Yiilu reports that in the 5th moon of the present year it came to his ears that there had been a case of beating to death in the T'iehling District which the Magistrate concerned, Chen Shih-yun, had not immediately made it his business to inves tigate, he having allowed himself to be persuaded by the family of the deceased into hushing the matter up. Memorialist was on the point of sending a deputy to enquire into the matter when a woman Feng Chang: shih belonging to one of the banners came and complained that her son Feng Kuang-en had been beaten to death by Li Chan-chun and five others and that although the matter had been reported at the Magistracy no inquest had been held as the delinquents had been able to successfully square a yamen clerk, named Fang-ling. this intelligence Wei Yueh an Chihaien vas at_oneo directed to proceed to Tiehling and have the culprits arrested. Prior to his arrival however Li Chan Ch'un had succeeded in hiding the dead body of Feng Kuang-en and when examined denied all knowledge of the matter. Hereupon memorialist gave instructions for the-case to be transferred to the provincial capital and for the magistrate to be suspended.
Li Hung-chang reports that the Famine Relief Committee inform him that in the spring of the present year Ch'en Ch'in-ming, late Judicial Commissioner of Kiangeu and Minister to England and France, but at the time on sick leave.at his home in Fukien, had converted some of his property into money and forwarded the sun obtained namely Tls. 5,000 to Tientsin for distribution in the distressed districts, He stated at the time that this was done with no object of seeking reward on his own. account, but as he has since departed this life, the committee have requested memorialist to ask that posthumous rank of the first class Lo bestowed on him,—Kequest ited.
9th November.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.