A prominent native official, residing at present in Shanghai, upon being a-ked recently the rosen for the determined opp"rition shown by the principal Mandarins of the Empire agains: the abolition of the likin tax, gave it as his conviction that as the abolition also included the likin on salt the main sources of revenue of the provincial yoveraments would he tak which even the duties 0
Imports and Exports could not possibly compensate—for some yea's, at the least.
The Question of Joining Shantung Province with Chili and placing the two provinces under the Viceroy of Chihli, same basis as of the Viceroyalti of Hunsn and Hupeh and Kuangtung and Kuangsi, ete. which was mooted just previous to the promotion of Yuan Shih-kai 1 the Govership of Shantung to the viceroyship of Chihli, has again become the topic of the hour at Court, owing to the reports of the recrudescence of Bo: ism in certain parts of Shantung and Eh ovinees, According to a private dispatch rom Paoting it seems that the Empress Dowager, the other day, sent a eypner telegram to Viceroy Yuan Shih-kai telling him of her intention of putting H.E. military forces of the (we asking him what he thought of such an innovation. To the surprise of every one at Court Viceroy Yuan was sto opposed to the step and_ earnestly recommended the Empress Dowazer t" put implicit confidence in the newly-promoted Governor of Shantung, Chou Fu, late Provincial Treasurer of Chihli. "And if, indeed, there is need of any consulta-ions to be made in regard to important matters referring to Shantung," continued Viceroy Yuan, the two provinces are so near to each other that no time need be appreciably lost while the Governor of Shantung consults with him (Viceroy Yuan) by telegraph or by letter."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.