'THE SWATOW SHOOTING CASE, Tt is rumoured that the prefect of Ch'ao-chou Fu, Yang Tsi, who is about to leave hia post, dues so on account of the on plaints of the lieruti, who think that that official should have acted more vigorously on behalf of the two Chinese, one of whom was killed and the other wounded by the accidental letting-off of a gun by the Customs house officer, Jackson, at Swatow a few months age. A'former prefect, Fang Kung-huei, has been appointed to the post by the high provincial authorities at Canton.
A BIG BIRTHDAY, The sixty-eighth birthday of the mother of Lien Sheng, the Hoppo of Canton, was appropriately celebrated on the 11th inst. at the Hoppo's yamen, the principal guests being the Viceroy Li Han-chang, the Futai Kang-yi, and the Tartar-General Chi-ko. The amount and value of the presents received on the occasion is computed at not Jess than Tls. 30,000—mainly the contributions of the Hoppo's subordinates, 'A COLLISION IN THE TIMISM RIVER, A large boat Inden with goods belonging to thirteen traders from Tehchow while sailing up stream for Tientsin on the 8th inst, and while tacking across the river, was run into by a downward bound junk striking it amidships and sinking the boat within five minutes. Dar from th collision, a' number of coolies on the river ba ro gam-pans, ostensibly to salve the sinking cargo, but in reality to rob the poor traders of their all. Some of them, however, preferred their. goods to sink rather than they should go. to enrich unprincipled: rogues, so three of the traders got hold of wood: ehoppere and by chopping off the fingers of some of the ensues prevented a wholesale plunder. Fortunately a couple of life saving boats appeared on the scene and aided in the salvage. Riv lives were! Jost and only tenth of the cargo was saved while another tenth went to the coolies, The triders and owners of the sunken boat have lodged their suit at the Tientsin Chehsien's yaméx and the colliding junk has since been arrented.
THE MOUTH OP TEE GRAND CANAL, The work of repairing the Grand Canal embankments at Yangchow, towards which the Viceroy appropriated Tls. 60,000 at the beginning of this year, and which was stopped awhile owing to the death of tai, the Director of Works, list month, lias been going on apace since the appointment of the deceased official's successor, An- that it ise: pected to be fi the next fortnight, As the embankments and dykes that have been repaired stretch through four hsiens or districts, an idea of the difficulty of the task he formed and the rapidity 3 finishing in work 80 quickly is exceedingly creditable to the filcials who have worked dxy and night on th The Viceroy lias therefore memorialised the Throne asking fur rewards to be given to the most energetic and deserving of the officers.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.