A Decroo written with the Vermilion Wo have reverently received the following commands from Her Imperial Majesty the Empress Dowager.
At the present' moment the prist vigour of the Empire is impaired, and difficulties of the time are grenter than ever; administration is mismanaged and the people find The services of capable men solutely required for the conduct of private affairs whether central or provincial. The Grand Council is pivot upon which all administrati nal and external Kung, ud those associated with him were in the first instance fairly careful in their conduct and zealous in the assistance which they rendered, but as time went on they secu i aygrandisement, while satisfied and thought only of
of late years their daily increasing rank +and emoluments have caused them to lapse inten correspondingeondition of perfunctoriness. Every effort made by the Court to exert itself and to endeavour to exercise gued government has been met by fallacious adherence to preconceived notivt unwilling, to display any genuine exertion in the execution of its belie ed in detail by those who have the rig to speak. They have been charged with walment, with indifference to pul percept of fittingayen Now the Doms jo Law of this Dynasty ixingent in the extreme, and if it be uy member of the Imperial tion of someone of former generations, is anxious to usurp power and throw the Government into confusion, not only would no one dare to harbour th thought, but the Laws would not permit of the execution.of such Inasmiuch.however as the mischief wrought by the shortcomings: above referred to is already by no means slight, if We continue to pursue a course of indulgent toleration and make no change in Our attitude, how shall We promote that policy of naional dignity which is the legacy of lustrous forefathers? How, tuo, wher the Emperor in due course of time take the reins of Government into his own hands, will he be able to carry out his satisfactory manner give publicity to each and very one of the denunciations that have been launched agai Grand Council), We could not continue to be influenced by considerations of kindred or igh position, uor could We endeavour rectly to protect them by reason of their, age or long service, as this would be repugnant to the broad principles of magnanimity by which the Court is actuated in its administration of affairs. When We speak of these things or reflect upon them Our heart is filled with compassion.
Hsin, Prince Kany, and the Grand Secretary Pao Yun have been longest in office, and upon them heary punishment ould rightly fall. But when We bear in ind that the one la afitcted with many ailments and that the other is stricken in yenrs, We purposely take note of the past meritorious services of the first, and extend protection to the second as he nears the Inst stage of his journey Unrough life.
As a special act of race We command that Yi Hsin shall retain his hereditary rank of Imperial Prince of the First Order, which shall be secured to his family for special mark of bene vol nee, and he will remain at home and attend to his ailment Pao Yun will retire from ofice with hi present rank, Li Uung-reno, Assistant Grand Secretary and President of the Board of Civil Office, as served in the Palace for years, but he is lumpered by want of ability and experience, with the result that he mi mavages everything that he undertake Ching Lien, President of the Board of War, can do no more than carry out his allotted duties in a mechanical way, but the power of organisation is not hit Both these officers will rel Board of Works, Council at a time when there are many affairs on hand, Although he is spicuous for ability, there is out hand no blame to be attached to him, As only of Ack of Special Grace We dep official rank and allow hima to retain awarding of purus We have been quietly observe 8 and methods of the aforesaid Prince that they can rouse th condition into which they have fallen, whi very reason to fear that the deeper the mischief they work, the heavier will be the punishment they must receive. We have therefore done all in our power to save them by the infliction of the light eat penalty that their offence will permit of. Lois of an ordinary or triting by reason of a impeachment by sume officer of that We have caused the Prince and officers to retire into leisure ur be de-time forth all officials, high and low, whether they be serving in the capital or the provinces, must positively be earnestly on their guard against the sin of perfunctoriness. Let ie and all u to their views with loyalty provided that their criticisms lo, Their aims must be far-seeing and wide in scope. We shall look only at the motive which prompts the suggestion and not at these suggestions ves, but should this be of benefit to the state, they wil fail to meet with their due meed of praise and tangible reward. Partisanship, on the other I favouritism, or the furtheraues of private interests under the cloak of public struggling for Uke supremacy, or backbiting, or, which is worse, conduct of a low and debasing character sch as bribery and corruption, will assuredly be promptly unmasked and punished unmercifully, as the law requires.
Let this be universally made known,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.