(8) Huang Chun-hsien, recently appoint-+d Minister to the Court of Tokio, having reported himself too ill to proceed to his post and asked to be relieved, the request is her-by granted and Li Sheng-tu, Censor of the Kiangnan Circuit, is hereby appoint~ td in hin place ax a Mlinister of the 20d class. Li Sheng-tu is further given the brevet rank of tie Metropoliten 3rd grade and made an expectant official of the dth Metropolitan grade.
Note—Huang Chun-hsien, or Wong Kung-deo as he was known when Chinese Consul general at Singapore ber of the Reform a iL of Kang Vu-wei.
returning from Singapore he was appointed in 1897 Salt Taotai of Honan, where he also was for n time acting vincial Judge. Just before the coup he was appointed by she Emperor Minister t" Japan, but on getting to Shanghxi the crash came, and knowing that he was a marked man in Peking as the close friend of Kany Vu-wei, he prudently resigned, thereby escaping the meshes prepared for him when he went up for the usual audience. He was, however, arrested in Shanghai and an attempt was' made to kidnap him to Peking and executehimthere, but fortunately the plot was foiled and Huang, taking advantage of a temporary relapse of the Empress Dowsger's strict ness, managed to escpo to Hongkong, though ostensibly bound for his home, near Swatow. this was most fortunate, for the third day after his departure a secret decree arrived in Shanghai commanding Huang's summary decapitation in the native city and, falling tip, that he be executed upon landing at Swatow.—Translator.
6th October.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.