20th Oct.
We gather from various indications that there is an idea in Peking that Shanghai has been much too impulsive in its estimate of the coup d'état, and that the view taken at the capital is the right one, that is it only a family quarrel among the Manchus, and that ifa few reformers have had their heads cut off, they deserved it for trying to make the Emperor go too fist, the Emperor himself being an impressionable young person whose new-found zeal was more dangerous to China than the con-servetism of the Empress Dowager and her friends. In the face of this difference of opinion it is interesting, to see what a distant and cool-head observer like the Editor of the Japan Mail thought of the action of the Empress Dowager. He wrote in the leading journal of Yokohama a fortnight ago:—There cannot be any reasonable doubt that the Chinese Government applied to Great Britain, through Sir Claude Muced the Reform Party China to believe that they would be offence, alleged he guaranteed against danger from the capitulationof evidence pernicious forces which they were cnfacie case. Tt may also be taken for grantdeavouring to overcome. It. says ved that the Chinese Authorities are sufiithat " it is among England's worst rejeiently familiar with international to make such an application he roaches that she has sometimes been nature of the charge warranted it, how-heedless in encouraging other coun-lever superficial the evidence. That Kang tries to adopt courses which they had engaged in x political conspiracy world never have taken without such [Would not have been a sufficient charge.
civilised State would surrender a encouragement, and that she has then jfusitive on that ground. But a plot to declined to assist them against the take life would he a sufficient charge, result of her encouragement." By and the original allegation, according to protecting Kang Yii-wei she has Tamour, was that Kang had attempted to partly avoided that reproach on this poison the Emperor. Was that the charge referred officially by the Chine occasion. "But ought she to stop ities? The thing is almost incredible. there? Should no forceful step be We can searcely imagine that they had taken to check the savage vengeance little respect for the British Minister's which the Manchus seem determined intelligence, and for their own "face," as to advance a plea of such manifest to wreak on their political enemies absurdity. Tt comes to this, then, that These questions apply to Japan Kang has b en hounded out of his country also. Indeed, they have a much because he sought to introduce reforms, stronger application to Japan for that Chang has been banished to work on her connection with the begin-the Mongolian post-mads for the sane reason, and that six patriotic i nings of Chinese progress has been and Ieaening, Kang's friends anda more intimate than England's consociates, have been condemned to death, nection. There would be: little and are now a execution because difficulty in answering were we quite they, too, would have led their sure about the action of the reformers country into the path of progress. What are we to say "fa Government which themselves.
But. it begins to ' be petrated auch crimes? The United States conceivable that their plans did really of Ameries has just engaged in extensive include such an effacement of the and costly operations of war to save a ixhhouring people from the effects of Empress Dowager as would manifestly had'government, yet the Powers of Europe amount to high treason in China; mai heir Lega Pekin perhaps in any country. 'There is as their Mini yet no positive evidence, but there keep up friendly re ut, inthe Face are grounds for strong' suspicion. iything that. hap-Truly the whole thing is a tangled pened in Cuba After all, En: 1 coil. il. To expect that sound and probably be the first to interfere we tively circumspect reformers will be born in Peking, She is gradually getting ino complications which will force "amid a Chinese atmosphere seems hand. looking. to gather grapes on thistles. Yet to encourage reform On the 10th of October the Japan. and then to leave its agents in the Mull returned to the coup d'état at lurch, is a sure way to destroy its eking in an article headed " Respon-vitality. sibility and Responsibility." It begins It is believed that the reformers with a notice of the murder of Chang did recommend to the Emperor the Yin-huan while on his way to exile, removal of the Empress Dowager to and it mentions that the British and some Japanese Ministers at Peking and palace where she would no Marquis Ito did all they could longer interfere with the government of the country, but considering her to save Chang's life. "They succeeded; congratulated themselves, unprecedented and anomalous position, and the fact that she had and were congratulated, on their snccean Te now appear thes reit voluntarily handed over the, reins 1 ily ha i to the Emperor, it is doubtful when were merely toyed with. All that they amed was the substitution of a way-Side inn for the' execution ground in the capital.. - Sir Claude Macdonald and Mr. Hayashi are now placed in an equally embarrassing position (to that of Sir Nicolas O'Conor at St. Petersburg) in Peking, if this report about the unfortunate Chang Yin-huan be true. Can they continue to transact business with a Government which has thus flouted and deceived them? Certainly they can. The Tsungli Yamén_ will deny Chang's death, and neither Sir Claude nor Mr. Hayashi can refute the denial, That is the sort of vicious' circle within which the amity of civilised States is enclosed now a days." cuss the responsibility of the States The Japan Mail on to disther this step, if it was contemplated, jeould be considered anything like high treason. It is believed in Peking that the Legations had not much sympathy with Kang Yii-wei and the other reformers. They regarded Kang as.a visionary who was hurrying the Emperor along much j too fast; but it must be remembered thut precisely the same thing was said about Ito and Inouye and the Mikado when they undertook the reformation of Japan. The suggestion attributed to Kang Yii-wei {that the Emperor should command his subjects to cut off their guedes and adopt the European costume was derived most probably, it seems to us, from the Emperor's studies the transformation of Jay He was told that it was the adoption of
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.