Nundry decrees with reference to the retirement in mourning of the Grand Cham. berlain Poyentomuhu on the occasion of the death of his mother. As a special mark of favour the treasury of the Privy Purse is directed ty issue to him the sum of Tls. 1,000 as a donation. towards the expenses of the funeral, During his period of retirement his duties will be performed by various officers named in the several decrees.
Chu Shen is appointed Reader and Ting Li-kan Expositor of the Han-lin college.
INCENDIARISML IN MANCHURTA, The Military Governor at Moukden r ports the arrest and trial of an incendiary named Ch'en Chri-wen, a native of the Kaiyuan di This individual, who was a regular bully, gambler, and idle vagabond had recently endeavoured to borrow money of a neighbour named Ch'eng Ching-yueh, but hud met with a refri Hea wily determined to burn Ch'eng's the back of the premises, the eaves of which he sct on tire. As there was a fresh breeze blowing the roof was speedily ina blaze, and the incendiary then quietly returned home and went to bed. The next morning he came round to inspect the result of his handiwork, and finding the owner standing outside the doo threatened nest autumn to burn all stacks down to the very last straw. A few days later a second attempt by Ch'en Civi-wen to borrow money from another neighbour named Ch'eng Wan-chi proved equally unsuccessful. He accordingly set fre to the stalk-fence round this man's house, and being foiled in this, took an early opportunity of setting the house itself fire. Only one room was burnt, however, the owner having rushed out and given the alarm in time. Seeing Ch'en Ch'i-wen standing there looking on he asked him what he was doing, whereupon Chen picked up a brick and threw it at him saying that he meant to have his revenge. On a third occasion he set fire to a stack of fuel belonging to a certain Yang-Lien against whom he had a grudge, openly telling him [that he had done so. Some time after Ch'en demanded 00 strings of cash compensation for injuries revived in a fight with a man called Tsui, and this led jail the other individuals above-named to come forward and report the facts to the authorities. ChtenChi-wen was then arrested and sent to the provincial capital for trial, the above facts being clearly proved against him The law provides that where any person from motives sets fire to " dwelling-house without, however, causing any injury to the occupants, he shall be de-tated after the usual period of incarceration, and this is therefore the sentence en diary in the present into account the aggravated ure of the ease, and the necessity for [inflicting the severest possible punishment anier to stamp out crimes of this the fact that the character to have the diately instead of delaying the execution jin the usual course till after the autumn assize.—Keferred tv the Bourd of Punish ments, Th a second memorial the Governor of Moukden reports the trial of a man named Li Yii-chen on a charge of arson. criminal being without regular occupation frequently found himself in some straits. There was a small temple in the neighbourhood dedicated to the Fire God, and it had occurred to him that by pretending to have influence with this deity, and by giving out that, all who worshipped at the temple would escape calamity by fire, he might make a good income. "In order to induce the people to believe in him and at the same time pay off an old score against a man named Li Tzit-i, he and a friend of his called Wang Tao went one night and set re to a quantity of straw stacked in Li's yard, telling every one on the following day that the fire had occurred on account of Li's unbell Several other similar acts of incendiarism were successfully carried out by the pair. On one occasion when Li Yit-chen was pretending to help at one of these fires a man named Li Tien-no began to express his suspicions oxf the subject. Li Yii-chen thereupon retorted that if was an unbeliever he tov would certainly progpostiationsa dayer two later by setting suffer in the same way, giving effect to his
i Tien-pao's house on fire. The latter was so scared that he forthwith presented Li Yiichen with an altar-table and screen together with 360 strings of cash. After this as no more money was coming in the latter began to repeat his proceedings, till finally he caught in the act and in due course brought to trial. In accordance with the provisions of the law bearing on the pre-blows and banishment for 3 years. The man Wang Tao effected his escape, and his case will therefore be dealt with as soon as he is captured.—Referred to the Board of Punishments.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.