Letters from members on the staff of Viceroy Li Hung-chang lately received hero unanimously declare that Prince Ching and Viceroy Li Hung-chang have not been able, so far, even to begin peace negotiations with the Foreign Ministers in Peking owing to the difficulty of performing some of the preliminary demands of the Powers before the negotiations can be allowed to commence. For instance, it is demanded that General Tung Fu-hsiang must be executed first. Seeing the Court is at present within the toils of General Tung at Hsian it must be obvious to all that this demand would be impossible under present cireum> stances, to perform satisfactorily. Another demand was that a Reform Gorernment must be started immediately. This again is an impossibility just now, for with only: one or two milk-andawater exceptions—otherwise they would never have succeeded in remaining in Court until now—all those now around the Throne are strong conser votives and bigoted reactionists. The difficulty in removing all these under present. circumstances is evident enough to any, person.
Srd Dees
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.