The Superintendent of the Foochow Arsonal reports that the construction of the ironclad Long Wei has been completed, and j under instructions from the Viceroy Li, she has joined the northern squadron, her name the close of last year the Superintendent having been altered to P*ing-yuan. Towards
announced the completion of the vessel and her trial trip, and obtained authority for the restoration to their former rank of jeertain students engaged in her construetion. A list of her crew and an estimate of her monthly expenditure were submitted to the Throne and duly approved. Last winter the vessel paid a visit to Shanghai, where she was inspected by William Long, Deputy Commander-in-chief of the northern By his advice she returned to Foochow and was then provided with considerably over 100 new: appliances and fittings in the most approved style of modern warships. On the 16th of May last she was handed over tothe Commander-in-chief, Ting Vu-ch'ang, as part of the northern squadron, When the vessels of the northern fleet were recently at Hongkong a telegram was received from the Northern Superintendent of Trade, Hung-chang, suggesting that as the wei was to join in the evolutions of the ern fleet her name should be changed yuan, 80 as to bring it into harmon: with that of the Chen-yuan and other vessels of the northern fleet, and facilitate the transmission of orders. The vessel accompanied the fleet to the north and made the distance from Foochow to Shanghai in very good order within forty-four hours, Her ex-lenses as far as Tientsin have been defrayed. from the fund in hand for the construction of ships and will be repaid by the Foochow Exchequer. The Grand Secretary Li Hung-chang, the Tartar-General and Viceroy at Foochow are associated with the Superintendent of the Arsenal in submit ting this memorial.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.