The Military Lieutenant-Governor at Jeho reports on the damage done by the rebels last winter to the five or six post stations outside the Hsifeng K'ou Gate in the Great Wall. The buildings were destroyed, the horses gone; and, at the moment when the rebellion commenced, official was conveying money there for the purchase of remounts, This money was carried off by the rebels, and many of the officer's escort were killed. An officer, sent to investigate, found that the Mongol soldiers employed in the postal service had built themselves huts near the ruined station houses, where they were waiting in a jtiable condition and clamouring for food.
he memorialist had been notified by the Mongolia Office at Peking that it was his duty to attend to whatever might be necessary with regard to the post stations. He therefore proceeded to relieve the sufferers, iving them a thousand taels from the fongnl Relief allowance, which they were entitled to share as belonging to the Kara-chin and Tumet tribes. Next came the question of furnishing a fresh stock of horses for the postal service. The number of animals required was only eighty-seven and the memorialist, thought it better that they should be purchased with government funds instead of levying them on the Mongol tribes, hoare really at the moment incapable of supplying them, But, while the cost of a horse is seven or eight taels, and the old government price was six taels and a half, of late the Board of Revenue has reduced the authorised allowance to three taels und a quarter. At this rate it is impossible to procure the animals; and the memorialist trusts that his payment of the old government price will be approved in the present instance. With regard to this sum of money carried off by rebels, the memorialist remarks that the officer in charge of it lost all his own baggage and only escaped on foot after having run the greatest possible risk of being killed. It is hoped that under these circumstances he will not be required to make good the money.—Referred to the Mongolia Office.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.