(1) Yang-Yi is appointed acting Senior Vice-President of the Board of Works, ad interim.
(2) The Censor Kao Hei-chen reports that the practice of some of the officials in the provinces in getting persons to subscribe for the Chao-hsin Bonds or national Luan is getting unpleasant to the people large and suggests that strict orders be again promulgated on the subject, etc Our intention in issuing the Chuo-hsin Bonds was to make the Loan a permanent: ong, after the manser of other countries, and not merely as a temporary mea-ure to fill up the veil in the Imperial Exchequer made on the spur of the momen', which hus heretofore been the practice. We have. already strongly urged upon all our high provincial authorities to obey our orders to the letter, and sct their faces sternly against any attempts at forcing our subj-cts to buy the said Bonds, but that every one should he given perfect liberty to subscribe or not as he chose. Indeed, instead of being " voluntary ae' on the part of our people such procedure by disobedient officials would make only a means of extortion and the eausivg of great sufferings among them. This is just what we earnestly wished to avoid, and hence we now again call upon our high provincial officials to give xt once the strictest orders to their sub ordinates to ab-spain in every way from avy semblance, eve! of extortion on our merchants and people ut large; and that each one should have perfect liberty of chico whether to subscribe to the Bonds or not. And in case avaricious officials and their subordinates venture to disobey us we look to the high authorities to denounce the culprits in tie strongest terms in order that we may make severe examples of such. The Bonrds concerned are also commanded to take spe ial vote of this edict.
(3) Yang Ju (st present Minister to Junior Vice-President of the Board of Russia—Trandator) is hereby appointed with control over the mints.
ug Ju's absence in Europe Liang 'hong is appointed acting Vice-President ad interim.
19th May.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.