(From the Chinese Times of 14th February.)
The Audience question is advancing towards " solution, the Tsung-.i Yamen havi oded the demands of the fers us to separate receptions, and the plice of Audience being left to the choice of the government.
Baron von Seckendorff, German Consul eturned on Thursday night ion to South where he has visited all i German Catholic missions He had some rough experiences ud in trouble with the anti it of the natives, In one city he was literally besieged fora time in the hostelry. Eventually, however, succeeded in making satisfactory atrangemonts with the Governor at Chinan Fu, by which it is hoped that the bad feeling between the missionaries and the literati will cease.
ig the past week the barometrical have been phenomenally high, and our immediate local conditions offer no explanation, This morning was beautifully bright and balmy, and recreations on the ice are practically finished. Although there is ice wt the mouth of the river and in the gui as far as the eye can see, the beguning of the break-up has com: menced, Yesterday above the station at Tongku the ice was covered with water to fa depth of six inches, and last night, Ithough cold, decreased ® quarter of an ch in thickness, registering only 9f inches this morning.
(From the Chinese Times of 21st Feb.)
The ice has disappeared from the mouth vf the river, the gulf being quite clear. i e river at Taku this morning was Sfii so rotten that pai-dziis have ceased running. It is expected that the ice will break up at any rate from Tongku to the forts either tomorrow or next day.
The state of the river has been long a subject of serious consideration to the local gorernment, as the silting of the upper reaches which has rendered the port inacces sible for steamers for the greater part of several seasoue has placed a heavy burden lon trade, which has latterly been felt by natives as well as foreigners. The necessity for trying sume means to ameliorate the situation has wow been recognised in a practical manner; on' Thursday a commission from the Viceroy, consisting of the Tientsin Taotai, the Hai Kuan Tao! the Commissioner of Customs,, went down the river, by the Taku toad, for the purpose examining the bends between Tientsin and the Nine Forts, which they did in pretty. thorough "manner, crossing and recrresing the river at several. places. A conference of the various officials concerned was held yesterday, but the result has not reached us.
'A Commissioner or Agent from Corea has been in Tientsin all the winter trying to persuade H.E. Li Hung-chang to withdraw the orders requiring the Corean envoys abroad to be introduced to foreign courts by the Chinese Ministers. The arguments used by the Corean agent are precisely those which have been current among the foreign adventurers in Seoul, and seem to make very little impression on the Viceroy. The despatch of representatives abroad by the King of Corea was no doubt an unfortunate step, and was rendered much worse by the disgraceful way it was carried cut. For the first error China is largely responsible; for the second, America; and it is not surprising if the White Bouse should wish to purge itself of the scandal in which Washington society was implicated by the introduction of camp: followers under the guidance of American: who knew better. "If the Corean gentleman now here speaks truly, dissatisfaction at Washington is the chief motive.at pre-tent for the Corean goveroment desitiug to be rehabilitated by China, Monseigneur Anzer, Vicar-Apostolic of South Shantung, has' received much personal attention from the German Emperor, who held Jong conversations with hin) and interested hinmelf greatly in the a the China Missions. The Bishoy has been decorated with the distingui ler of the second class of the Red Eagle with the star.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.