June 24th,—The Governor of Anhui forwards a report of the amount of duties collected at the Feng-yang Customs fur the year ended 23rd March, 1887. The annual assessment was formerly fixed at Tis 0,159.6 and there wasa surplus assessment of Tls. 17,000, making a total of Tls. 107,159.6. "On its re-establishment, how: ever, in 1876, the Feng-yang station was to be worked on an experimental footing and only the actual receipts accounted for. The collection for the year under review amounts to Tls. 55,943.9.8.1, a sum which is slightly in excess of the receipts for previous years, but is still far below the fixed assessment. The cause of the deficit is this:—Grain is the staple commodity. that Feng-yang, and owing to a suc cession of bad seasons since the re-Dellion, the people have been unable to regain their former condition of prosperity, and the waste lands of the province have not eon brought under cultivation. Though the crops were not a total failure last year, still there was a dearth in several districts. There was very little movement of grain to the neighbouring provinces as the price there was much the same as in Anhui. Fortunately, however, there was an abun-students of the Ch'ien-yang and Ma-yang dant crop of beans, and as the short crop in Manchuria caused a scarcity in the coun try round' Soochow and Sungkiang, large quantities of bean-oil and bean-cake were shipped down the Yangtsze to meet the demand there. Miscellaneous produce used to pass.in great quantities through the Huai area, but tide is very depressed owing to the want of capital and the poverty of the people. Merchants who have a little eapital prefer to ship by steamers as being more quick and convenient, or take out Transit Passes to escape the charge at the numerous pekin barriers- A continual_increase in the falling off of the motive Customs receipt is the result of all this encroachment, The slight improvement in the figures for the present year is due to the brisk trade in beans, but there is no reason to expect that it will prove permanent. There was a collection at a branch station of Tis, 2,687.52. on colouring Which will go to form part of the remittance for the present year.
NATIVE CUSTOMS RECEIPTS AT TIENTSIS, Tune Bth.—(1) Li Hung-chang reports that the native Custom-house at Tientsin has collected during the past year the full amount which itis required to produce, and in addition " small surplus, The annual sum fixed by law under various heads is Tls. 81,041, which, with, with an extra amount of Tls. 12,384 destined for the Tmpe Household, makes total due of Ts. 93,425, 'There have been collected by the last Taot'ni, Ts. 39,822; by the present Taot'ai, Tis, 26,117; which, with Ts. 27,918, the amount of duties remitted to grain' junks fur the cangvoscattied in 207 of thole space, come to a total of Tls. 93,857, and leave'a surplus of Ts, 430 odd.
A BOARD OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS IN ANHICI.
(2) The Governor of Anhui represents that since the opening of the port of Wahu, the presence of forvizners, lay and missive nary, has become a conamon matter throughout the Province, and international eases frequently arise from the manner in which the habitations of converts ure scattered among those of the other Chinese. _In 1877 the then Governor established a Board of Foreign Affairs at Nyanking, under the prosidency of the Tnotai of the An-luch'u-ho Circuit. There were attached to it, one oticer of the rank of prefect, two sub-prefects or magistrates, and three lower oflicials. The Board has proved itself most useful, and its members hive worked well, But it has never been brought. to the notice of the Imperial Government, which, therefore does nou recognise its existence. calling His Majesty's atte) tion to the subject, the Memorialist mends that the' Board, which has hitherto always used the Taotai's seal, should in future be entrusted with a seal ofts own, It is thought that this will expedite the speedy transmission of despatches, when there is any business which requires to be dealt with rapidly, Ttis also proposed that the officers attached to the Board shall be recommended for promotion at the end of three years' service, if they have worked well and have committed no mistakes.—Approved by Rescript.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.