18th Dec.
In our abstract of the Peking Gazette published this morning out readers will find two memorials—one by a Censor and the other by the Governor of Chekiang. ''he papers in question deal with a case of attempted bribery alleged to have been perpetrated upon an Imperial Examiner specially delegated by the Throne last September to preside over the "Grace Examinations" of Chekiang, as this functionary was passing Soochow 2x route for Hangchow, the capital of that province. A man named Chou Fu-ts'ting, a Secretary of the Grand Secretariat and an official of the fourth grade, now absent on mourning leave of absence from Peking, is charged with having written a letter to the Chief Examiner, Ying Ju-chang, accompanied by ay order for $10,000 on anative bank at Soochow, requesting this last-named official to pass six candidates—one of whom was the son of the writer—who were going to compete at the approaching examination for the Chujén or Provincial graduate degree. "On receipt of this letter and cheque," say the two memorials, "the Chief Examiner at once ordered the arrest of the bearer of the missive and turned him over to the Prefect of Soochow for examination, requesting also that the delinquent should be sent on to Hangchow for trial by the high authorities of that province, etc." This, as our readers are aware, is what is called the " official version but the popula: story, which lias been set afloat by an eye-witness of the occurrence, is somewhat different.
It appears that the author of the let-term question, Chou Fu-tsing, who is a native of the city of Shaushing, happened one day to be in the company of the parents and relatives of the five candidates above named and remarked that the Chief Imperial Examiner of Chekiang was an Academy or College mate of his, He must also have said that he possessed some influence wi that official, for Chou was at once proached by these gentlemen—members of the Chekiang gentry—who asked him to write a letter on behalf of their sons, (with his own son thrown in aratis,) and subscribed the sum of $10,000 for the purpose in view. Chou, who saw an opportunity for his own son, of course accepted the office of "go-between," but fearing that his own servant, a native of Peking, would be detected and recognised by the men on board the Examiner's boat, he borrowed a servant from one of the above referred to gentle-amen, and started at once for Soochow so as to be in time to catch the Examiner's boat as it was passing that city, ex route. But this messenger must have been very inexperienced in the art of carrying secret notes, for when he had given the letter to the Examiner's aide-de-camp, instead of leaving the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.