12th Feb.
Tue Ohinese Times of the 24th ultimo confirms the news that has reached us privately that it is very doubtful whether the foreign ministers will be received by the Emperor after all this year. Th difficulty has not arisen from the deaf of Prince Ch'un, but from the decision of the Tsungli Yamen, to whom the order was given to carry out the imperial decree on the subject. It is evident and has-been for a long time that Peking fluctuates to and fro, a liberal policy being adopted at one moment a conservative at another, as party or the other gets the ear of the the late Taotai of Shanghai Emperor. When the liberal view was affording this relief was due, -and in the ascendant the Audience was the saving of Tamsui; when the French ordered; the conservative view is now had captured the first line of hills prevailing, and the Yamen has decided between Kelung and Tamsui, was that the audience is to be in the undeniably duet the former'ssafearrival Tze Kung Ko, the hall outside the at the latter port in the Whaon with a Forbidden City, where the audience of cargo of field guns and rifles, Until 1873 was held, and where the envoys the arrival of the Whaon on that occa-of the tributary states are received. lo sion Lin Ming-chuan had actually be received on this footing the foreign guns to oppose the farther advance of ministers very properly refuse: they the French. Captain Danielsen brought have not asked for the audience, and down a battery of field guns, some larger they will not present themselves to the cannon, and 15,000 rifles. They were Emperor except as the ambassadors of promptly carried tothe second line of hills equal Powers. The slight that the and placed in position, und it was solely Tsungli Yamen proposes to pass on our due to this that Liu Ming-chuan "was representatives is a piece of folly such able to prevent the French advancing as we expect generally to see displayed any farther in the direction of Tamsui by the Peking statesmen, but such as during their operations in the island. we hoped—from the gracious terms of The Chinese were profuse in their the imperial decree—was not to be expressions of gratitude to Captain shown this time. What the Chinese Danielsen, and he was presented by the government gives to foreigners with Throne with the order of the Double one haud it still withholds with the Dragon, and was even allowed to ad-other, blind to the fact that the barriers vance about five thousand taels out of his it foolishly rebuilds will be violently own pocket for the current expenses of torn down by some Power before long, the Waverley, which he commanded and the whole rotten fabric made to after the Whaon. Meanwhile offers of tumble about the ears of the Peking large sums of money were made him on Bourbons. behalf of the French, if he would allow his steamer to be captured by the blockaders, for everything is fair in war;
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.