'A decree. In response to a further application from Prince Yi begging that he may be permitted to retire on the ground of ill-health, and that his allowance be stopped, accordingly relieved of his functions half is salary as a retiring allowance. and granted, as a special act of grace, one-
SERIOUS DISTURBANCES IN FUKIEN, The Viceroy at Foochow reports his finding in a serious ease of riot involving the loss of several lives. In Jaw 1889 dispute occurred between some Kiangsi men and the natives of the Shunch'ang district in which three of the latter were killed. Upon this the inhabitants mustered to the number of over 1,000 and led on by a man named Ts'ai Ta retaliated on the Kiangsi men, killing fifteen of them and wounding a number of others. Several arrests were made and the prisoners were sent for trial to the taotai of the Yen Chien Shao circuit, the original intention of hearing the case at the provincial capital having been abandoned on account of the risk attending the transmission thither of the prisoners, by reason of the large number of Ts'ai Ta's adherents. At the trial a certain Ch'en Hsin-chu admitted having shot two men, and others of the prisoners confessed to various degrees of participation in the affair, Ts'ai Ta would only acknowledge having mustered the people and supplied them with weapons, but the evidence of a number of eye-witnesses proved beyond a doubt that he had been gether with gongs and leading them on to first and foremost in calling the people tothe attack in the whole affair.
The case was reviewed by memorialist assisted by the Acting Judicial Commissioner but no new facts were elicited. The statutory punishment incurred by Tsai Ta is that of decapitation, and though he obstinately refuses to admit all the charges brought "against him, memorialist has satisfied himself by enquiries made on the spot when he had occasion to visit the neighbourhood last year, that they are fully borne out by the facts. He has therefore drawn up an indictment based on the depositions of all the witnesses which he now submits for His Majesty's decision. The other criminal, Ch'en Hsin-chu, is liable to decapitation after the autumn assize, without benefit of extenuating circumstances. Though their crimes were committed before the recent Act of Amnesty, yet in view of the gravity of their offence neither of the prisoners comes within its scope. Memorialist observes that the feud between the inhabitants of the Shunchang district and the Kiangsi men is of long-standing, and has never yet been put a stop to. The local authorities have always shown a lack of severity in dealing with disorders of this nature, the result being that the people have become utterly lawless and devoid of all sense of fear. In the summer of last the Kiangsi men mustered with flags, ete., openly avowing their intention of avenging themselves on the people of the place, their organisation partaking toa certain extent of atreasonablenature. Life and property were destroyed, and over 100 of the ringleaders and others have already been executed. Now that 15 of the Kiangsi men have been killed without the forfeit of a single life may this in mind and create further ving been paid, memorialist fears they trouble when their numbers are recruited at the approaching tea season. For these reasons he requests that an example may be made by the execution of these two lawless ruffians Ts'ai Ta and Ch'en Hsin-chu. The other rioters 14 in number are liable to various minor degrees of punishment, which they escape under the recent Amnesty.—Rescript: Let the Board of Punishments report hereon forthwith.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.