Taw news that Chang Chih-tung has Feceived orders from Peking to come mence his end of the Great Western Railway at once, and to give up the idea that the required funds must only be procured in China, and the line constructed entirely with Chinese materials; and that he is at once to invite competition from American, Eng lish, French, and German firms for a comprehensive concession; that the Viceroy of Hukuang, having realised at Canton the great convenience of steam communication on the rivers there, has persuaded his colleague of Szechuan to rescind his determination not to allow the rapids of the Upper Yangtze to be profaned, and has asked Sir Robert Hart, to authorise the despatch of the Kuling on a pioneer voyage to Chungking, to determine if steam navigation there is practicable; that the ''sungli Yamen
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.