A regulation w: some time ago by which the district of Ch'i-fu must always have for its magistrate an officer who has entered the service by the regular channel, that is to say by obtaining a degree at the provincial or metropolitan examinations. The reason for making this rule was that in the district in question was situated the home of the ancient sage Confucius. A magistrate has now been ising his plans. The memorialist now finds that by the efforts of these two officers, during the year ended last midsummer, assistance was afforded to one grain boat and seven trading junks. In four cases the vessels were lost by going ashore in fogs, and no notice need be taken of what was done, But each of the other four ships was driven on to the rocks in a gale, and the thirty-six persons saved from them were rescued from the most imminent peril with great risk to their preservers themselves. In addition ten dead bodies were recovered and property was salved to the value of
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.