The same Tientsin paper states that not long ago the troops of one of the Allied Powers at Peking pressed a number of natives to do some work for them, and it seems that amongst the pressed there were two who hold the official rank of the 2nd grade, namely, a former Acting Vice-President of one of the Six Boards and recently appointed Chancellor of the Grand Secretariat.
THE LATEST FROM HstaN, The "Universal Gazette" publishes several extracts from a private letter sent by an official from Hsian to a relative now ing in Shanghai, which we translate bes he Empress Dowager has lately exhibited a good deal of anxiety and fear in her actions, so that the Palace officials and eunuchs have been trying their best to amuse her by bringing actors into the Palace to perform before her Majesty, with the hope of distracting her: nind' fron current events. There are almost daily reports from the Palace that the Court is about to leave Hsisn for Peking, but sv long as the Allies remain there in force it is manifestly impossible for the Court to do so. Furthermore, even if the Court docs make a move towards Peking the defenceless state of the route to be taken where any Power may easily send troops to waylay the travelling Court, if so desired, prevents any thought of journeying half way, there to await the departure of the Allied forces before taking the last state for Peking. It is therefore my opinion and thst of many more here that it will be impossible and imprudent as well to leave sian any earlier than next autumn. {Note The Editor of the "Universal Gazette" thinks this to be the correct esti mate of the date of the Court's departure from Hsian,]
The Grand Secretary, Yung Lu, has lately had an attack of rheumatism in both his legs, and he has therefore to be supported by a servant on either side when he wishes to move frou one place to another.
To open schools and colleges of Yung Lu is therefore constantly asking {for short leave of absence. Although the Grand Secretary, Wang Weén-shao, is in good health and active, the trouble is that ILE, is very deaf, and of late has become deafer than ever." The Grand Coun-oiller, Lu Ch'uan-lin, is also afflicted with deafness and has become much bent also, of Into, as he walks.
The Empress Dowager has become very nervous, and exhibits much alarm and fear whenever she hears of fighting between the Allied troops and the Chinese, and especially is this so when she reads the telegrams ofthe Plenipotentiaries when they contain any news of threatening danger. For this reason the Grand Councillors now abstain from letting her see any secret telegrams or memorials of an alarming nature, nor do the Secretaries of the Council dare to inform her Majesty of the true state of affairs when questioned by her, but merely reply that the country is at peace, and so on, to quiet her anxiety and fears.
The famine and drought in Shensi are awful. It is a daily sight now-a-days to see in the streets and roads 3 or 4 dozen of corpses, reduced to skeletons, of the sufferers from famine. Previously it was the custom of charitable men 10 cover the corpses with some matting, but the numbers of dying victims have so greatly increased daily that even this slight corering cannot now be provided for the unfortunate victims. One may judge the condition of things in Shensi, when it is stated that a picul of rice costs 18,000 cash, and a cup of water 3 cash, whilst one must 0 600 li to procure fodder for his horse. cop advice.
ELE. Li Hai-hoon, Chinese Germany, has written to Li Hung-chang, so says the " Universal Gazette," urging the latter to strongly advise the Hsian Government to sanction the opening up of the whole Empir to the trade of ull nations and that Foreigners may also open mines in the interior provinces on the same footing as natives of the country. This, Minister Lu Hai-huan declares, is the only way to prevent the partition of the Empire, there being no alternative.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.