each escorted by two he British Consul has represented to the soldiers at a distance behind him. Taotai the inert behaviour of the few tens of soldiers sent by I, t*ung-ling, to quell the riot; and the t'vng-ling, has had the force to which they belonged removed to the Tu-tien Miao fort, the Viceroy's troops from the Tu-tien Miao taking the place of the former force at Pao-kai Shan, and some of the new men are guarding the bund, s9 that foreign merchants may receive proper refection and the friendly feeling between hina and foreign countries may be preserved.
In addition to the fact of the unfortunate fire which destroyed the beautiful Choh-tu Gate of the Imperial Palace being taken as a warning for the present not to go on with the railway from Tientsin to Tungchow, another obstacle to its progress has arisen in the sogreventastons of 36 ses as to its passing through their lands. The Viceroy is, however, bent on its completion, and has directed the company to select a new route, less objectionable to the people, They have, it is said, traced a new route by Lhing-pu ('Of SRLSB) and Peh-te'ang (4, thence along by the bank of the Hun Ho (if fi)), avoiding populous villages and graveyards, so as to give Opposition as possible. Before the sudden obstructionists as little ground for their copier. to delay the work,' the necessary capital had been collected, railway plant ordered from abroad, and arrangements made for the soldiers of various camps to work at the line, each body in its allotted section.—Shén Bao.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.