'"-phe outcome of tha conference wax that Iwas ordered by the Emperor to submit my proposals to him in the form of " memorial, Phe gist of my memorial was as follows Ltold the Emperor that all the customs and ways and mumers of his ancestors must be removed. Nothing could be usefully followed so far, as Chinese history was concerned. I advised th Emperor to follow in the footsteps of Japan, or in the footateys of Peter the Great. As a preli-minery step, Ladvised the Emperor to command all his Ministers of State and all the high officials in Peking to gu before the places where they warshipped the gody and also to the Ancestral Hulls, there to make an wath that they were determined to introduce reforms. My see -nd suggestion was to have the laws and administration revised; thied, that he should open a Communion or Despatch Department, through anyone would be able to momo-the Throne. To illuy'rate what T considered Incking in ths Chinese system, T pointed out to the Emperor that the Minis'ers of the Grand Council were the tongue, the Viesroys and Governors of provinces the hands and feet, the Censors the eyes, and the Emperor the brain. I said: "You have no heart, no motive power, ho proper Inw, no means of finding out the desires and opinions of your people. The responsibility is too widely diffused; you cannot erty things through effectively. When you want to know any thi g, you refer to your Ministers and Viesroys, who represent the tongue and feet; but these are not thinking organs. They. can only act upon orders given them." T advised the Emprror to select young, intelligent men, well imbued with Western ideas, to assist in the regeneration of the Emp're, irrespective of their position, whether they were lowly born or of high degree; that they should confer with the Emperor every "day and discuss the measures for reform, first devoting their energies to a revision of the laws and administration. The old officials must be dispensed with. I advised him to appoint twelve new Department: Education (engaging foreign: each-rs) 4, Legislative Department; 5, Agricul-tire; 6, Commercial Department Mechanical Department; 8, Railway Department; 9. Postal; 10,' Mining; 1, Army; 12, Navy—all the twelve depart ments to be modelled on Western lines and foreigners to be engaged to advise and assist. Throughout he provinees, in every two prefectures, I suggested the: establishment of " sort of Lexislative Council. who e chief duty would be to give effect to the instructions of the twelve departments, to police the country, to introduce sanitary measures, to construct roads, to induce the people to cultivate the land under modern methods and to spread commerce. Exch, of these Councils should hav President appointed by the Emperor himself, irroxpective of birth, degree or position, and each President should have the liberty to memorialise the E peror direct in the same manner as Viceroys and Governors of the Provinces, to whom he was not to be subject. In effect these Presidents were t+ have the same social rank as the Viceroys. The President was also to have the power to recommend a man to go to each district to ce-operate with the gentry and merchant classes in giving effect to the wow reforms. My memorial also showed how funds were to be raised. I pointed out the enormous loss of revenue that occurred year] 'Taking the magistracy of Nanhai (which i ive district), I informed the peror that the total r-venue derived from tha'. district was $240,000 per year, but the actual amount going into the Imperial Parse was only somethin: over $20,000. I reoommendrda comple' change of the syst-n_und-r which the whole of the revenues of the country would go into 1 Purse, ¢mparing Chins with ducing from the exp: of India the financial rescue-s ut 1 todd the Emperor that. from ordinary taxes the sum of four hundred mil-ion taels could be raise! annually, and if were abolished and a tariff properly adjusted, bank notes issued, stamp duty established and other financial reforms adoptes!, at least another three hundred million taels could be raised, making in all seven hundred million taels.' With this hand it would be an easy thing to Navy to protect our coast anc establish Naval Colleges for the training of officers. State railways could also be con: structed and other necessary reforms effected.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.