The Viceroy of Szechuan states that he is sending to the Board of Revenue detailed accounts of last years's expenditure at the provincial arsenal, as there isa new rule requiring this to be done annually with regard to all extraordinary expenditure. The work accomplished in the twelve months comprises repairs to 115 pieces of machinery, 10 fire engines and 1,652 old foreign rifles; there have also been manufactured 380,000 cartridges for Mauser Rifles, 6,600,000 copper caps for muzzle-loaders, 120,000 pounds of gunpowder, ninety-three pieces of machinery, and other articles in small quantities. Everything has been tested and found satisfactory before being issued. The total cost of the years' expenditure at the arsenal, including wages, purchase of material and everything, has m Tis, 43,513; and the funds to pay for it have all been withdrawn from the likin on local products, without trenching upon the ordinary sources of revenue.—Ke erred to the Board.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.