The Governor of Anhui reports to the' Waiwupu thst he learns from the Customs Taotai at Wuha that British firm has purchased " piece of Inod at that Treaty Port from the local branch of the China Inland Mission for the erection of a kerosene oil tank. As foreign missionaries are not permitted to purchase lands for commercial purposes, the site shoul returned to the original and sold then be able to decide whether the erection of the kerosene oil tank or godown was likely to be a menace or not to the well-being of the Chinese residents. In reply to communication from the Tootal, however, the British Consol at Wabif contends that the land in question was purchased by the English missionary as his personal property and not by the China Inland Mission; consequently it was not intended solely for the use of the mission. Governor Teng Cha asks for instructions to settle the difference and adds thet, in order to prevent similar occurrences in fature, he has instructed all the magistrates to prohibit any Chinese owners of land from selling their estates to foreign isi except for the words or " pablic property of the mission " must be written fon the title-deeds, otherwise th will not be recognized by the Chinese authorities.
In connexion with the above incident I may mention here that the Viceroy of the Liangkuang Provinces recently advised the Waiwapu that, in view of the increased number of disputes between foreign missions and the natives in Kuangtung and Kuangsi in recent years, and in order to prevent fraud on the part of the people who may sometimes sell their estates to two for more persons or sell lands which do not belong to them, he has instructed his subordinates to warn their people that in fature, if they want to sell land to foreign missionaries, they must first advertise in the Chinese Press at Canton or other cities for several days, giving particulars of the intended sale. The foreign missionaries may purchase the Inds if riv one comes forward to riy claims about them. Viceroy be Chang suggests that the rule may be extended to all other provinces if it is go, found to be practicable in future, BUILDING OUTSIDE Limits, At the instance of Viceroy Tuan Fang, the Waiwupu has drafted " communica tion to Baron M. Hayashi with a request that the owner of the Japanese spinning and weaving factory in the han. district, situated inthe vicinity of the International Settlement of Shanghai, be instructed to shift his house back to the foreign concessions. This request is based on the ples tha, by th arrangemente made Shanghai i and others are only allowed to rear! building land in the Panshan district! for residential purposes and not for commerce. The Foreign Ministry adds that the British, French, German. and American Consols-General at Shanghai have been requested by the Castoms Taotai M. T. Liang to do the same with regard to those commercial houses established there by their respective nationals in defiance of existing Treaty stipulations. The Chinese officials regard the school and the printing office established by an American mission in that territory as commercial houses and demand their removal. But the United States Acting Minister here is of opinion that as the school is intended for the benefit of the younger generation of China and the printing office is sole for printing Bibles for the use of the foreign and native missionaries, they cannot be regarded s trading establishments. He, therefore, requests the Chinese Government to allow them to remain where they are without change.
THE BREAK-UP OF WINTER, The weather is getting warmer day by day in Peking and Tientsin and the ice in the Peiho river is gradually melting away. It is expected that navigation will be resumed from Taku direct to the Tientsin Bund during the course of the next two or three weeks.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.