APPENDIX  A  397
to  be  reformed.  Regarding  the  affairs  to  be  dealt  with  by  each
Board  and  Court  and  the  number  of  officials  to  be  used,  etc.,
the  heads  of  each  Board  and  Court  are  hereby  ordered  to  study
the  matter  and  after  due  consultation  with  the  Grand  Council
they  shall  report  upon  the  same  to  the  Throne  to  get  sanction
thereof.  The  reforms  hereby  promulgated  are  not  yet  complete,
but  are  simply  effected  to  meet  the  present  circumstances  to
prepare  for  constitutional  government,  and  further  reforms
will  be  made  from  time  to  time.  We  do  not  make  any  radical
measure,  but  will  reform  gradually  so  as  to  complete  our  reforms
in  time.  In  a  word,  under  the  present  difficult  situation,  unless
we  adopt  a  certain  rule  to  be  followed  both  by  the  superior  and
the  rest  equally,  the  present  decadence  of  state  affairs  cannot
be  remedied.  Unless  there  is  a  way  to  understand  each  other—
between  sovereign  and  people—it  is  not  possible  to  have  grievances ­
  heard  and  rectified.  All  the  high  officials  who  will  be
newly  appointed  and  are  already  in  their  posts  are  hereby
ordered  to  attend  to  their  respective  official  duties  with  full
responsibility,  and  to  carry  out  their  works  effectively  instead
of  becoming  nominal,  and  they  shall  abandon  their  personal
feelings  but  unite  to  aid  in  the  affairs  of  the  state  being  properly
carried  out.  If  such  be  the  case,  we  can  expect  that  the  constitution ­
  which  will  in  future  be  promulgated  may  become  a
success.  And  if  there  is  no  improvement  and  there  is  no
progress,  it  is  not  only  against  the  wishes  of  the  Throne  but
also  that  of  the  nation.  This  decree  is  hereby  ordered  to  be
promulgated  to  the  general  public.
2.—The  high  officials  who  lost  their  positions  owing  to  the
administrative  reforms  are  to  receive  salaries  as  hitherto  and  to
wait  further  orders,  and  the  minor  officials  of  the  yâmens  abolished
will  either  be  appointed  to  other  yâmens  or  to  the  provinces  ;
concerning  which  the  Board  of  Civil  Appointments  will  send
in  their  report  to  receive  further  Imperial  sanction.
PROVINCIAL  REFORMS  FORESHADOWED
In  reforming  the  administrative  system  the  Princes  and
High  Commissioners  concerned  have  presented  the  new  system
for  metropolitan  offices,  and  we  have  already  issued  a  decree
for  the  same  to  be  carried  out.  However,  the  new  administrative
systems  of  provinces  are  now  in  course  of  compilation.  But
at  present  the  civil  administration  is  not  properly  carried  out,
by  which  many  difficulties  are  encountered.  The  departmental ­
  and  district  magistrates  are  the  officials  who  should
always  be  in  touch  with  the  people,  but  there  are  many  who
do  not  keep  in  touch  with  the  people,  giving  no  attention  to