12th July.
Prince Curvy, the younger brother of the Emperor Kuang sil, who is said to be a very pleasant bright young prince, sharing, as so many of the younger and more intelligent Manchus do, the desire for Western enlightenment and reform which led to the Emperor's temporary eclipse, is expected shortly at Shanghai on his way to Berlin, ° Germany has accept-him as the Envoy of the Emperor to apologise for the barbarous murder of Baron von Keitteler now more than a year ago, wud it is understood that he is well pleased to have this opportunity of making acquaintance on the spot with Europe and its civilisation. We sincerely trust that the Municipal Council, as the proper representatives of the leading foreign city in the Far East, are prepa ive him suitable welcome when he arrives, for he is not merely the accredited representative and nearest rel: the rightful Sovereign of China, but he will be the first Manchu Prince of the Blood in some centuries be cross the boundaries of the Chinese Empire. It is only natural that the German authorities here should endeavour to impress him with the extent of their interests in Shanghai, and it is just aswell that the Municipal Council, as representing the whole community, should take such a position on his arrival as will make it clear to him that this is an international settlement in which citizens and subjects of all the Western Powers live nnd work together in harmonious union. It was, we believe, the intention of General Creagh, had he remained here, to turn out the British Contingent here in honour of the Prince, and perhaps General Richardson will also see the propriety of paying this compliment to our visitor.
It has been objected that Prince Chun is on a mission of penitence, and that therefore it would be out of place for the Municipal Council to make any demonstration in his kon-our, If it were ascertained that the Germans, who ave most immediately concerned, would take no official notice of his visit, it might be desirable to follow their lead, but as this is not the case, the Council must not make the penitential character of his mission an excuse for neglecting the opportunity to show the Enxperor's brother what a city in China can be under Western rule. It must be remembered that while Prince Chun is officially going to Peking to represent the murderers of the late German Minister, he is personally the representative of the great body of the Chinese people who hate the faction that was really guilty of the murder, and whose barbaric ignorance has brought disaster on North China and imposed fr: taxation on the whole Empire. It is palpably ridiculous as well as entirely unjust to hold Priace Chun ar his brother the Emperor in any way responsible for last year's outrages. It would be more reasonable to hold the Foreign Ministers at in 1898 "responsible, account of their contributory negligence and apathy at the time of the coup @état. A little assistance given then to the Emperor in his extremity would have rendered any penitential missions now unnecessary. Officially it was the Chinese Government that killed Baron von Ketteler: bat it was a usurping and rebel Govern ment whose acts the Empr Dowager now affects to disown, while she is still hand and glove with its leading members. It is Prince Tuan who should have come to Peking'and offered himself the penitent. It should be mule perfectly clear to Prince Chun that foreigners recognise that neither the Emperor nor himself are to be blamed for the ence: for which he is going WW Tt would be interesting tw know what prompted Li Hung-chan: selection of Prince Chun. press Dows to be that she ill when the ecole autumn weather akes tra i Court to K
Iéngfu, The Emperor is to start with her, but is to diverge from her road and take the Yellow River route, ud on the Yellow River an accident is to happen, as accidents will happen on the water, which will end the long-threatened life of the Kuang Hsii. awhile Prince Tu: with his thousands of irresistible Mongol horsemen will be purging China of the hated foreigners, as, until they have been driven out, she cannot return to Peking. Pu Chan will be the Emperor of China with all the prestige of entering Peking at the head of his father's victorious cavalry, and it is for this purpose that he has been sent to join his father on the Mongolian border. This is the programme as sketched out by Chinese who are in constant correspondence with Hsianfu. For the carrying of it out it is desirable that Prince Chun should be out of the way: and it isa happy thought to send him to Europe. Time will show, and not a very long time, how much of this programme is mere imagination; meanwhile, as we are all of us anxious to do honour to the Emperor, as distinct from the Empress Dowager, we should do what honour we can to his brother and _representative. It is very certain uh enitential mission or not, Prince hun will be received with honour in Germany, and in London if he continues his voyage of education west ward, and this we recommend to the attention of the Municipal Council.
Prince Cues is to land this morning at nine o'clock at Kiuleeyuen, and we still hope that our Municipal Council as representing the settlement north of the Yangking-pang in which he is to take up his quarters during his stay in Shanghai, and the British military and naval authorities as representing the nation which made Shanghai what it is and has far the predominating interest here, will take some official notice of his al. It isan unprecedented thing for a Manchu Prince of the bluotl to visit Shanghai, and still more unprecedented that he should be on his way to Europe and probably the United States; and as we know that neither his brother whom he represents nor him se!: is really tainted with any respon: bility for the outrages for which he goes to Berlin to apologise, we should, although he is on a penitential mis: sion, do something to show him that we realise his entire innocence and that of his brother, and sympathise with their desire to see a reformer and reforming Government in China, Prince Chin is a young man who will undoubted in time become, if he lives, power in China, Whatever happens to him on this, his first entrance into the outside world, will undoubtedly make a great impression on him, and the more favourable: that impression is, the better. There are few of us who do not realise that it would be a good thing for the Empire and for foreigners if the Emperor would, as we have previously suggested, come through Shanghai on y from Hsianfu to Peking. His brother will, of course, report to him his impressions of Shanghai.and the way in which he is treated by foreigners, and what he gathers of the way in which foreigners regard the Emperor; and a favourable report from Prince Chun might possibly induce the Emperor to return to Peking vid the Yangtze and Shanghai. No doubt the " Trio of Tigers" who have the of the Empress Dowager at Hsis have done thei best to fill the Emperor's mind with fearful stories of the ians whose insolent rage drove ger and himself from Peking: and it is for the benefit of us all that he should receive from his brother more favourable first-hand impressions of the terrible white men, among whom Prince Chun is boldly going' to risk his life and liberty. We can hardly realise what a perilous undertaking this must appear to a young man brought up in the seclusion of a palace in Peking as Prince Chun has been.
is argued that after what occurred last year at Peking is would be worse than undignified for us top: any attention to an Envoy of the Government. on his way home to
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.