Tan Chun-pei, an officer of the premier button and Governor of Yunnan, with the concurrence of Wang Wen-shao, Governor-General of the Yun-Kaei provinces, humbly begs for the Throne's bounty and prays that permission may be granted for the remission of the land taxes this year in certain portions of the province of Yunnan, devastated by floods and hailstorm during the summer of 1892. According to the joint report of Shih Nien-tsu, Provincial Treasurer, and the Grain Commissioner Ying Kuei, it seems that from the petition of the acting prefect of Tungch'uanfu, the acting sub-prefect of Kusngsichou, the acting district magistrate of Hueitséhsien, the district magistrate of Lichianghsien, and the four deputies sent to examine the places above-named suffering from flood and hail, a large tract of country has been devastated. Thus the prefecture of Tungch'uanfu has a district covering 763 mow, 3 fun, and 1 hao of government land submerged, which should produce a yearly land tex in kind of 131 plews, 8 tou, shén_odd of rice; in the sub-prefecture of Kuangsicbou there are 657 mow and 7 fun submerged yielding a land tax during this autumn' in kind of 9 piculs, 6'tow, 7 aken odd of rice; in the district ungistracy of Hueitsthsien, 413 mow, 6 fun odd of land is flooded, which should give for the autumn taxes in kind 8 plews, 6 tow, and 8 shen of rice; and lately in the district magistracy of Lichianghsien there are inundated an area of 1,400 mow, 9 fun of arable ground which should yield' for the autumn taxe: piewls, 7 ton, and shen odd of rice, As the people inhabiting the submerged district are an especially indigent, and laborious lot, memorialist:
that they deserve some sort of y from government, aver and above already given them, a report of hich was submitted to the Throne at the time, and hence prays the Throne to allow these sufferers exemption from taxes during 1892 and 1893.—Reseript: Let it be as! requested end let the Board of Revenue take wote thereon, No other news of interest.
17th October.
'THE cover.
His Majesty gave audience this morning in the Grand Council Chamber to the Junior Lieutenant-General of the Peking Gendarmerie, or Police Provost Marshal, Tuansfén and Fu Sheng-pu. Chang Ch'ang Ling und to the Vice-Presidents Li
and colleagues gave thanks in person to His Majesty for their recent appointments, OFFICIAL MOVEMENTS, 'The Consort, of the Eldest Imperial Princess, Ts'en Ts'iin-I in, and the Duke of Ling have asked ten days' extra leave of absence from Court duties. Ch'ien Kuang having completed Teave of absence reports his return to Court duties.
A CASE OP ATTEMPTED BRIGERY, Ch'u Chen-po, Censor of the Kiangsi Circuit, states that he has heard it reported that the Chief Imperial Examiner Literary Chancellor of Chekiang, while passing Soochow en route for Hangchow, arrested aman who had brought a letter containing a cheque as x bribe and that the delinquent had been handed over to the prefect of Soochow to be sent on under arrest to the capital of Chekiang. If this he so, memorialist requests that a decree be promulgated for a searching enquiry to be made into the case by the high authorities of Chekiang, and full punishment be meted out to the offenders. According ton report of the affair as told to the memorialist, it seems that as the Literary Chancellor in question, Ying Ju-chang, was passing Soochow en route for Hangchow, a man suddenly presented himself on board Ying Ju-chang's boat and handed him a letter containing a cheque or bank order for $10,000, asking that the said Literary Chancellor should bear in mind the surnames of six of the candidates for degree who expected to compete at the coming examinations at Hangchow. As soon as Ying Ju-chang had possessed himself of the contents of the letter, he at once ordered the detention of the bearer and handed him, the letter, and cheque to the care of the prefect of Soochow, formerly prefect of Chinkiang, named Wang Jén-k'an, with a request that he should examine the man and send the evidence and prisoner on to the Governor of Chekiang, Sung Chun, at Hangchow. This affair has excited considerable comment in both the provinces of Kiangsu and Chekiang, and great indignation is felt amongst the literati of integrity and honesty of the above-named places. Even in Peking rumours are rife of the affair, and it is bandied about as one of extreme rarity and audaciousness. The memorialist feels, moreover, that th is a case of the gravest importance affecting the strict integrity and secrecy of the examination hall, and for the audacity and defiance of law and custom of these persons to attempt bribery in this case he thinks that the strictest enquiry and full measurement of the Jaw should be directed upon the criminal delinquents, If no notice be taken of it, there will be great danger of circumstances of still greater audacity and daring in the future.—Decree already published.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.