July 2th.—(1) The Governor of Shensi reports the murder of three members of a family by one man, The murderer Ch'en Yuan-hai was a Shansi man living in Shensi, where he made a livelihood by cultivating thirty-two acres (mou) of hired land. Tu the winter, two years ago, a father and two sons, named Li, passed by that way looking for work, Chien Yuanchai entered into conversation with them and, finding that though strangers to him they were from his own country, he gave them a lodging for the night in his house, which was an excavation inthe loose soil. Then, as his guests seemed industrious people and his farm was bigger than one man could cultivate, he proposed that they should stay with him and help him to work it, dividing the receipts into four equal shares. This they gladly consented to do, In the spring, their food being exhausted, Ch'én borrowed about five dollars and four bushels of mullet, to be repaid after the harvest. As time went jon the new comers proved to be lazy men, who failed to do their share of the work. Ch'en remonstrated with them, but they did not heed him: Then quarrelling began, and finally they agreed to divide the land. The three men took twenty-four seres of the best land, and went to live in separate excavation. When harvest time {was gone by, Ch'en claimed from the Lis their share of the borrowed money and millet, which he wished to repay to the slender. But as all his requests were met by evasions or refusals, he at length lost his temper and abused them violently. 'The elder Li set his two sons on to Ch'en, and they beat hin about the head with their fists. A neighbour separated them, and then the elder Li uttered the ominous words, "Why docs a solitary man like Ch'on' Yuan-hai, with no one to protect him, risk his life by plaguing people for money." Ch'en went home and, influenced at once by fears for his safety and desire for revenge, determined to kill the three. He know they were opium smokers, who sat up late and rose late, and next. mioring, armed with a hatchet, he stole into the room where one lay and despatched him in his sleep. Then entering the chamber of the others, he killed one before he woke, and the other after a short struggle, But going out with the bloody hatchet in his hand, he was seen by the mother of one of his neighbours, who told her son, The on, fearing that they would get into trouble if the murderer ran away, invited him in, and began to talk in a friendly way about, arranging for his escape. In the meantime help had been sent for, and the man was bound and handed to' the police. The Memorialist, tinding that the truth of the evidence was beyond all doubt, condemned the murderer, as the law required, to be put to death' by slow degrees; and the sentence was duly carried out without de-Iny.—Rescript: Let the Board of Punishments take note.
ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES IN TURKESTAS, July 26th.—The Governor of Chinese Turkestan refers to the recent establishment of sub-prefectures fur the two distri of Harashar and Kui-kara-usu, which formerly governed by a high commissioner and a nullitary officer of rk. Besides their ordinary administrative and judicial functions, the new sub-protects have alan been entrusted with the duty of controlling the Tourgouths and other nomads in their ighbourhood. As these nomads may not re of the change, the Memorialist begs that the Mongolian office at Peking may be directed to give them notice of the fact for their information and guidance. Also, in accordance with what had been Gone at Tarfan, the late Governor-General Tso Tsung-tang, with His Majesty's approval, placed the Turkish Mohammedans in the District of Hami under the jurisdiction of the assistant sub-prefect at that place. The Memorialist therefore prays that a new seal may be issued to the said assistant sub-prefect, with a legend descriptive of the functions performed by him.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.