That an official openly favourable to British interests should be replaced by the ex-Minister to Germany and Russia, and the Acting President of the Russo-Manchu-jan Railway, cannot but be regarded as ficient cause to suspect underhanded work, in the present condition of affairs in thia country. Hu himself laughs at the idea that anything beyond Chang Yi's memorial caused his removal. Others high in the councils of State declare likewise, but in spite of what seems almost like indisputable testimony that it is a purely native movement, there are those who cannot be convinced that it is so. Ex-Commissioner of Customs Detring is said by some to be the mainspring back of Chang, and as Detring is openly repudiated at the German Legation it is inferred that ho isin sympathy with Russia, Rumours were current here for a few days that Mr. Kinder had resigned from the railway but investigation proves this to be untrue. Were Mr. Kinder to leave at this time it could not but injuriously affect British interests, for his place would be only too gladly filled by the Chinese with Russian or German Engineers. The general question on every one's lips is, will England allow this change to be made without a bitter contest? Loyal Britishers would like tosay emphatically no. But the experiences of the last two years have taught them not to boast too loudly of what England will do until they can see something done, Itseems to your correspondent that the "open door" will soon be spoken of as the "vanished or."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.