Energetic and progressive as the Viceroy of the Hukuang is, it is much to be desired that his zeal were more according to kuowledge.
Amongst the translations of the Peking Gazette we publish elsewhere, there appears memorial by Li Han-ching which displays an almost incredible lack of resource, and is a most naive confession of helplessness. It would seem that shortly before his transfer to Wuchany, Chang Chih-tung give an order for one hundeedt and two field guns for the purposes of Coast Defence at Kiungchow. These guns have now arrived, but he will have nothing todo them, The climate is damp and the guns would be spoiled by rust. White ants abound avd would devour the gun carriages, The mound or embankment on which it was proposed to place them is not broad enough to permit of the guns being turned thereon, and there are moreover no ponies to deag them, He therefore intends to hand them over to his brother, who, he rightly thinks, would have more use for thew, and proposes that the revenues of the Canton province shall pay fur th pending a refund by Chibli.
It is hard to believe that even the present Emperor, boy as he is, could fail to be struck by the negligence of Cha tung in not first ascertaining whether the guns would be suitable for the country, by the lame excuses of Li Han-ching which he puts forward ass pretext for getting rid of them, The Li family however are " powerful corporation, and whatever His Majesty's private opinion may have been, the proposal has been agreed to and "the Board concerned been directed to take note, Chang's orders one way and another have caused his successor no small aniount of perplexity and embarrassment. The former had a happy way of issuing orders without duly considering beforehand what the result would be, and as in the meantinie he had been transferred, Li was at his wits? end to know what to do with the consignments of cotton machinery, experts in cotton eleaning, professors of botany, of international law, ete.) which poured in upon him shortly after his arrival at his new post. He did the best he could and endeavoured to pass them all on to Wuch'ang succeeded in disposing of a them in this way, but the one consignment which caused him the greatest trouble was that of the Professor of International Law. Owing to the cumbrous machinery of the law in Hongkong, Chang found the rendition of Chinese prisoners a most costly process and very often had the mortification after spending large sums of money to sve his vietion elude his grasp. So he not uumaturally concluded that it would be more economical to hire a man of his own at so much per annum to fight rendition eases his behalf in. the Hongkong Courts, and applied to the Chinese Minister in London to send him out a trained lawyer for that purpose. This gentleman was ite "la to employ his leisure moments in di livering lectures on International Law in the University at Canton, said University being one of the many projects contemplated but not as yet an accomplished fact. However the high-sounding title "f Professor of Iuternatioval Law at the University of Gxnton did eventually induce a barrister of no mean capacity to embark for the gorgeous East filled with high hopes for the future. The tedium of the voyage out was beguiled by the composition of @ course of lectures for the imaginary students of the imaginary university, and on arrival at Hongkong the rows of ships were eagerly scanned for the Imperial Chinese man-of-war that was toconvey the professor to his destination. That powerful vessel not being forthcoming there was nothing for it but to have recourse to the Canton night boat, and next moming the Viceroy was annoyed to learn that another of these professors had turned up and that held by a few. there were no quarters available fur hi interpreter was in the end directed to ask him to take up his abode in the Mint, but this offer was very naturally declined," and not long afterwards the Professor returned to England a sadder, and it is to be presumed a wiser man. "A telegram cate from Wuchang asking if the Professor of Botany could ph m trees, and on a reply in the negative being reesived, Chang Chih-tung lost all interest in him'aud he is now residing at Whampoa in the Naval Schwol there, very suitable sphere for a Professor of Botany." No wonder Li Hai in his heart ut hearts most cordially detests the multifarious schemes of the energetic but slightly unpractical Viceroy of the Hukuang.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.