The report that the Empress Dowager has the intention of appointing Pu Lun, Prince of the 4th Order, as. Hei Apparent upon her arrival at Peking would appear to be premature, and ax matter of fact so contrary to the usual policy of that shrewd and strong-minded old Lady that the very announcement would seem to contradict itself. In other words, Prince P'u Lun is twenty-seven years old, having been born in 1874; and the Empress Dowager's ambition is to get hold of some youthful member of the Imperial Clan—the younger the better—having no intention yet of relinquishing what she has, it seems improbable that she would even dream of putting one who has attained the age of manhood, possessing independence mind and holding opinions of his own, ina position which could easily interfere with her own policy and work destruction Heir-Apparent ad the Gesire to clu ssu. 1 to the party supporting her if such an
is true that Prince P'u Lun, as the first character of his name designates, belongs to a junior branch to that of either the present Emperor or the late Emperor Tung Chih, who is in want of an heir; but "circumstances alter cases" und the circusostance of Pu Lun's age must alter his case in the opinion of the Empress Dowager.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.