Councillors.
A Northern letter states that the Chinese Minister at St. Petersburg has repeatedly warned the Peking Government to take a more determined " stand regarding "Manchuria vis-a-vis the Russian Goveroment if it is intended to suva Manchuria to China. On Saturday this warning became more urgent, the Chinese Minister declaring that was his firm conviction that if China still vacillated Manchuria would in x very short time be lost to China for ever, in regard to which be absolved himself from. all blame und responsibility, as his operated words of warning had been disregarded.
The Reorganisation of the Imperial Armies.
As will be remembered by readers of these "Notes" the Chinese Government recently appointed Prince Ching to be Chief Imperial High Commissioner of a proposed aeadauarters, for the reorganisation "of the Imperial Armies," wi croy Yuan Shih-kai of Chili us Vice-High Commis. sioner and the Manchu Vice-President of the Board of War as Deputy High Com. missioner, the Headquarters to be located in Poking. A dispatch from Peking now states that at a recent conference of the High Commissioners (Viceroy Yuan" being communicated with by telegraph) it was decided to establish branch or provincial army headquarters in each of the nineteen provinces of the Empire, ie.—the eighteen evinces of China Proper and Chinese estan, Mongolia (Inner and Outer) aad Kirin and Heilungehiang) not included the three provinces of Manchuria (Fengtien, that is to say, in each of the provincial capitals, for instance, Paoting in Ghibli, "Chinan' in" Shantung,' Nanking Kiangsu, etc. These nineteen provincial headquarters with the Chief Headquarters in Peking will make twenty such departments. Hor it Deginning each army headquarters (Peking excepted) will organise on the new. est model twenty-five battalions (500 men to each battalion) or 12,500 for each province, making a total of 237,500 troops un der the new regime for the nineteen pro. vinces. Peking, however, is ta have 50,000 new-modelled troops of Chinese descent and the same number of Manchu or Banner troops similarly trained, making an uggregate number of 337,500 well armed and well trained men for the whole empire. Tt may also be here stated that of the 50,000 mex belonging to the Peking department. three-ths of them acknowledge Viceroy Yuaa Shih-k'si as their own Chief, although os. tensibly under the Chief Army headquarters. This is only 33 the, wir." but yet should be the North.". 5 rug in mind should " something turn up in Distress in Lower Kiangsu, News from various quarters of this part of the province all report that owing to' the Jong continued drought there consider-, uble distress amongst the inhabitants of the country districts aggravated by the con. having risen to twice th: normal Guotations stant increase in the prices of grain, rice In consequence of this the leading gentry have been conferring amongst themselves with regard to the deduction of the rent of farming lands for the time being and also with reference to making a joint petition to 13th January.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.