The Governor of Honan points out the difficulty he has in maintaining order in his province, bounded as it is on the south by Hupeh on the east by Anhui and Kiangsu, and on the north by Chihli and shantung. The south-western portion especially, which consists principally of mountains and large tracts of waste lands, is a favourite resort for lawless characters and unless there are experienced troops to keep order the peace and well-being of the people can with difficulty be maintained. After their recent troubles it is most essential that the inhabitants should be left quiet and undisturbed in order that they may in some measure be enabled to restore their fallen fortunes.
Apart from the three brigades of irregular troops (lien chun) the only troops available for police duty ate the Ching-pu and Wei-ching battalions; to which may be added the recently returned detachments of the Sung Wu-chun, consisting of two battalions of infantry and three patrols of horse. There is this peculiar feature about Honan that the areas to be protected are of such wide extent that a large number of troops ence it ig distributed over them does not look nearly so formidable as it would were it massed at one point, nor can it render such efficient service as it could do were it possible by posting detachments at certain central positions to hold the country in check. Memorialist has heard that the Governor of Shantung proposes to dismiss about five hundred of the Sung Wu Chun, who are too old for active service, and as the funds for the maintenance of this force are defrayed by Honan memorialist would request permission to utilise the money thus saved, in enlisting an extra battalion for service in his own province, where it would be.most useful in maintaining order.—Let the Buard concerned consider and report.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.