674
Journal of Occurrences.
DEC.
China, the worthy missionaries arrived at Macao in the month of Oc- tober, 1846. Their return to contact with Europeans was not ren- dered the less interesting by the report of their deaths, which had for some time previously been in circulation in the East, and in the geo- graphical journals of this country. The missionaries appear to have traced the report originally to the Bengal Catholic Herald, published at Calcutta; and which, in an article purported to be derived from Canton, by date September 12, stated that two unfortunate French Lazarists, who had mastered the Mongol language by studying under the lamas of native monasteries, had ventured into the interior, but had been detected in the remote regions of Mongolian Tartary, and had been tied to horses' tails and dragged to death. Happily, the mis- sionaries were spared to give to the world the very curious work of which we have given an epitome.
ART. III. Resumé of the principal occurrences in China during
the year 1850.
Oct. 23d, 1849. Mingteh, a member of the Imperial House is degraded and banished to Tsitsihar from Moukden, for forcibly stopping some saltpetre be- longing to government, imprisoning the people in charge, and detaining the whole for a ransom.
The military resident of Tarbagatai in Ili sends in an estimate of 55,000 taels as the expenditures needed for the coming year.
Gov.-gen. Si Kwangtsin and his colleague request his majesty's permis- sion to appoint an intendent of circuit over the two departments of Luichau and K'iungchau in the southwest of this province, to keep a better oversight and defense of the coasts against pirates.
29th. His Majesty's son-in-law is deputed to sacrifice to certain cannon, and seven other offices are designated to sacrifice to some "red-coated" cannon. Luh Kienying, the gov.-general of the Two Kiáng reports the collection and expenditure of 524,000 taels to relieve the distress in two departments in Kiangsú, caused mostly, it appears, by the overflow of the Yangtsz' kiáng.
The sum of 72,974 taels is ordered to be forwarded to Oroumtsi from Kansuh for the current expenses of the coming year.
A decree is issued promoting several officers in Chehkiáng for their success in destroying pirates; the memorial states their efforts "are not like those empty statements of innumerable pirates attacked and sunk, all which are stories colored and glossed over."
Nov. 2d. Teh-tang-ngeh, commissary-general for three years in H'lari in Anterior Tibet, is recommended for promotion.
Dec. 3d. MM. de Montigny and Klezkowski beat off a piratical junk in their passage across the bay of Hangchau, saving many lives and a large amount of property.
19th. All business is stopped in the market-town of Shih-lung, east of the Bogue, by the appearance of a body of vagabonds, two leaders of which were seized,