ABSTRACT OF PEKING GAZETTES, March 29th,—(1) Yang ''se-shan, Sub-for of the Court of Imperial Entertain umout, is allowed to vacate his post.
A slumber of Decrees appear in this oni the keys and official seals of various public departments are to be consigned, during the absence of the proper custodians with the Imperial party on its journey to the Mausolen, (8) A Decree ordering one Yang Taungox-Taot'ai of Hupeh who was asi ed for maladministration in connection with the collection of revenue, and is employed in the military school at ie tain (?) to be withdrawn, and some o else appointed by the Grand Secretary This, in order that he may not have an opportunity of opening for himself a way to reinstatement in the official career.
(4) The Governor-General at Canton ports that he has removed Lin Oh' yuan, the General of the Kiung-chow Division, from Hainan and has placed Chang 'Ié-lu, General of the Kao-chow Division, in his place. Lin Ch'éng-yuan, the Memorialist explains, is a mere routine effier, and has proved himaolf unequal to the task of coping vigorously with the ing of Hakkas and aborigines which at Present agitating ton Chou and Cheng. Heian in Hainan, (6) The Governor of the New Domini: recommends one Yuan Yao-ling (Bw) to the "important" position of Taotai of Aksu in Kashyaria, a post which has been nowly created. The usual record of services accompanies this recommendation which is referred to the Board for cou-sideration.
March 30th.—Wén-she, newly appointed Imperial Resident in Tibet, had audience of leave, (2) A sub-Memorial from the Governor-General Li Hung-chang asking His Majesty's sanction to the submission of the Actual accounts of the cost of building of custom houses on the Corean frontier instead of limiting the officers concerned to the statutory allowance.
As earlier reported to and approved by His Majesty, the Memorialist and the Governor of Kirin arranged upon the opening of Corea to regular trade, to build a Central Customs Station at Ho Long Yii DE), with branch stations or barriers at Hei Pu Chiang (PW 3G 71) and Kuang Chi Ya (38 9% 2), Ch'in Ying, a District Magistrate, being appointed Trade Superintendent.' It was arranged that Tis, 10,000 should be advanced from the Kirin treasury to pay for the building and furnishing of the three custom houses and three large ferry boats required, and in due courss a letter was received from the Beard of Works to the effect that they must be furnished with estimates of the cost of these buildings etc. previous to their construction, and. that accounts of expenditure supported by certificate must be sent them when the work was done. Upon communicating th instructions to the Superintendent, he presented that the three places in question being on the extreme frontier, to which workmen and materials had to be brought fromadistanceand prices being consequently greatly enhanced, it was absolutely impos. ible to keep within the statutory scale of prices, while he himself had not the means to make the difference good out of his own These statements with regard to prices of material, ete. on the frontier are correct, and necessary as it is that in ordinary cases of government building work the statutory scale of prices should be adhered to, it would be inexpedient to insist upon adherence to this scale in cases in which the circumstances are exceptional and the undertaking a novel one. Under these circumstances the Memorialist and the Governor of Kirin, who appends his name to this report, have called upon the Superintendent to send in actual retura of the expenditure incurred, exhorting him at the same time to study economy.
Rescript: Let the Board of Works take .—The Court Circular annowuces that His Majesty will start upon his journey at 5 to-morrow.
A Decree enjoining upon the high officers appointed to take charge of the road, and the Governor General Li Bung-chang, the necessity of seeing that their officers and mon keep careful watch during the progress of the Imperial journey to the Mausolea, In the event of injury being done to the road by the carts or horses of any members of the Imperial retinue, eunuchs or others, or any attempt at ex-tertian or annoyance of the people by. them, they are at once to be denounced and punished. Carelessuess on the part of the officers entrusted with the preparation of the road, or any attempt on their part to evade responsibility for unevenesses or i e flaws to the larly dealt with, April Ist and 2nd. of the Empress and Emperor from Peking, is published on alternate days, and there is no Court Circular, (1) A Decree directing that a woman called P'u Ai-ni, the daughter of a conutryman, who presented a petition to Hi Majesty on the road to the Mausolea, be handed over to the Board of Punishments for © rigorous interrogation,"
A decree announcing His Majest will that forty por cout. of the land tax in the five Departments and Districts of Ta-ising, Téang-chow, San-No, Chi-c ow and Tsun-hua, through which the road to the Mausolea passes, shall be remitted for the pri prosont occasion i Uupromising condition of the spring crops owing to deficiency of rain, (8) The Governor-General Li Hung-chang reports that he has drawn the sum of Tls. 50,000 from the provincial exchequer for distribution in the form of relief to the inhabitants of the Shu tien Prefecture and province of Chil who were the victims last year of di aster from flood. Ts. 100,000 and 100,000 piculs of grain Were distributed amongst these people last year to enable them to tide over the winter, but a further distribution is necessary this spring.
(4) Liu Chin-tang, the Governor of the New Dominion, requests instructions as to whether he shall depute an officer to take temporary charge of the duties of the Lieutenant Governor of Urumtsi. The post of Lieutenant Governor of Urumtsi has been abolished by Imperial Decree, but there are several matters to be wound up before its abolition can be given effect to, and Sheng-t'ai, the present i cumbent, is obliged to go into mourning for the death of a parent.
By a Rescript appended to the Memorial one Fu-lo-ming-o is appointed provisional Lieutenant Governor.
April 3rd and 4th.—(1) A Decree ordering man and a woman who presented potitions to His Majesty on the road to the Mausolea to be consigned to the Board of Panishments for rigorous interrogation,"
(2) A Decree directing Yo-nien, Comptroller of the Office of the Imperial Household, to see to the arrangements for the obsequies of the consort proper of Prince Tan feommouly known as the Fifth Prince), intelligence of whose death has been couveyed to His Majesty.
(3) A Decree: We have previously instructed the Comptrollers of the Office of the Imperial Household to give peremptory orders to all the chief eunuchs to keep the attendant eunuchs and others under proper control during the progress of Our pilgrimage to the Mausolea in attendance upon Her Majesty the Empress Dowager, and to seo that no vexatious or annoying acts were committed by them.
Chao Fu-lai, chief eunuch of the Ch'u-hsin department of the Palace, yesterday reported to Us that two of the eunuchs of the fourth relay, to wit Liang Heiang-jung and Hsing Vu-jui, had extorted fodder by forcible means and beaten certain official i Upon receipt of honoured by Her eign commands that " severe besting should' be administered to these eunuchs, who were then to be banished to the hunting region The strict laws under which palace attondants are controlled under the present cly ave been wielded with the utmost seve ud in every. ca of disturbance being created the off be punished in ble form, The report of the facts of the prosont cuse by the chief eunuch ving followed by the immediate punishment of the offenders, the other attendant eunuchs must naturally take the warning to heart. The Cump-trollers of the office of the Imperial House: hold and the chief eunuchs will contin to exercise the strictest suporv' it immediately brought to Our notice. We shall assuredly doxl severely with the delinquents, whose offences must not be screened under pain of punishment for 60 doing.
(4) En-lin, Sup: an Customs, repor' tion of duty on foreign opium at the two Customs Stations of Huai-en and Ssu Chou for the two years, two months and fourteen days during which he held office was Tle, 418,005. The term of the Memorialiata service having expired, he has forwarded this sum to the Board of Revenue in accordance with the regulation, and, having no military staff from which to detach a guard to escort the treasure, he has thought it safer to convert the money into Bills which he will himself cash on arrival in Peking and pay into the Board.
April 5th and 6th.—(1) A Decree conferring the distinction of the Yellow " Riding Jacket" upon the Grand Secretaries O-lo-
Grand Secretary Chang Chih-wan, the ing, the Assistant President Hsti Keng-shen and the Vice President Sun Yii-wen, (2) A Decree ordering the bestowal of an ingot of silver of an ounce weight upon each of the bearers of the Imperial chairs on the journey to the Mausolea, (8) A donation of half a month's pay and rations is bestowed upon each of the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.