British residents in the Far East will no doubt be greatly interested in and cheered el the other day in answer to a deputation by the speech which Lord Salisbury deliver-from the Associated Chambers of Commerce on the subject of trade routes to Southwestern China. In its recognition of the feat, importance of opening up the rich "province of Szechuan to British trade by means of direct railway communication, the speech left nothing to be desired. It is true that the Prime Minister and Forei; retary pointed out that it would be contrary to principle and precedent for the Government to subsidise a railway in a foreign country; but he promised on behalf of the Government material assistance in carrying such a railway as far as the Siamese frontier and virtually. promised also thet her Majesty's Ministers would exert their influence with the Government of Siam on behalf of the scheme. Mr. Colquhoun, who of course has been advocating this route for years, is in high feather; and there can be little doubt that the scheme will soon take practical shape. By the way, interest in the rapidly approaching visit, of Li Hung-chang is increasing, and there can be no doubt that he will ave a splendid welcome, It is announced that he will make his headquarters at the Chinese Legation in Portland Place.
LORD KELVIN, Scientists from all parts of the world have been paying honour this week to Lord Kelvin, who has just completed the fiftieth year of his professorial duties at Glasgow; and both the Queen and the Prince of Wales have paid high tributes of appreciation to the' great' scholar and in-Jventor. With characteristic modesty 7th May.
IMPERIAL DECREES, (1) Appointing " number of officials to the metropolitan and provincial administra. tions.
(2) With reference to a memorial the otter day by the Censor Hu Chin-kuei recommending a change in the administration of the Yellow River; in other words to amalgamate the Director-Generalship of the tiver in the two provinces of Shantung and Honan into one office, instead of as at present, where the Shuntung Governor is Director-G -neral of the Shantung portion of the Yellow River, and the so-called Direc-for-General of that' river has coutel only over that portion flowing through Honan rovinee, etc., we ordered the Board of Works to report thereon, and they appeared to favour the idea of placing the Director-General of the said river at the head of both theShantungand Honan River Conservancy administration. We have, however, now commanded Jen Tao-jung, who has' gone to K'aiféngfu, Honan, to take"over the Director-Generalship of the river in that province, to make' careful investigation over the matter and: transmit to us the result. The said Jen Tao-jung's report is now before us in which he states that it would not conduce'to economy to remove the headquarters of the Yellow River Conservancy Bureau to its old wjamén at Chining in Shantung province from' the present yamén'in "K'aiféngfu, Honan, Hence the memorialist. truthfully declares that the conservancy" of the" Shantung Portion of the Yellow River, should, hitherto (since 1880), be confided to the Governor of that province. It is our com. mand, therefore, that the present regime
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.