March 30: h.—The two Superintendents of the Imperial Buildings at Jeho present a Memorial calling attention to the conduct of three officers under their orders. Last autumn the officers in question reported to the Memorialists that some of the buildin, attached to the palace had suffered great! from the weather. There were roofs whicl were leaking, and walls and bridges which were tumbling down. After making a personal inspection, the Memorialists gave orders that the necessary repairs should be executed and their cost defrayed as usual from the interest on certain invested moneys. Afterwards, however, the officers in question represented that they had effected the repairs, but they had not yet drawn the money, which they had advanced out of their own pockets. "They said that there was only a small balance in hand upon the interest account, and, as the end of the year was near, that would troops in spring. They therefore sggerted very soon be required for the pay of the
that in accordance with the regulations formerly instituted they should sell some of the dirty corn at the bottom of the palace granary and the overplus corn in store, and pay for the work with the proceeds realised. As this was stated to be the authorised procedure, and there were no other moneysavailable, the Memorialiats gave their consent in a moment of carelessness without going into the matter. Afterwards in the month of December, when
com at the granary, the officers remov the headmen of the farms were delivering a quantity from the premises. Just at the time when this happened, the Memorialists' accounts were being made up for presenta tion to the Throne. The Memorialists noticed that there were no entries made for palace repairs; and, their suspicion being aroused by this, they began to make enquiries into the matter. While they were so doing, the Military Governor of the district sent them a copy of a Memorial which he had presented to the Throne together with His Majesty's reply. In it attention was drawn to the fact that corn had been removed from the granary of the palace. The Memorialists then demanded fromthe officers exact particulars concerning the precedents of which they had formerly spoken. No reply could be obtained for a long time; but at last it was explicitly acknowledged that there had not been any precedent of the kind. As the officers have thus flatly contradicted themselves, the Memorialists think this conduct is seriously open to suspicion; and though the grain was nominally removed on public grounds, it is quite possible there has been sorite peculation in the business. The Me-monalists propose therefore to deliver the officers to the Military Governor, who will hold an enquiry into their conduct and in punishment for their own carelessness they suggest that they themselves shall be subjected to such a penalty as shall be determined by the Palace Authorities,—Approved,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.