A Soochow dispatch gives a rough sketch of the " Extortions"* of the Empress Dowager's High Commissioner, Kang Yi, since his arrival in this province two months ago, In round numbers he has, far, obtained guarantees and promises for about Tls. 750,000, leaving a million and a quarter still to be "extracted" annually to make good the two millions' annual income he promised his patroness from Kiangsu province alone. This Tls. 750,000 is made up of the following Nanking (Riangning) Central Liki Bureau Huaian Salt Gabelle Shanghai Taotaiship China Merchants' and Telegraph Administratio 100, Closing the Nanking University and Military Academy al, retrenched Chinkiang Tac Nanking Board of Commerce Total Ts....640,000
Finally, another Ts. 100,000 from the various salt likin stations of Kiangsw, which are divided into three classes, according to the amount of their annual receipts, vis. Tls. 2,000 from the Ist class; Tls. 1,500 from the 2nd class, and Tls. 1,000 from the 3rd class stations, annually, thus aggregating a total, in round numbers, of Tls. 750,000 which the High Commissioner has extorted, so far, from the mandarins of Kiangsu, north of the Yangtze River. From the Tribute Rice and other departments at Soochow it is anticipated that, at least, a million taels will annually be extracted before Kang Yi's terrible tentacles stretch southwards into Chekiang ps The quatter million balance still demanded to make up the required Tls. 2,000,000 will, it is said, be obtained by' still further paring down the already meagre salaries of the civil and military officials, high and ow, of this province.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.