The Inspector General Wu Ta-ch'éng reports that the season of the spring freshets, between the 6th and the 26th April, has passed by without harm. This period, though a time of less danger than the summer and autumn freshets, is still always a cause of anxiety, In places it has been found necessary to renew or to add to the fascines on the river front; and in the new embankment at the great breach there were spots where the earth showed signs'of sinking. These have been carefully attended to. Materials are now being got together so that they may be in readiness, when the summer floods come down, COST OF REPAIRS AT BREACH IN YELLOW
RIVER, Wu Ta-ch'éng mentions that the funds appropriated for the repair of the Yellow iver embankment at Cheng Chou amounted altogether to twelve million taels. The greater pact of this money was provided and forwarded to Honan by the governments of other provinces under orders from Peking. The memorialist considers that the successful closing of the breach was in great_measure due to the rapidity and regularity with which the funds were set Apart and transmitted by the officers of the various provincial governments, and he therefore begs to be allowed to recommend these officers for rewards.
The memorialist also calls attention to the meritorious conduct of an atticer named Huang Lit-chung. While the repairs were jing on, immense sums in cash were required for daily payments to labourers and others at the works. The private banks in the neighbourhood were unable to provide the necessary copper currency in exchange for the silver presented to them by the government. Indeed, if only as much as fen thousand taels were brought to be changed, the price of silver dropped greatly. Tt was therefore determined to institute an oficial exchange office, which would bring in supplies of copper from other parts of the Empire. As manager of the establishment it was necessary to find an officer who possessed unusual skill in accounts, combined with the most scrupulous probity. Huang Lu-chung, who was in retirement at the time on account of mourning, was known to possess the desired qualities, and was therefore selected and sent for. His management was most successful, and he may be considered to have saved for the government more than a hundred thousand tacls.—Decrees issued previously.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.