Ir is always oxtromoly difficalt to find out exactly what is going on in China. To all appearance, it seems that the difficulties which threatened the peacefal government of the Metropolitan Province at the death of the Viceroy's mother, have been satisfactorily smoothed over. Li, as in daty bound, rinliged three times for perm mourn for twenty-seven month Emperor, in terms of the most laudatory and appreciative nature, replied that ho was far too important to the State to be spared for more than three. At the expiration of that time, therefore, he was to return to Tientsin, where fresh honours and new and influential posts awaited him. Meantime the adminis. tration of his Viceroyalty was placed in the hands of @ friend and nomina of his own, who was understood to' be a firm supporter of His Excellonoy's progressive policy. Bat now, the wildest rumours with respect to the situation of. affairs are anid to be in circulation.
The Acting Viceroy, Chang, has not taken the reins of office more than a few days before he is complained of, and thereupon receives a severe snubbing from the Palace. This looks, so far, as though the Acting Viceroy were deficient in tact, and bad made a stupid blunder to begin with. But the ang est thing is yet to come. It is said that, no sooner was he installed in his new office, than he denounced the whole body of the provincial officers." The exact reason for this precipitate action has not yet tran-ured. It is ecarcoly likely, one would k, that Chang should have spoken—as King David once did—in haste. Tt may be, that the new Viceroy was anxious to get round him without loss of time his own sort of men, because, as a matter of course, the adherents of Li will always look to him, and not
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.