29th Oct.
We have before us a list of essay subjects recently issued by a Committee of junior Ministers of the Isungli Yamen detailed to examine a large number of candidates for posts as secretaries and assistant secretaries in the Taungli Yamen, 'I'he competitors were all either Hanlins or Metropolitan Graduates (chinskik) who, having served a certain time in one of the Six Boards at Peking and having held a record for efficiency, were duly entitled to be recommended by their Presidents and Vice-Presidents to compete for the above posts. The candidates were divided into two classes, namely, Manchus and Chinese, and there were 105 of the former and 102 of the latter class. The examination of the Manchu candidates took place on the 4th instant, and the subjects upon which they were required to write were
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.