May 19th.-—(1) In the 20th year of Chia Ching a Decree was issued ordering that every alternate year the Personal Recordsof each Monarch and the Imperial Genealogical Tree, which are deposited in the Chien-ching Kung, should be taken out for the purpose of being dusted and aired. "It was at the same time laid down that in the fourth month of each year, in which this ceremony was to be performed, the Grand Council should furnish a list of the high officers of state, from whom His Majesty would select two Tartars and two Chinese to superintend the work in conjunction with the chief eunuch of the Ch'ien-ching Kung. The present being one on which the dusting and airing has to take place, Prince Li has now furnished a list of all the high officials with the exception of those who have been told off for other special duties. From this list His Majesty has marked off the names of Lin-shu, sung-shen, Hsii Fu, and Hsueh Yun-sheng.
RENT OF RECLAIMED LANDS AT TIENTSIN, (2) In the year 1866 an attempt was made by Ch'ung-hou to reclaim a quantity of waste Innd in the neighbourhood fo Chun-liang Ch'end at Tientsin. Part of this land consisted of 45,874 acres belonging to the Kuang-en Ku, or Treasury of the Western Tombs. In 1884 it was settled that an annual rent of Tls.235.2.3.1, with arrears of Tls.170.6.1.5, should be paid by the River Conservancy for rent of the Western Tombs Treasury. The high officer in charge of the said treasury has lately represented to the Throne that, as this waste land has been turned into cultivable soil, the amount of rent paid on it should be increased. Having been ordered to make enquiries into the case, Li Hung-chang now reports the result of his investigation. He finds that of the land which was originally set apart to be reclaimed not more than one fifth has been brought under cultivation atoll. This is owing principally to the lowness of the ground, which is stich that it is invaded both by rivers from inland and by the high tides from the sea. Moreover, under these disadvantageous circumstances the tenants have not cared to invest the large amount of capital required for seeds, instruments,. cattle, drains, and pumps worked by wind mills, In some years the River Conservency. can collect no rent at all, in ordinary times it has large deficient cies, and in no seasons can it get in the full' amount, If the rate required from the farmers were increased they would certainly be crushed by it. The River Conservancy has great difficulty in finding the sum which it pays annually to the Western Tombs Treasury; and the said sum, it should be noted, is calculated on the whole acreage of the treasury's land, without making any deduction for the por. tions of them which return nothing. The Memorialist therefore hopes that. things may be left as at present.—Rescript: Let the Board of Revenue take note,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.