According to the Kuo-wen-pao, about a hundred of the students of tha 2nd degree, including the progressive editor of the Shanghai native weekly Chinese Progress, all of whom are now in Peking for the 3rd degree examinations, sent a petition to the following effect to the Censora' yamen on the 27th ult. The Censors, in order to avoid the difficulty of answering it, with one accord absented themselves from office. On that and the two succeeding days, however, and by the time they again assembled, the students were safely coned in the Examination Halls, and their Recumont was of considerable length, and etition was too late to do any harm. The
the following is only its substance, freely translated, but serves to show the very satisfactory trend of Chinese thought at' the present day "We have witnessed with the most grave apprehension and alarm the gradually increasing desire of Russia to encroach upon our Empire, and now that she has actually demanded a lease of Port Arthur and Talienwan, we can remain silent spoctatora no longer, and beg that the government of this great and ancient Empire will on no account accede to any such request. If Port Arthur and Talienwan are granted to Russia, asa natural consequence similar claims will have to be granted to other Powers, and with Russia and Germany in the North, France and Japan in the South, and England in the Yangtze Valley, nothing of our ancient Empire will be left us. russia is at present not in a sition to sustain any great struggle, and if China only acts herself oppose her claims, she will receive the willing help of England and Japan, who have both declared their intention of preserving. the integrity of the country. Of herself China can do nothing, as since the late war her military and naval system have been the laughing-stock of the world. But just at present Russia is not much stronger, and Chins can, with the assistance of England and Japan, keep Russia back. Her railway is not' nearly finished, part of it too at this end having been weed! away by floods, and her garrison at Vladivostock is not more than 10,000 (if that), but by and by she will bring large bodies of troops across and become very powerful, and then there may be great difficulty in' restraining her. International law enables China to refuse to any Power any demand which is unlawfully made, and Russia's claims in regard to Port Arthur are a violation of international law, and are calculated to upset the balance of power in the Far East, and thereby endanger the peace of the Orient. China has but to follow the example of smaller nations in Europe, and appeal to the other Powers for support in standing up for her rights, and she can even now save the Empire from Russia's designs. We implore His Most Sacred Majesty the Emperor, therefore, to receive our petition, and to do what the great inajority of his people most earnestly desire, defend the nation at all costs against Russian'advances in the North. We would earnestly advocate in addition, that the "whole country be opened up freely to foreign trade and residence, which will do good, but that no special territory be ceded to any one Power to occupy or control."
It will be seen from the above that a section, and probably a very large section, of China's advanced men are anti-Russian, and that public feeling is sufficiently strong on the subject to grow into a strong national movement if the tide of affairs in the North is not shortly turned.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.