In a letter from our Peking correspondent dated the 26th of May he says: "The approach of the warm weather seems to have hastened the arrangements for the final evacuation of the Imperial capital. The various Legations are arranging their trips to the Western Hills and diplomacy must wait, Already a party has gone from the American Legation and Sir E. Satow is due to leave on the Ist of June. It may be assumed that the crisis has passed, and they may take a respite from international negotiations, The Chinese Government have been informed that interest must be paid on the indemnity, but no further advance has been made—conflicting opinions and interests barring progress."
"The crisis has passed," and as we expected last year when the negotiations began, very little of what we felt to be absolutely necessary if a pennament peace was to be secured, has been achieved. Among the conditions which were ai on lass year a3 indispensable were the punishment of the instigators of the outrages, and the enforcement of securities fur the fature. These conditions have been very partially secured: Iwo leading culprits have been executed at Peking by the Alles, so that we know that they are dead. Prince Tuan and General Tung Fu-hsiang are supposed to have been sent into exile. Lhe former, it is believed, has really gone to the Movgolian border, where he is supposed to be collecting a force of Mongols, and to be in direct communication with Siberia. Tung Fu-hsiang is supposed to be also in the north of *"ausu in disgrace; but he is believed to have still an armed force with him, and it is reported on credible authority that he was in Hsianfu, in communication with the Court, not long ago. Other culprits have died or committed suicide, or been executed; at least, it is reported that Yii Hsien was executed; but for all these punishments we have only the word of the Heianfu Chinese, and an eye-witness who knows him well reported that saw the infamous Kang Yi at Hsianf only a little while ago. The most important point of all was that the Empress Dowager should be removed from power; and we have been comforted from time to time by the assurance that in all their communications with the Chinese Government the Foreiga Ministers only recognised the Emperor and ignored the Empress Dowager. What is the use of this farce if the Empress Dowager is still the real ruler of China, as she un-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.