On the 3rd of February Prince Li and others received the following decree, "Prince Li and the Board of Civil Rites, who are entrusted with the management of all ceremonies connected with the anniversary have asked at what point her Majesty the Empress Dowager proposes to ascend her chariot on the occasion of her ogress from the The garden to the "place in connection with the celebrations in honour of Her Majesty's 60th birthday, and along what route the procession is to take place. On referring the matter tu Her Majesty, she instructed us to state that she proposes to ascend her chariot at the decorated pavilion outside the Tungkung gate of the Ihe garden. She will then proceed along the stone rond until the Tungt'ang is reached. A short halt will be made there and the city be entered by the Hsichih gate and then the procession will go through the T'iau and Hsihua gates, Inside the Hsihua gate and at the pavilion outside the Hsienan gate the chariot will stop and Her Majesty will return to the palace by chair, On that day we will on our knees at the head of the princes, nobles and other officers reverently see the chariot depart from the Tungkung gate, Wo will then escort it as far as the P'ai-low where we shall mount a steed and ride ahead until the stone road is reached. There we will get into a chair and await Her Majesty's arrival on our knees inside the Hsihua gate. The princes and nobles will do the sume outside the gate. Every yanéi concerned shall take every precaution to have all things duly prepared and in order.
The Imperial Household (Nei-ton-fu)ven tures to point out that several precedents exist for the following. During the reign of Ch'ienlung the road from the Heihua gate to the Hsichih gate was thoroughly repaired and put in order, altars, pavilions, ete., ware erected on either side and from the Ch'angch'un bridge to the Kaoliang bridge platforms and' theatres were put up. We (who have drafted thi:
arently suggest that the darmerie he directed to enquire into this matter and to see what steps can be en in order to carry out something {similar to the above on the occa: of Her Majesty the Empress Dowager's sixtieth birthday next year.
YUNGTING RIVER WORKS, From station No. 1 to stati the Peishan section of the Yur is proposed to erect a stone en 81i in length at a cost of over Ts. 544,800, for which money application has been made to the Board. The two Boards of Works and of Revenue, when the matter was referred to them, approved of the scheme and suggested that some high official in Chihli be appointed to superintend the operations and that a stipulation be made that the work be finished in three years. During the present year the province of Honan and the Customs' stations at Yangchow and Fengyang have been ordered to furnish Tis, 190,000, and the rest will be paid in
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.