Wuchang dispatch reports an ex-sad accident on the 10th instant, LI, to the eldest grandson of.E. Viceroy Chang Chih-tung, Mr. Chang Hou-kun. Mr. Chang, was a very bright and clever young man who was within a year of attaining his majority when he died. He was one of the dozen or so military and civil officers sent about month ago to Japan by Viceroy Chang to represent the Hupeh provincial government at the army manceuvres in that country, and on the day of his death had just arrived at Wuchang from Japan with the rest of the party. Ponies were sent from the Viceregal yamen to the jetty to convey the late Mr. Chang and his younger brother (who had also been to japan) to their grandfather's yamen, as young men were fond of riding. The idden by Mr. Chang was an esious and fiery brute, with the result that it began to rear and kick along the public thoroughfares, as the young men' rode on, to the danger of people walking in the vicinity. Not wishing to hurt any one Mr. Chang tried to shorten his reins, which at once caused the brute to make a dash forward at full gallop. Unable to hold the horse in, its rider allowed the animal to go on, at the same time guiding it towards the yamen. Unfortunately just as the brute was making for the western entrance of the Viceregal yamen it collided with a riesha or some Sort of conveyance and immediately both horse and rider fell. The maddened horse then scrambled up and made a dash forward, striking with his hind hoof his now stunned rider full on the chest, death being almost instantaneous. The young man was the favourite grandson of Viceroy Chang and did good service for his grandfather by organising and drilling the Viceregal bodyguards to a high point of 18th December.
The Leading Spirit in the Court's Return, The Kaifeng correspondent of the Universal Gazette." writing on the 27th ultimo with reference to the pro return of the Court to Peking, states that the Grand Secretary Yung Lu had openly declared to all and sundry that he was determived to use all his influence with the Empress Dowager to get her Majesty to decide in favour of an early return to the old Capital; Li Lien-ying, the notorious favourite eunuch of the Empress Dowager, however, while not actually opposing the return of the Court, showed "some hesitancy and indecision. The cause of this was easily enough explained Li Lien-ying's hesitancy arose from the fact "that the Chihli authorities had not yet arranged with him as to the amount they were to Five him daily "for expenses of the Imperial household." " Once this eunuch's cupidity is satisfied, the Court will leave K'aiféng immediately for Peking. Apropos, it will be remembered by readers of these columns that there was scarcely any hitch at all during the Court's journey from the Shensi borders, through 'Honan, to Kaifeng; whereas during the few days' route from Hsian to the Honan borders (T'ungkuan) there were no less than three serious causes of complaint made by the eunuchs of the Empress Dowager's personal following about lack of arrange ment for her comfort " which showed contempt on the part of the Shensi officials," the result being that many of them were cashiered. The contrast between the two pean was because the Governor and pockets first and then arranged about the reassurer of Honan filled Li Mecrioys sger's "comfort"; whilst those Sensi haggled with Li Lien-ying and cut down his demands. It has since been stated that the Chibli provincial authorities have given the notorious eunuch all he has demanded, and. something over "for Inck hence there will not, probably, be any complaints preferred "by the. Empress Dowager's eunuchs during the Court's progress through Chili province.
The Conspiracy Against the Empress Dowager.
With regard to the firing by secret jetty revolutionists of the temporary ces at Kaifeng, on the 10th ultimo, during the celebration of the Empress Dowager's birthday there, mentioned in these columns the other day, in which it was also stated that the movement had been started from the secret society headquarters in the Yangtze provinees, a Nanking dis-K'un-yi, having subsequently received into hand states that Viceroy Liu formation from K'aifeng through "confessions" obtained from the incendiaries captured by the Honan authorities, at once
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.