The distress this year in the neighbourhood of the capital being very great We have at various times made grants of money and grain in aid of the sufferers. But when We reflect on the great number of starving individuals there must be in {the 19 chows and hsiens of the Shunt'ien Prefecture and the near approach of cold weather our heart is moved with compassion land we hereby direct that an additional grant of 50,000 piculs of rice be issued by the Peking granaries to alleviate the di: tress during the winter. Let P'an Tsu-yin see that it is properly distributed to the various soup kitchens.
MANUFACTURE OF SILKS FOR IMPERIAL USE, Hsin, the Director of the Imperial Silk Factories at Nanking, ete., applies for an extension of the time originally allowed wherein to execute a special order for certain goods which the Ewperor intends to distribute as presents. He states that in the eighth moon he received an order through the Hei Wu Fu for embroidered robes, large and small rolls of "Mang" satin, "Kiang" and "Kung" silk gauze, etc., amounting in all to 4,183 pieces to be ready for delivery in two months' time. As these are intended for presents he naturally must devote all his time and attention thereto and endeavour to have them ready as soon as possible, but he would point out that of the embroidered robes, there are 210 reveful fine work and of the 70 pieces of different pat-large total to complete which hi Under these cire' tances and considering ery i inadoyuate, that the appointed time for delivery is close at hand he is afraid he will be unable to execute the order by the end of the tenth he necessary funds for carrying on the work he estimates at Tls. 136,000 and he will in concert with the Governor of the province take measure to have this amount collected as soon as possible. He proposes in the first instance to raise the sum of Tls. 70,000 and at once set to work on the ceremonial robes and the Mang" satin which together with the Kiang" silk he hoped to be able to deliver within the year as a first instalment. The remainder of the order will be ready by the spring. By he will have adequate funds to carry on the work as required and great care can be devoted to the finish of the various articles. As however he dare not do this on his own responsibility he would ask the Imperial sanction to execute the order in the manner proposed.—Granted. Leb the Yamen concerned take note.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.