20th January.
Our Peking correspondent, who is, generally very well informed, telegraphed us yesterday, as will be seen in another column, that the notorious Kansu General, Tung Fu-hsiang, was executed in the yamen of the Governor of Shensi at Hsian, on the 15th instant. It will be remembered that when the Court was at Chén-ting-fu on its way to Peking, a memorial was presented to the Empress Dowager from the Viceroys Lin Kun-yi, Chang Chih-tung, and Yuan Shih-kai recommending that this drastic measure should be adopted but the Grand Council is said to have replied that it could not enforce a more severe penalty than banishment, and it apologised to the Powers accordingly. It has always been understood that Tung Fa-hsiang was comfortably lodged at Chinchipu in Kansu, so well protected by his troops that the Court could not get any one to arrest him if it made up its mind to this step. And as Chinchipn is some twenty-five days' journey from Hsian, it is difficult to understand how Tung Fu-hsiang was brought to Heian for execution, If the report is well-founded, it is probable that the General has been executed on account of fears that he was intending to lead a rebellion against the dynasty, rather than as a punishment for his crimes against foreigners in 1900. If he has really been executed in satisfaction of foreign demands, the complaints in the letter in which he contrasted his own fate with that of his leader Yung Lu were decidedly well-founded.
We received on Saturday a letter from Tientsin bearing the signature A Chinese Reformer " communica'- ing "several articles of Chinese political news" which are decidedly interesting, although as the writer does not give his rel name, we have no voucher for their accuracy. The writer begins by saying that Prince Ching had so impressed the Empress Dowager by his accounts of the veneration in which HM. Kuang Hsii is held by the British and Japanese Ministers, and of their desire to see him resume the government of China, that she had deter-. Council to H.E. Chang Chih-tung's mined, as we hinted recently was recommendation. possible, to resign the power into his! One more piece of news, which has hands; but Yung Lu suggested to! much more air of probability about her that she should counteract the "it, the "Chinese Reformer" gives us, influence of the Emperor by ealist-'During the Boxer crisis of 1900, he ing the sympathies of the ladies of says, the officers of the allied troops the Legations; and this was the Jengaged a large number of trans-reason for the announcement that laters and interpreters, many of she wished to entertain the ladies whom were students of the Peking of the Legations at tea. Yung In, University, the Tang Wen College, we must suppose, is not aware that and other schools in North China; Mrs. Conger is the only wife of a and as the allied troops were engaged Foreign Minister in Peking at pre-in assisting the government of China sent. The writer goes on to tell us to put down what was virtually a that Yung Lu is so distressed at the rebellion, these students showed no hostility shown towards himself by want of patriotism when—they all the Foreign Ministers, except accepted the employment offered M. Lessar, that he has asked the them. But Chen Pi, the present ex-Empress Dowager to appoint him Boxer Governor of Peking, has Genera! of Jehol, a rather minor post, memorialised the Throne, charging where, however, he would have com-these men with disaffection and mand of a large number of Manchu with assisting the foreign troops to Banner troops. This, it is reported, rob and harry the Chineae, and the Empress Dowager will do, and has therefore demanded that they be after she has visited the Eastern and \severely punished according to the Western tombs in the coming spring, crimes they have thus committed. to make the usual offerings, she will These are, it will be seen, some join her nephew at Jehol, and stay of the rumours and reports that are there at any rate temporarily and floating about Peking and Tientsin, perhaps permanently. It is, we conand it would be unreasonable to ex-fess, somewhat difficult to believe pect everything to settle down at that the Empress Dowager really once after the upsetting experiences contemplates retirement, and the re-of the last two years. It is probable pons that she is inclined to give up that whatever may be brewing, no-the reins must be taken with all thing of much importance will take reserve. place until after the celebration of Another remarkable story is that M. the New Year is over and done with. Lessar, the Russian Minister, finding No foreigner is in a position to say that Yang Lu is not to be depended what will or will not happen after on—which we quite believe—has now the New Year holidays are over. promised the notorious eunuch Li Lien-ying a donceur of ten million taels anda subsidy of one million
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.