The ex-Minister to Japan, Sil Taotai, who has been tried on a charge of "squeeze ing" the Chinese Government in connection with the purchase of copper for them in Japan during his term of office, has been condeumed to pay is. 32,000 to close the case. He has petitioned the Viceroy Tseng Kwo-ch'iian to be allowed to return to his home to arrange for the raise this sum by the sale of his estat the Viceroy insists on substantial security before he will consent to release him from surveillance, The Fuk Ngan, Chinese Government vessel, brought to Nanking from Hunananimage of Kwan-yin Buddha, which the Viceroy then ordered to be taken to the sacred island of Pootoo, The idol, which is of some antiquity and celebrity, was given as a present to the Viceroy who devoted it as an offering from himself to 4 Temple at Pootoo.
While the Fuh Ngan lay anchored in the South Hwangpoo at Shanghai, with the idol in the bows, surrounded by Buddhist. gear such as bronze incense-burners, um-lirellas, etc., great numbers of people, including many women of the basest class, went off in boats to burn incense to it, the man men reaping a rich harvest, as seeing their eagerness, they exacted a fare of 4 cents per head. The miracle related of the idol at Ningpo, that it was a living Buddha, having been transformed from an old woman who paid her passage, came board, and disappeared, this idol remaining behind instead of her, had found its way to Shanghai, and had much influence on the devotees. The gunboat left for Pootoo island yesterday morning, and after she had gone the credulous people were still flocking from the City with joss-sticks, to find to their sorrow that they were too late to get a sight of her.—Hu Pao.
A fire broke out at Wuhu on 2nd June amongst the straw huts on Yi Keng Shan at the mouth of the Creek, not far from the British Consulate boundary wall. Mr. Everard and the constable turned out to help to extinguish the flames. Five of the huts were burned down, and one telegraph-post.—Shén Pao, The Iron mines at Ts'ing-k*i Hien, Sze-chow Fu, Province of Kwei-chow, are under the charge of a Taot'ai, younger brother of the Governor of Kwei-chow. Ts'ing-ki is a wretched city, nearly 2 miles long by one broad, mostly unoccupied and given up to jungle. On the 6, 10, 16, 20.26, and. 30 of each month a market is held outside the East Gate, which is the solitary commercial
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.