General Ma Yii-kun, Provincial Commander-in-Chief of Chihli, and of the troops outside Shanghaikuan guarding the neutral territory west of the Liao river, or as the Chinese call it, Liaohsi, according to a dispatch from Poking, isin high favour with their Majesties the Emperor and Empress Dowager. The other day, 2s a mark of ap-Prociation of his Excellency's conduct since the beginning of the present hostilities, their Majesties sent the General two pieces of the finest gauze to make a suit of summer clothes, a number of scented pouches, and" a heavily gilded fan, on one side of which is a water-colour painting by the Imperial hand of the Empress Dowager herself, and on the other, some verses of the Emperor's own composition and written by his Majesty himself, with the heading "Yii Kuo Kan-ch'éng," which means, "A Wall of Defence to the Empire,"—a compliment to the General, who guarding the environs of the Attentions like these are rare in China and proportionately appreciated by the recipient, and the talk in mandarin circles now is that, if General Ma plays his cards well, he can have in duo process of time a Viceroyalty, or a Governorehip at least, for the more asking. As an example may be cited the case of the late Lin Ming-chinan, Governor of Form He was first a "itu," or Provincial Commandor-Chief, which in process of time ho exchanged for the civil rank of a Governor of a provines, by favour of the Emperor Tang Chih.
Floods at Hsinmintun.
It is reported from North Chinchou that the Liu river, near Hsinmintun, overflowed its banks on the Sth instant, thereby washing away a portion of the roadbed of the Hsinmintun Railway between that station and North Chinchou. It is further stated that a great portion of the region to the West of Hsinmintun is inundated, all the crops (almost ready for reaping) being washed away and also, a number of houses. The people are said to be in great distress.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.