Wuchang, Apr. 17.
The prospects of establishing a scheme of provincial autonomy for Hupeh are not very rosy at pre-gent, A. select committee of four Prominent men has met twice to 0 into the situation and make pro-asale, But these four prominent, Men are not agreed amongst them-elves, and consequently find difficult to make any recommenda-ons at all. They are further handicapped by the jealousy of the Provincial Assembly, who apparent-had nothing to do' with the choosing of this committee, and feel 4in consequence that their rights as a legislative body are being disregarded. 'The answer to this is that the Provincial Assembly itself has no legal status, because its term of office has long ago expired. The present Assembly was elected the third year of the Republic, and its nominal limit of office is' four] years, It ought to have resigned and called an election seven years xgo, but its members preferred to sit on and enjoy the privileges of office, even though they were stolen privileges.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.