No less than eight officials holding substantive and, in al instances, quite lucrative posts in Hunan province, either as sub-protects, district magistrates or district directors of studies, have recently. petitioned H.E. Tuan Fang, Governor of the provines, to be allowed to resign their respective positions so that they may go abroad, either to Japan or Europe, to travel around and extend their prosont knowledge. The enlightened Governor, Tuan Fang, was naturally exceedingly pleased at this landable desire to see the outside world amongst his subordinate officials, and not only gave his unqualified assent but also ordered that each of the applicants should be paid a certain amount for passage money, while time, his Excellency li Provincial Treasurer to appoint offici become locum tenentes for the travellers, so that when they returned from abroad they would find their original posts kept for them. This exceptional tre ment by the Governor has been dei appreciated by ull classes of offic should serve as an incentive to other mandarins to apply for leave to travel nbroad.
On the Alert, The " Sinwénpao" has the following which we translate:—At the 3rd watch of the night (about 1 a.m) the day before yesterday, the Shanghai Taotai received 'a formal dispatch from the Japane Consul-General stating that there are indications on the part of the interned Russian refugee cruiser Askold to make a night escape from the harbour, in support of which that vessel appears to have changed her berth to midstream. In view of this the Japanese Consul-General requested the Taotai to make instant preparation to prevent this violation of the neutrality Inwa by the Russians. On receipt of the news Yuan Taotai at once sent for Liu Taotai, the special deputy sen-here by Viceroy Chou Fu, on account of his knowledge of Russian, and showed him the Jupanese Consul-General's dispatch and requested him to go without loss of time and ask the Russian commander of the cruiser the reason of his changing his berth to midstream. Liu Taotai, accompanied by Lieutenant Wan of the Shanghai Taotai's Bodyguards, did so,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.