18th March.
Tae arrival of H.E. Li in Shanghai en route for Russia and our report of a ce plimentary banquet to him in Sientsin will again draw the attention of our readers to this great personality in Chinese polities, The whirligig of time assuredly brings round more than re~ vouges; even the alembic of Celestial intrigue has seldom produced anything more astonishing than the sudden r habilitation of the ex-Viceroy of Chihli—but yesterday he lay so low that few were found so poor to do him reverence to-day he is the accredited Ambassador of his Sovereign on a mission of special honour, dignity, and as we think, of transcendent importance to the welfare" of his country. January saw Li the pet aversion of the Peking bureaucracy, the scapegoat for all the ills to whicl, official folly has reduced the empire, and the object of the timid disfavour of the Son of Heaven. February be-' held him transformed into an efficient substitute for the Imperial princes, the distinguished head of a dignified embassy, and the cynosure of all, who study Chinese politics; while March now discloses him the object; they were aimed at those to whom he of a spontaneous demonstration and had once given his confidence. an all but unique compliment from} The Chairman of the Banquet sum-the foreigners who have had the best! marised Li's services in words as eloopportunity of knowing hiw. quent as they were true (he of course We publish to-day an account of; on such an occasion made no reference the Banquet given in Gordon Hall, to the viceregal demerits). Gordon Tientsin, to the Zsungéang. Allowing a; had insight and had a positive genius liberal discount for the excesses of; for unmasking a scallywag, and Gordon post-prandial oratory and for the high' admired, and in a manner loved Li spirit which sympathy and good Hung-chang. As far as China has will evoke, there can be no doubt! broken with immemorial custom and that our Tientsin uveighbours were has taken a new departure, it -has been as frank as they were enthusiastic inj under Li's guidance. In him Mr, their recognition of Li's good points.) Tong Kin-sing found a protector and The whole ceremony as reported han] a friend,. and it was under Li's authe true ring about it, and was! spices and in his province that mines clearly the outcome of an honest and! were sunk, railways built, and steam-honourable wish to show a sense of} ships purchased, He it was who benefits received and kindnesses remem- broke with the ancient bow and bered. ''here is but one method of arrow, and replaced them by arms of looking at a compliment of this nature precision; he substituted the cruiser and where it is plainly sincere and spontane- battleship for the junk and its land ons, and that is in a spirit of ungrudg- pop-gun; he replaced the quack and ing praise and hearty sympathy. We barber by the physician and surgeon, have often been severe critics of Li's} and began model farms and real follies and policy; if our surmises are schools. It is of course pitiable that correct (and reflection and private! he only half did these things and information from the North only that their want of thoroughness has strengthen our conviction that the chief recoiled on their author and crea-object of the present mission concerns for; but thoroughness except in scholar-a secret 'I'reaty with Russia), the} ship, caligraphy, and peculation is want-veteran opportunist is about to put ing tothe Chinese character. Little else the climax on a whole life of drift andj is thorough in China bat sham and shifty vacillation. Yet for the moment ignorance. In the wreckage caused we would wish to lay aside such cou-by universal dry-rot, let us not forget siderations and to dwell more on his that he has been almost the only personality, his attractiveness, and the Chinese official who has taken any undoubted services he has rendered to practical measures to obviate the ill in his country. the body politic, Macaulay, in a memorable dictum, Mr. Cousins made a wise remark said that no man ought to be severely about public opprobrium often being censured for not being beyond his) the statesman's greatest honour, 'I'hat age in virtue; and as a matter of!
Li steered the ship of State into the fact it is only men of exceptional Port of Peace even though it was moral endowment who can, so to spank, through the hard strait of Shimonostep outside of their environment and saki, that he and only he was will-proceed to say this is good and that is' ing ' to negotiate in Peking the bad in the ethical standards of their hated Japanese trade treaty, that he time. Li has not, we take it, done; n advanced age has undertaken a long is, simply because he has no excep-and arduous journey, are abundant moral endowment; he has! proofs of his patriotism. That during nequiesced in the loose morals of his along administration of twenty years countrymen and has in matters fiscal he secured and has maintained the followed the all but universal usage of esteem and friendship of his foreign his generation, His friends would, if they neighbours is certain evidence that he saw their patron before Rhadamanthus, has many admirable qualities of mind not venture to plead not guilty' but; and heart. Our best wish for him is would rather aim at mitigation of that the nature and issues of his penalty. They could show that he, present Mission may not be such as to has done great and good things forfeit these titles of patriot and friend. with his colossal wealth and that he has ever been willing to spend it The Health and Vigour of an individual in a lordly and patriotic spirit. depend upon the quantity and quality of the Intellectually Li is a man of fine; blood. When the tissues have been at work, courage, he has never hesitated to take there are thrown into the blood, waste pro-new departures from the fear, nay from ducts, and if these be not eliminated but the certainty, that he would be mis-(through any cause) detained in the blood understood by his own people. He lias they influence nutrition and function and ever been the most accessible of Chinese finally produce organic disease."—The Huma unitarian. In cases of Scrofula, Scurvy, Eczema, satraps and has given many instances Bad Legs, Skin and Blood Diseases, Pimples of his reforming zeal in matters social, and Sores of all kinds, the effects of Clarke's educational, and political. He has also Blood Mixture are marvellous. Thousands of always been a staunch friend both to wonderful cures have been effected by it, his countrymen and to foreigners Clarke's Blood Mixture is sold everywhere, at detraction and envy assailed the 2s, 9d. per bottle. Beware of worthlessimitashrewd old Chinaman in vain when; tions and substitutes. 7
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.