I have before said that the Emperor is clever: he is also very well-informed. The great officials have personally i formed me that he is gifted with a remarkable memory. He can, for instance, scan a memorial very quickly, and remember its contents. Months after, when the great officials have furgotton all about it, the Emperor can instantly recall the sender's name, and remember the gist of sny particular memorial. Liang Ch'i-chao wrote a work entitled Discussions of Gorerament Reform. Two days later the Emperor ordered Liang to. appear before him, and he then discussed with the author the salient points of the new work. Moreover the weak points of the argument were all marked. The Em. in this time devoted his h to, and completely mastered work, I myself translated for a Japanese work on government reform, and daily sent the chapters to him. He daily urged me to be more rapid with the followin parts. We can see therefore that he wa quick in reading and apprehension. is instructor indeed has been avery able ut accomplished teacher, the has received a very solid Moreover he is a master of penmanship. He can compose quite cor-both poems and essays, When he has finished his daily business, he is always vading, and has therefore' read many haus, year before the coup d'état he had Q read all the old volumes of Suny and Yuen dynasties, and placed. them the Imperial libraries the the Han dynasty. But when Port A and Kiaochou were lost, he w exclaimed: "All these old are absolutely valueless." He then i muedintely issued orders to his Hix eunuchs from the destruction of such valu-rik, burnt them all and ely purchased a linge assortment Sorksand, determined, once for all, on a vigorous government refan
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.