Shen Ping-ch'éng, the Governor of Anhui, reports that there has recently been a great falling off in the likin receipts pon grain in his province, which has entailed serious financial difficulties upon the administration. Grain is the chief production of Anhui, and the likin upon it forms one of the chief sources of revenue. Durin; the past fow years not less than several hundreds of thousands of piculs of grain have been annually purchased in the province free from likin for the consumption of the soldiers or the relief of distress in other provinces. Fully half of this quantity was, it is estimated, purchased under permit issued without sufficient authority. As the ostensible object for which it was procured was the relief of
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.