ABSTRACT OF PEKING GAZETTE, 18th and 19th January.
SALES OF LAND BY BANNERMEN FORBIDDEN, An Imperial Decree states that the law used to forbid all sales to Chinese of lands belonging either to relatives of the Emperor or to other members of the Tartar Banners settled at Peking, But in the reign of the Emperor Hsien' Feng, thirty or forty years ago, the prohibition appel to have been withdrawn because of number of infringements of it whicl occurred and the quantity of litigation which had ensued therefrom, The Bo rd of Revenue has now represented that the freedom of sale is made uso of toa very eat extent, and the amount of land owned The Board therefore recommends a return, the Bannermen is rapidly diminishing,
to the old state of things, The Emperor recognises how important it is that the lands possessed by the Bannermen should
therefore commands that no sales of them be retained by them for their support. Ho to Chinese be ever permitted in future. This rule will apply both to the lands originally bestowed on the Bannermen when they settled in the country, and to those which they have since acquired by purchase. If any infraction of the law be discovered, both vendors and buyers will be duly punished. All sales which have been already effected and regularized will be allowed to stand good; and in thoss cases where the land and its deeds have been transferred but the legal formalities not been accomplished, six months will be allowed from the date of the present Decree for the completion and recognition of the transaction.
'TRIBUTE CORN RETAINED IN SHANTANG, The Governor of Shantung has asked permission to retain in the province for charitable purposes 40,000 piculs of millet which ought to be forwarded to Peking for the use of the Government. The Board of Revenue, as instructed by the Emperor, now presents a report concerning the proposal made by the Governor. The Board remarks that last spring the Governor was omg to expend in relief measures Is. 50,000 from his owa provincial treasury, and Tls. 100,000 which were sent to him by the Board itself. Since then he has further received 10,000 piculs of grain from the south, and has been allowed to use the same quantity from the tribute collected in his own province. His Majesty has, therefore, already displayed the most extraordinary benevolence towards the suffering poor. Still the distress in Shantung is 90 widely spread, that the Board is able to endorse the Governor's statement as to the necessity for further funds. In asking for this amount of millet the Governor represents that it is exclusive of that necessary for the soldiers at the mausolea and the various garrisons, the supply for whom has been separately provided by him. Apart from the soldiers' millet, the Board finds that the miscellaneous requirements of the year amount to 68,000 piculs, while the stock in the Imperial Granaries is found to be 290,000 piculs, There will thus bea surplus next year; but of late so much grain has been retained locally instead of coming to Peking, that the Board does not dare to give any opinion in the present instance. It suggests, however, that, if the Emperor accedes to the Governor's request, that officer should be desired to forward to Peking the sum for expenses which ought to accompany the millet when sent there,—Decree issued previously.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.