'A Peking dispatch to hand states that there is an intention in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to. make Tsai Chun, at present Chinese Mini the Court of ohio, and Sun Pao-chi, Minister-designate to France, interchange posts. The proposed removal of the Tokio Minister has Teference, of course, to his unpopularity amongst his compatriots in Jabin and his ree ut squabble with Chinese youths stullying in that country, The M.A, Examinations held in the early part of this month at the capitals of the various provinces of the Empire, appear, according t" reports received from all parts of the country, to have been but poorly attended by candi. dates for the literary degree of chiijén, in many provinces only two-fifths of the usual number having presented themselves for examination. The principal reason for this, it is said, was because of the number of new subjects on Western literature and sciences that were expected to be given out by the special examiners sent from Peking, of which the great majority of the literati of the country naturally had no time to coach themselves up to in time for the examinations.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.