It will be remembered by readers of these columns that owing to the jealousy against the liberal-minded Hanlia Hua g Sze-yung and anti-foreign proclivities of Ch'én Pih, Governor of Peking, the Industrial Institute inaugurated by the former otticial has been ordered to be closed and other similar institutions ordered to be established under Government auspices, or in other words adjourned sine die. A Peking letter now states that, in obedience to the Imperial decree on the subject which was obtai by this Ch'éa Pih, the Hanlin Huang Sze-yung set about' the other day to close his institute and dismiss the ins ruct rs whom he had engaged to teach those who had joined the institution. It transpired, however, that the instructors in question refused to give up their posts and have derns redress from Ch'én Pih, through whose instrumentality they had lost their engagements.
20th January.
Strengthening the Bonds of Kinship.
It is pretty well knowe that the Grand Secretary Yung Lu is a nephew, ea the female side, of the Empress Dowager, he of gue of the latter's ing' correspondent of the universal Gazette" now writes that on the dth of current, while the Court wa:
still at tins, the Empress Dowager took upon herself the responsibility of acting as "matchmaker" for Prince Chun, the Emperor's younger brother, and' commanded him' to. be betrothed to the Grand Secretary Yung Lu's daughter. It is also. stated that a daughter of the Grand Secretary K'un (also a Manchu) was to be married at Peking on the 17th instant to a nephew of H.E. Yung Lu. The Grand Secret K'un Kang is a member of the Imperial Clan. In vi of the betrothal of Yung Lu's daughter t" Prince Chun that young Indy was granted the honour of travelling from Puoting to Peking in her future sister-in-law's (the Empress) train, and in company with the Emperor's Chief Con-cumine, Ch'ing Fei, whose sister, Chen Fei, was thrown into a well by the Empress Dowager's orders in August, 1900, at the time of the Imperial flight from Peking. Yung Lu and his family now reside in the house which the notorious reactionary and Boxer partisan, Huai T'a-pu (now deceased) lived in, until the latter had to run away upon the fall of Peking into the han's of the Allies. This house, whic! has the reputation of being the most extensive private residence in Peking, has more than 400 rooms, besides many acres of gardens encircled with high walls and studded here, there and everywhere with summer houses and kiosks.
The Unpopularity of Chang Yen-mao.
The Universal Gazette" states that Chang Yi, or as he is better known, Chang Yen-mao, has been intriguing his best at Court in order to have Prince Chun sent as special Ambassador to Great Britain to congratulate King Edward on his Majesty's coronation in June next, so that he (Chang Yen-mao) may be again appointed Prince Chun's'Chiet Secretary." But," continues this paper, the British authorities in the North have shown a decided opposition to Chang Yen-mao's appointment to the managership of the Thentsin-Shaohaikuan Railway. which strikes one that H.E. must be very unpopular at least with the British."
Administration."
appointed a few months ago Chief Im-Eepocted that when Prince Ssu was perial Commissioner of Octroi at the Chungwén-gate of Peking, that enlightened. Prince immediately inaugurated new regulations for the keeping under control of his staff of tax collectors, by which the usual niethods of ' squeeze," which had hitherto been in practice for a century past were made almost impossible. The benefit of the clean administration of Prince became evident in a short time, for with n the four months or so of his highness's regime he has been able to collect not only the "usual amount" which custom demanded should be paid into the Inp-rial Treasury as the result mouths' octroi, but a sum of nearly Tls. 150,000 over ove the amount." and Cons: at Court all shook their heads in deprecation of Prince Su's report to the Empress Dowayer the other day, but naturally the atter was much please! and warmly eu-ised the Prince for his hur loyalty to the Throne.
Viewing the Imperial Return to Peking.
It is stated from Pekin: t' at, knowing ti t the foreigners of that city would use every ellort to. vie he Imperial Cortage as it entered the Capital on the 7th instant, ivs—it is net known who suggested it, the Emperor or the Empress Dowayer—telegraphed orders both on the Sth as well as on the Gth from Pauting to Prince Ching and Wang Wen-shao, commanding that no obstruction be piced against foreigners watching the Intperial progress. As it is quite 1s rebable," continued the tel "that there will be many foreign mongst the spectators, great care and precaution mus: be observed to prevent these foreigners from molestation and insult. Troops must be detailed give the necessary protection." These Imperial decrees were sent on the Sth of january and again repeated on the 6th. or this reason Prince Ching prepared the Sui Lin-hsiang house, from which " good view of the Imperial progress cond be obtained, for the special accommodation of foreigners on_ the 7th It is estimated that nearly 150 foreign ladies and gentlemen took advantage of this permission to assemble at the Sui Lin-hsiang house.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.