In all the ceremony, which was carried out with rare and luxurious elegance, the Emperor appeared as one of no importance, while the Empress Dowager, as in the audience granted the Foreign Ministers, was by natural ability and ceremonial consideration clearly the predominant personage. It is surprising how matters have been conducted to thus place her in the eyes of the world as well as of China at the supreme head of this Empire.
More Powerful than ever.
We have just been readin: in the London papers a telegram sent the middle of December from Peking that the Foreign of the Empress Howe on the return of Ministers would probably curtail the power
the Court. But no; she is stronger in her position than she ever was. The official Tepresentatives of the foreign Governments have been won over to her side by kindliness, courtesy and all the signs of regret and good intentions.
The Promotion of Sun Chia-nai.
Thereshave been the last two days some important appointments. Sun Chia-nai, the former Imperial Tutor, the first Chancellor of the Imperial University, the honest supporter of honest. reform, one the high-minded incorruptible officials of the corrupt mandarinate of Peking, has been promoted from Assistant Gran' Secretary to Grand Secretary. The vacancy is that of the late Li Hung-chang who was First Grand Secretary. He was the only Chinaman who ever attained to that high honour. It is probable that a Manchu will soon he appointed to that high rank, The four Grand Secretaries are Kun Kang, Yung Lu, Wavg Wen-shao, and Sun Chia-nai. The last gentleman went into retirement in the spring of 1900. During the Boxer outbreak, after his house had been attacked by Boxers and Tung Fu-hsiang's rabble, he fled to the southern part of this province, where a near relative was acting as magistrate. That official succeeded in keeping down and out the Boxers, and so enraged the Provincial Treasurer, Ting Yung, that Sun Chia-nai on passing through Paotingfu was forbidden to enter the City Gates. Sun Chia-nai afterwards came out from retirement with patrio tic motives, and went to the Court at Hsianfu, Returning from there he caught fa severe cold which has resulted in a hemorrhage. He is now very feeble and being an old man it is feared he cannot recover.
Hu Vu-fen is appointed Acting Vice-President of the Board of Works, in addition to being Director of Northern Railways, It is ftting that at last he should be thus honoured.
Chang Pai-hsi, the Chancellor of the University, is promoted from being President -f the Board of Punishments to President of the Civil Board, the highest position in the Six Boards. No man has been advanced more rapidly. Literary Chancellor a year og" in the Canton province, then abjointed special Envoy to great Britain but rejected, then President of the Censorate, then President of the Board of Works, then of the Board of Punishments, and now of the Civil Board. He is the only prominent Hunan man in Peking.
2nd February.
The Ladies' Audience.
'The regrets, congratulations, jubilations, and giving of gifts, still continue, but properly end to-day. The elegant' and costly gifts presented yesterday by the Empress Dowager to the Legation ladies excited great interest and deep pi-assure. But to-day there is more. Several rolls of the very best silk and satin, a dozen or more yards in each, were presented to each of the ladies and the interpreters. 'A sceptre of jade was given to Mrs. Conger. Several rolls of silk were also iven to a lady guest stopping with Mrs. anger, who was not included in the list at the audience yesterday.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.