To the Editor of the "Nontu-Carsa Datty News."
Sim,—The Great Powers have fully believed the Edicts or Decrees issued by the Emperor in person about the peace negoti tions conducted by Li Hung-chang and the Prines Ching at Peking, but at any rate they have been stupefied by the turbulent Empress-Dowager's Representatives every day, The Emperor is a regular prisoner and has had no chance or voice to transact the Government affairs since he was dethroned. If there is an Edict or Decree issued in his name, that is a forgery, and, if the foreign Ministers choose to believe it, then they are under the hypnotism of the cruel Lay and her stupid cliques.
OF the Central and Southern Viceroys, there is not a single one in favour of the Emperor, whose only friends are the Reformers and the Powers. The friendship of the Viceroys is unreliable, they simply ignore the Allies, though behaving so as to avoid the Powers' interference. The supplies for the wicked Empress-Dowager are constantly despatched to the Shensi province, and the combined Powers seem to take no notice, or they are unable to prevent it.
The Emperor's restoration and the peace can easily be secured, if the Allies will manfully urge the Viceroys to take strong measures against the Empress-Dowager's obstinacy at all costs, which, however, they will not do, unless their provinces are decidedly threatened, without compulsion. And if they do not, the recent trouble will for ever stand as it is. The Empress-Dowager would hare released the Emperor after the capture of Peking, had no assistance been rendered to her by the humbugging Viceroys.
judging from the Empress-Dowager's influence, the Viceroys are her only upholders and helpers; without them she is entirely powerless; so the Allies must lay hold of them, or, failing this, they will continually support her. Attackiog the forts and cities in the Chihli Province is not a revenge on the Empre-s Dowager, hut it is a ruin to the Chinese nation, China belongs to them.
Although the Powers have been in China for nearly six months, they can neither capture the Empres:-Dowager and her leaders, nor restore the Emperor, nor obtai the peace of that country. The Allies simply lose money and time there on account of the mad troubles created by the Empress-Dowager and the conservative Manchus. If there is no hope at all for the Emperor's return, the rebellion must have its effect throughout the Chinese empire, as the patriots will not be satisfied to see the Emperor become a prisoner in the hands of the Empress-Dowager and the reactionary advisers.
Tam, ete., Singapore, 11th December.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.