2ist, 22nd December.
(Continued.)
The next charge is that Colonels Chang Fu-sheng and Cheng Chao-lien purchased their commands by making Liu Ao " pre-tot a girl apiece; and that there was a amour abroad that the Tao-tai had enticed the young daughter of Chiung Fu-sheng, ex-sergeant in the Chia Yi battalion, into his Yemen and raped her, the girl's father being ay overcome with shame and indignation that he died shortly Now Chang Fu Chi Tien, on being questioned on th denied that they had made presents of girls, and_a cross-examination of Colonel who had originally laid the coniplaint, which he was willing to bear witness to, before Liu Ming-cl'uan, elicited the statentent that he could not prove the ly learned by he An pitied him because he was a fellow Villager, and gave him oficial employment on three occasions. He died in September, 1884. In February, 1882, she being then fourteen years old, Lin Ao employed her to wait on the ladies of his household, and afterwards seduced her. Shs now Lieuten-i concubine. Liu Ao was examination, ned the girl, who vote family, who ud allowed her his own house, when At was not the case that he hind seduced her.
The Memorialists have to observe that Chiang Yi-mei was fourteen years old at the of the alleged rape, and was therefure in the eyo of the law no longer of a tender age. As hor father did not die till more than toro years nftermards, and was employed by Lin Ao o1 during that mmitted in secret, is difficult to prov.
his whole count may therefore be dismissed.
The next cow is that when Liu Chinan, Lin Ao's second son, went to Hu ipping agency hi to transport the fixed the charge per heat 18, etc, the defrauded the Government on this occasion being over 10,000 taels.
On this charge the Memorialiats have to remark that on their arrival at Shanghai they procured the ledger of the Ship-i which there was effect that in the pri mer fu Vu was hired to been running 20 ud in mid-channel, and the Kuang Li was substituted for her, charge of 280 taels per day; and was hired for 19 days, Payment pro ratd was made Fu Vu, and the total revived f of the two vessels was 11,039 Treasury taels Upon their arrival in Formosa, the Memorinliats made a careful exammati of the were cost of their tran port ae channel was calculated at the rate of fuels 95 per man, which gave total for 2274 wen of 21,603 Treasury taels, of 10,068 taels more than the nmounit entered on the books of the Shipping Agency. Kao 'leg-vii, who commanded of the four battalions, deposed un examination that when the recruits were raised last year, he only received 467 money, for their support trolled all the ceted with thole eq ud transport, and after the arrival of the men in Formosa made out " statement of all expenses incurred on their behalf, which he caused the command, of the four battalions to present in their joi to Liu Ao, to be placed evidence substan-ai-ho, another waa perfectly true that surcharge had been made, and that it had hi order, to enable him to m in of his other accounts.
The next count is that whereas formerly the expenditure incurred on the Kelung Coal Mines was 4 ur 5 thousand taels, it increased under Lin Ao at first to6,00U, and wards to 8,000 taels; that the money the coal was auld for, wan all paid into the Taotai's Yamen; and that Liu Ao, considering the salaries of the for-engineers tuo high, applied for per-fashion to employ Chang: Ch'uauwho had worked wuder foreign auj in their place, and associated certain officials to maunge the business the consequence being that the ex; diture creased still more, Accordin to the evidence of the managers, there are qualities of coal; the first quality 24 dolias a hundred piculs, and yards. @ price of the ordinary was reserved for the Government dockral was 16 dollars, and was sold to for and native merchants, Cent dust was sold at 8 dollars. In a mouth, over 12,000 dollars? worth of coal might be sold. the managers also bought up the output of the private mines at the rate of 16 dollars per 100 piculs of first quality coal, and 13 dollars for second quality, which' they retailed at the same price as their own coal 5 but for this the managers alone are responible. And that the nature of Lin Ao' embezzlements in this Department ennuot be discovered until his annual accounts have been procured nnd Yang Ch'ungchfaan and Cheng Ying-chieh summoned and interrogated.
The latter, who was Sub-Protect of the Pescadores but has been di ost, has now been ex that he managed the Coal Depart.
from June, 1881, to February, 1884, when he handed over the managem to Yang Ch'ung-chuan, an Expectant District' Magistrate. Previous to July, 1882, in addition to the sume renlisod by the sale of the entire output, which were claimed by the Department of works ing expenses, liv received a monthly subidy from the Tao-tfai of from 4,000 to 000 fuels; but after that date the expen-creased, owing to the output larger, 80 that the monthly subsidy to 6,000 taela, which was tuk from the Lekin Bopaetment, th ult Department, or the 'T'amsni Custome receipts for the aale of the cent were still devoted to the working expenses of the Department, and whenever they were auficiont to cover the whole expenditure, no subsidy would be accepted; this might happen in two or three months out of the year. Whenever it was necessary to buy the coat hind to be provided was not inc respect from that described abov summer and autumn, owing to the heat and prevalence of malaria, the number of hands employed on the two shafts of the mine was small, and the output diminialod 5 winter and apting tore was loss sick tly the number of workmen mud the output increased.
Suhsewently to 1882, the yourly total out pi of conl waa about 90,000 to 100,000 pier qualities being in equal proporti whole. Ti lily coal was 24 dollars por 100 pi Uint of Qud quality, 15 dollars; and thnt of conl duet 6 dollars; but monthly output could not all find an immediate aula, and there was consequently an overplas of each quality. The money realized by the sale of that portion which wa disposed of was insufficient to cover work. by disintegrating the lumps, would tran: form much of the 1st quality' coal into duo Moreover, when coal contains a certain amount of sulphur in its composition, ie often happens that it takes fire by spontaneous combustion if left heaped up for any length of time. Under these ciroumstances it is impossible for the output to ico which it should do, or for losses incurred on the unsold surplus The first quality coal from private mines an to be purchased by the Coal Depart.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.