Hsit Chen-i reports that an officer named Chu Mou-lan is incapacitated by bad health for the proper performance of his duties. Chu Mou-lan is the sub-prefect in charge of the Huangeh'int'ing, a river works ost, Last summer, as his district had long been untroubled by dangerous floods by omitted to secure a proper supply of millet stalks and stones. However, at midsummer there was an extraordinary rise of more than ten feet in the Ch'in River, The breaking of the embankment was imminent, and had it happened, the people of Mulantien, some thousands of tamiles, would instantly have been all afloat. The sub-prefect was ill in bed and incapable of doing more than giving orders for carts to transport himself and family elsewhere. But he was prevented from moving by the people of the place, who surrounded him and would not let him go. Fortunately the Taotai hurried to the spot and with the aid of the inhabitants secured materials by pulling down houses and tearing up paving stones, with which he succeeded in strengthening the embankment, When the memorialist himself arrived, the sub-prefect excused himself from appearing on the score of ill health. The memorialist put other officers in charge of the works in hand, but in spite of this the sub-prefect sent in monstrous bills for expenditure supposed to be incurred.
The memorialist withdrew him from his post and was on the point of reporting him to the Throne, but finally accepted his excuses and we him another acting appointment. The next thing that was heard was that he was ill again. As it is absolutely necessary that officers of the river department should be active and energetic, the memorialist proposes that the subprefect in question should be compulsorily retired.—4 pproved.
15th March.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.