September 26th.—The Governor of Kirin states that repeated applications have been made during the last thirty years for the allotment and reclamation of the waste land in the province, but that nothing was done until some nine years ago, when the matter was taken up in earnest with a view to procuring funds for the military necessities of the time. The pressing need for money that'then existed induced the authorites to marge the business at first through the agency of middle-men, who took over the land in large quantities from the Government and parcelled it out indicriminately to tenants irrespective of the character of the holder or the quality of the soil. The. settlement of boundaries, fixing of rent, size of holdings, and all such questions were decided exclusively by these roads have' been rendered impassable by middle-men, and the result led to much heavy rains and the conveyance of produce confusion and interminable disputes. Some from even comparatively near regions has tenants cultivated land for which they paid been attended with great difficulty. Added no rent, while others paid twice the amount to all this is the fact that the law does not of their assessment. There were even authorize any additional levy upon goods of ores holders threw up the land foreign origin, and it will be understood and decamped rather than pay the heavy how, in spite of the most strenuous efforts, rent demanded. These abuses had con-it has been found impossible to bring the tinued so long that a return to a better revenue up to the desired standard. The order of things seemed. almost impossible. late Superintendent, who experienced the Some years ago the Board of Revenue, same difficulties, asked permission to ae: having issued instructions for a full survey count for only what he received, irrespecof all the waste land in the province, a tive of the amount of the assessment, department for carrying out this object eas established in the capital, and oticers but to this the Board objected and were sent duly equipped to execute the urged that in the event of a deficit each outgoing Superintendent should submit to Great opposition was encountered it an explanation of the circumstances. on the part of influential land-grabbers, The total receipts of the office for the year but by a judicious application of stern under review were Tls. 173,171.4.5.6.%, oF and persuasive measures, the Commis-Tis, 141,793.1:8.3 less than the total of the sioners succeeded eventually in overcoming all obstacles, and made a complete addition to the ordinary presents to the fixed ad supplementary assessments, rey of all the waste land in the pro-eunuchs, a sum of Tls. 1,000 had to be vince. Cases of disputed boundary and of furnished this year to the Court and the exorbitant rent and other complicated expenses of an additional staff at Tung-pa questions which had been going on for and six other stations were defrayed from scores of years were all disposed of, and the year's receipts. the whole matter was placed on a plain footing. Altogether over 1,010,000 hsiang
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.