(1) The other day I, the Empress Dowager, commanded the Grand Council and the Six Boards to consult upon the question whether or not the Governorships of Kuangtung, Hupeh, and Yuonan, and the Director-Generalship of the Yellow River should be abolished. The report of the said Ministers is now before me in which it is declared that as the Viceroy of province is charged specially with the duty of army organisation and the Governor with the duty of administering the Civi Government thereof, the post of Governor is too important to be abolished at will, especially as this subject had been mooted several times during former reigns of the present dynasty and as often been deprecate ed. by those charged with reporting on the subject to the reigning sovereign. Hence the memorialists unanimously declare that it is inadvisable to abolish the above-named Governorships. In consequence "f this I commansl that the said Governorships together with the Director-Generalship of the Yellow River, which must have a special official to look after its conservation, be retained as heretofore; and I therefore appoint Tseng Ho (Manchu), Provincial Treasurer of Kansu, to be Governor of Hupeh; Lu Chuan-lin, ex-Viceory of Szechuan, to be Governor of Kuangtung; and Ting Cheng-tu (Treasurer: of Kashgaria) to be Governor of Yunnan. J8n Tao-yung is therefore reinstated in his old post. of Director-General of the Yellow River and need not resign his post. As for the other provincial posts of lesser importance formerly ordered to be abolished, they also are to remain as they are and need not be abolished.
[Wete—The substance of the above decree was published in these columns in advance yesterday morning.—WV.-0. Daily News.
(2) he Grand Council, Tsungli Yamen, and Board of War having reported against the suggestion to examine candidates for the military chujén and chin shih degrees in proficiency in small arms and artillery drill, I, the Empress Dowager Tze-hsi-tuan-yn, etc., hereby command that the old system of examination in horse and. foot archery, brandishing swords and stone weights, etc., be continued as usual, proficiency in modern weapons of proc and gunnery being more lit for instructing those who have graduated in the above degrees and who wish to enter the active army. Hence I command that military raduxtes shall henceforth be ordered to join the military neademies of their several districts where they can be instructed the modern branches of military learning. Further those \anchu military chinshth who have gained their degrees to entitle them to appointment as members of the Imperial Guards are to be sent to the Peking Field Force for instruction as above,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.