Li K'un-i submits that since his arrival at his post the pressure of business hias been s0 great that he has only been able to receive the various ''Chous" and intervals and. it tis been impossible. for "Hsiens" under his lotion at rare
him to make thorough enquiry into their characters and capabilities, For these reasons he would not care to lightly take any action, but when rumours of any misconduct do reach his ears he dare not for one moment show. the slightest leniency.
The Into Sharghai District Magistrate Pei Ta-chung, now Department Magistrate of the independent department of T'ung-chow (Kinngsu)- was some time ago said to have been guilty of misconduct on eight separate occasions. Whenever this news reached the ears of the Financial and Tus ial Commissioners two deputies were appointed to look into the matter. The result_of their enquiries and the answers of Pei to the charges brought against him proved conclusively to manorialist that he had, to say the least of it, shown stupidity in his administration of official business. As, however, his private and public affairs are so mixed up that it is impossible at first sight to separate the one from the other, the Intendant of the Susungt'ai circuit has been directed to investigate the latter, and when his report has been received further action will be taken. In one instance it is clearly apparent without any need of further enquiry that he has been guilty of displaying an illegal partiality towards one of the parties ina law suit, and in a second instance, a dispute as' regards adoption, it is almost certain that he took the side of one of the parties against the other and the side that he upheld was the side that had no legal claim.
Memorialist would further draw attention to the case of the Jukao District Magistrate, Lo Ch'iung-chang. This officer is a native of Téungch'uanfu, Szechuan, and arrived at his post on the 14th of March. On the 22nd of June he reported at the office of the department magistrate that on the 18th of that month he had received a letter from his home announcing the death of his mother on the 19th of January and that it would be necessary for him to 0 into} mourning. On the report of this case reaching memorialist he was at once struck by the remarkably long interval which had been allowed to elapse before the death was rerented Direct water communication exists between Szechuan and Kiangnan, and in these days of steamers and telegraphs important news of such a kind would naturally be conveyed as quickly as possible by the family to the son interested. An interval of over six months is quite unheard of and people say that he had newsofhismother'sdeath before proceeding to his post. How under the circumstances was it possible to him to clothe himself in the garb of everyday life and appear before the people? The officer who was sent to relieve him had hardly taken over charge when a mob got up and burnt the missionary chapels. Had the magistrate reported his mother's death earlier his substitute would have had longer experience of the district and been able to take steps to keep lawless characters in hand.
Memorialist concludes by asking for permission to at once degrade the two officers in question.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.