Li Hung-chang submits a petition which he received from Wu_ 'Ta-cheng, late Director-General of the Yellow River, and other retired officials residing in Kiangsu, in which they draw attention to the eminent services rendered during the Taiping of Ningpo, who died' about a year campaign by Ku Wen-pin, formerly Taotat ago in his native place in the Yuavho district of Kiangsu. The deceased after attaining his Metropolitan degree started his tticial life as a Secretary in the Board of Punishments in Peking.
His first. proial appointment was that of Prefect in Hupeh, where, on the recommendation of the then Governor, Hu Lin-yi, he was raised to the post of Salt Intendant at Wuchang. It was when holding this position in the year 1860 that he retired into niourning and found the whole of his native province ravaged by the rebellion. The Governor had removed his official residence Shanghai, in which place not less than 100,000 people from the adjacent districts had taken refuge, and which was. the only stronghold Jeff to guard the interests of the south-eastern portion of the Empire. When things were at their very worst in the year 1861, Ku Weén-pin was authorised by Imperial Decree to raise a force of militia, which afterwards contributed materially to the success of the Imperial cause. During that winter Chapoo, Chin-shan, Ch'uansha and a number of other towns fell into the hands of the rebels, who on the east side were only separated from west, too, the rebels were only a fow distant from the town. The Imperialist forces outside the city had been completely routed and the garrison within the walls was totally without military training and experience. The position of things was desperate and several alarms occurred every night. Ku Wen-pin strongly urged the raising of a strong force as the only measure that could save the town. In the meantime, Tseng Kuo-fan had. retaken the city of Anch'ing and was marching eastward down the Yangtze with a force sufliciently large to enable him to allot a portion of it forthe relief of Shanghai, Money was raised by public subscription, steamers were procured, a junction was effected with ithe troops under the memorialist, and Shanghai was reached in April 1862, after which tranquillity gradually began to preil and the whole fortune of the war changed. Ku Weén-pin subsequently rendered valuable service in the work of reorganising the province and in other dotal of public administration. In 1870 he was bean og Taotai at Ningpo, but very shortly afterwards retired on the ground of ill-health, The deceased was one of three to whose exertions the suppression of the rebellion in Kiangsu was due almost as 9 much no it was to the military commanders in the field, and as temples have been built to perpetuate the memory of his two companions, it is asked that a like honour may be accorded to Ku Wen-grateful recollection of whose services has prompted his fellow provincials to submit this application on his behalf. ~Grauted by rescript.
13th July.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.