Private advices from Peking assure us of the culmination of the quarrel between Hu Yii-fen and Chan; or, as he is better known, Chang Yen-mao. Hu, as our readers know, has been the Director-Chief of the Imperial Chinese Railways, and as such has been subject to the endless intrigues, conspiracy, and jealousy inevit table to the head of a great. spending department. Mr, Hu perpetuated the policy and system he found existing on hie accession to office; he left matters of construction and maintenance to the Engineer-in-Chief, Mr. Claude Kinder, under whose able direction all the existing railways have been admirably and most economically built, Mr. Kinder's system has been simplicity itself, viz., all material to be put up to tender; ceteris paribus the lowest tender to be accepted, under financial utees that it can be fulfilled. This has answered excellently up to date as far xs China is concerned: the material of the roads has been obtained at a minimum expense, the mileage cost comparing favourably with any railway in the world. On the only occasion this procedure was ever departed from, the results were fatal; bridges, girders, ete. obtained by consular and diplomatic pressure without tender, were not only more expensive but they failed to meet specifications as to strength, and they had to be replaced, Mr. Rinder's staff is largely British though for some years there has been a yood percentage of Scandinavinns in it: herein lies a supposed grievance. Chang Yen-mao was formerly house steward to the Seventh Prince, and in that capacity by his shrewdness ho inid the foundation of " very considerable fortune. No one knows better the secret workings of the Palace than this astute and progressive Chinese; he invested much of his wealth in the Tongshan pits utter they had passed through their experimental stage. Mr. Chang has for some years been the dominating influence in the development of the Chihli coal trade: under his regime steamers have been built and a largo export business established. Although man of no birth or education and on this account hated by the scholars, by the judicious employment of his groat wealth he has steadily increased his influence, and in the commerce of the north he is now practically unassailable, Mr. Chang hae strong Continental backing and is understood to be inimical to British commercial interests. His appearance at Tongshan was all but coincident with drastic changes in the management of the pits: it is assumed that his predominance on the railways will soon be followed by long-reaching changes in the staff. Hence wars-and rumours of wars, The Engineer-in-chief is thought to have vigorously protested against Mr. Chang's appointment coupled as it is with that of Twotai. There have been angry protests and re-protests from various Legations; and as usual those not actually concerned in the matter have not been unwilling to indulge in a little pin-pricking policy. In the present tense relations ofall concerned, reticence is perhaps the better policy. The situation has all the elements of a very pretty quarrel. We shall probably have cause to refer to it in the near future, Our Peking advices have it that pro tem. the old Eastern Triple Alliance is in full force, and that the acuteness of the struggle hus obscured greater polities and the more serious aspects of the general situation.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.