The Governor of Chekiang submits a memorial asking that a tablet bearing an inscription in the Imperial handwriting may be presented to Hsii Yung-i, a Minister of the Yamen, for his generosity in_purchasing a Innge estate which he has placed at the disposal of the needy members of his family clan. Hsii Yung-i, who holds also the post of Vice-President of the Board of Revenue, is a native of the district of Haiyen, where his family have resided for several generations. The clan isa very numerous one, and is distributed over the district and the town of Haien, The father of the present Minister eld office as a Sub-Prefect near Swatow, and conceived the idea of presenting his clan with a piece of public ground on the Bineiple enunciated by Fast Chung-yen, a Worthy of the Sung dynasty. His means however being limited, he was only able to purchase 110 mar of land for the purpose. This is quite insufficient to provide for the wants of a family which has numerous branches and which has been settled in the district for eighteen generations. The Minister has therefore purchased 1,469 mow more land in the three districts of Chin-hsing, Pinghu, and Haiyen, the rental of which is to constitutea fund for assisting the widowed and orphaned members of theclan, for defrayingmarriage and funeral expenses, and for educating the children of indigent families, All the members of the clan who are descended from thesame great ancestor are to share in the benefits of the foundation, and land stewards have been appointed th look after the interests of the property. Hsii Yung-i has shown his deep interesting the welfare of the remote branches of his family by spending is. 19,000 on the purchase of this estate, and as he is already an officer of high rank, it is suggested that some special mark of distinction should be conferred upon him. A pesedent is, found in the ease, 'eng-shen who received an Imperial tablet for @ similar donation of land which he presented to the members of his clan some seven or eight years ago. The memorialist therefore ventures to solicit the bestowal of s reward of this kind upon Hsit Yung-i in recognition of his generous conduct.—Referred to the consideration of the Bourd of
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.