16th March.
Mr. Hosts, H.M.'s Consul at Newchwang, was successful in several points at Kirin, as we have already announced. He obtained the land which Dr. Greig had bought in accordance with the arrangement made by the sungli Yamen, and the lease has been properly drawn up, signed, and registered by the authorities at Kirin, He secured the punishment of the man who laid a false charge against Sung, the lessor of the land, But he took care that the punishment, which consisted of ove blow, should only be formal, as there was practically no doubt that the culprit was prompted to take the action he did by the gentry and officials themselves, He also succeeded in obtaining the issue of a satisfactory proclamation in reference to future dealings between foreigners and natives. But he was unfortunately unable to obtain the punishment of the prefect,' his matter is now in the hands of Mr, Beauclerk, H.M.'s Charge d' Affaires, and it is to be sincerely hoped that he will, insist on exemplary pauishment being inflicted on this official, who was undoubtedly most grossly insulting to foreigners. His degradation would have a most salutary effect throughout the province. It is well to punish the tools of these anti-foreign jacks-in-office; but we know that the attitude of the people towards foreigners is friendly enough until they are incited to outrage by those above them, and the degradation of one official who has shown himself openly as offensive as the prefect did at Kirin has more wide-spread and lasting effect than the condign punishment of any number of those whom the mandurius in their arrogance are fond of stigmatising as "the stupid people."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.