(1) Decree, in response to a memorial from the Waiwupu asking that " special envoy be sent to the United States to thank the President and Congress for the return of a portion of the American Boxer Indemnity. The Decree states that ever since a treaty was made between China and the United States the two countries have been most friendly with each other and the return of a portion of the late Indemnity is another mark of the friendship of America. It is, therefore, only right that a special envoy should be sent to the United States to carry the Imperial thanks to the Government of that country, T'ang Shao-yi, Governor of Lower Manchuria (Fengtien) is given the additional brevet rank of a President off been the Peking Ministries and appointed Special Envoy to the United States to carry the gratefal thanks of their Imperial Majesties at this further token of United States friendship towards Chins, (2) Wu Tao is appointed Superintendent of Education for the province of Kirin (Central Manchuria).
July 21.
(1) As T'ang Shao-yi has been appointed to a Special Mission (to the United States) his post of Governor Fengtien (Lower Manchuria) shall be administered by Hsu Shih-ch'ang, Viceroy of Manchuria, in addition to. his usual dari (2) Liang Ju-hao is promoted Junior Deputy Vice-President of the Waiwupu and Chang Yin-t'sng is appointed Junior Councillor of the same Ministry.
(8) Cheng Yuan is appointed Reader of the Hanlin?Academy.
The Department Investigating the subject of Constitutional Government Hsien-chen-p'ien-te'a-kuan) has received the Imperial sanction to ite suggestions as to the establishment of Provincial Assemblies throughout the country. Each of these Assemblies is to be presided over by a President assisted by a Vice-President, who is to sneeeed the President in case of his demise. Should the Vice-President of 8 Provincial Assembly die, his place ix to be filled by © member of that. body elected by the others. The numbers of '8 Provincial Assembly are to be limited by the amount of its grain tax and the number of the graduates attaining literary degrees allowed by law at exch provincial examination. That is to say that as the province of Chihli pays the most grain taxes and has the largest proportion in literary graduates, it is to be allowed to have 140 members in the Provincial Assembly. The provinces of Chinese Turkestan and Heilungkiang being the smallest in both respects are to have only thirty members in their respective Assemblies. Kiangsu is to have 116 and (hékiang 114, The Manchas' members from Peking are to join the Chihli Provincial Assembly and will amount to ten extra representatives on that Assembly. The Manchus in the provinces follow the same tule, (joining the assemblies of such provinces as they belong to with the addition of from one to three representatives as the case may be). The members to be sent to join the Parliament in Peking are to be determined by the high provincial authorities who shall have the power of veto as to who shall not be sent from the provinces. Members of the Provincial assemblies are to be at least twenty-five years of age. As to qualifications they must have connected with educational entorprises for at least five years, or have ted froti the middle schools of either China or abroad. They may also be selected from amongst the Masters of Arts or first class licentiates of the country or retired officials of the 8th and 9th grades providing such have not been denounced to the Throne or cashiered at any time during their career. Furthermore any respectable and proper person with a business capital of at least $5,000 may be eligible as a member of the Provincial Assembly. Those who cannot elected to the Assemblies are officials and their secretaries of the provinces they sre in; officers of the regular Army; instructors of the military academies and officers of the gendarmeric. Evil characters, opium smokers and those who have been imprisoned for breaking the laws are also prohibited from entering the legislature. No person who has been elected to an Assembly private affairs of an unpopular official must however be asored from criticism, These Assemblies shall transact business under the superintendence of the Vice roy and Governor of the provinces concerned.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.