A private dispatch received yesterday from the North by a Canto al temporarily residing m Shanghai states that when the French Minister at Peking went to call upon Prince Ching the other day in an end © persuade the Chiness Government to 'e Conce=sivn: Russia with regard to Manchuria, the hint was also thrown out, incidentally perhaps, but quite seriously taken by the Chinese statesman, that if China did not give way to Russia the French Government would probably take steps in regard to the Kuangsi rebellion which would not at all be relished by the Chinese Government. This, it is stated, has been taken asa threat by the Ministers of the Wai-wuhu, who were informed by Prince Ching of the matter, and most unfavourably if not hostilely criticised by them. Death of a Prominent Officer.
A Foochow dispatch reports the death on the lith instant in that city from heart disease, of H-E. Yang Kung-pao, Commander-in-Chief of the Naval forees of Fukien province. The deceased officer's headquarters were in Amoy, to which post he had been appointed since 1895, and he had come to Foochow at the request of Viceroy Li Hsing-jui to con: sult to the expected hostilities with Russia in regard to Manchuria. ature of Arms has been prohibited by law in China ever since the entrance into power of the present Manchu dynasty, as a measure, of course, of self-protection. A Hankow dispatch to hand reports the discovery recently by emissaries of the Wuchang Viceregal Government of a small establishment at Hankow where rifles, etc., were being made, with the result that thirteen persons, who happened to be present working in the place at the time of a raid on the premises by a body of Wuchang soldiers, were arrested and taken over to that city for trial.
The late Taiping General Hung whose death and funeral at Hongkong was reported in a telegram published in our columns on the 16th instant, was a nephew of the "Heavenly King," Hung Hein-chuan, Principal Chief of the formidable Taiping rebels, "and bore amongst them the title of Junior Prince, or "San Tstien-sui" (Three thousand years). At the age of eighteen his energy and patriotism so won upon his uncle the Heavenly King, that the latter appointed Hung Ch'uan-fu to the com-{mand of over 10,000 men, which as part of the grand army defending Nanking, the Taiping capital, fought many a sanguinary battle with varying success against the Imperialists under the redoubtable Tseng Kuo-fan—the Chinese Generalissimo—and his lieutenants, Tseng Kuo-chuan and Li Hung-chang. Upon the fall of Nanking and the result alpings, the subject Note" fled to the United States, subsequently returning to form the of Chinese Patriots, known as Sanho Hui," or Triad Socie The well-known aborti Clnese New Year Day at Canas also started By the late Hung -fu (also known as Hung Chin-fu), who had come from the Straits Settlements to lead the coup. He again fled to the Straits and had only recently returned to Hongkong, intent upon another rising in Canton or other city of Kuangtung province, when he was taken with an illness from which he never arose except to be taken to be buried. Had the rising last. China New Year's Day been successful, Southern China it is claimed by the triads would either have been made an independent Kingdom or become a British Protectorate—for such was the intention of Hung Ch'van-fu—in preference to a possible French one.
December.
The Feeling in Manchuria amongst the vast majority of the in-nts of the three provinces of F flew, Kirin, and Heilungehiang may without hesitation be said to be favourably inclined towards the Japanese who will find this much to their advantage should their armies penetrate that country in the anticipated war with Russia," Of course, the inhabitants of Manchuria are loyal enough to the present dynasty and uld naturally flock to the Chinese dard if called to serve against a ign foe, But teaving their own Government aside there is no country to which the people of Manchuria are more favourably inclined then Japan whilst all things Russi ded in a very different light.
ined by the uniform kindness h the politic Japanese treated their foes in Manchuria in the China-Japan War of 1894/5 which kindness is contrasted with the conduct of the Russians at Blagovestchensk. There were other massacres which followed in the wake of the one narrated above, all of which are deeply imprinted in the breasts of the people of Manchuria and Chihli. The only parallels to them may perhaps be found in the Russian barbarities ex ed against the devoted Turcomans of and Geok Depe, stories of which are still topies of conversation amongst the Turki subjects of both China and Rus in Central Asia. Educated Chinese, who have recently returned from Manchu ud who were also there both in 1895 and in 1901, all confirm what has been noted in the foregoing; hence a Jupanese army will find everything to their advantage in Manchuria should it come to pass that that region be made the battle ground for Far Eastern supremacy between Japanese and Muscovite. In Corea there is some doubt; for the Coreans are known to be bitter here-diary. enemies of the Japanese, Russian Movements in Chinese A Peking dispatch stites that Governor Pan Hsiao-ssu of Chinese Turkestan has recently telegraphed to the Waiwupt to the effect that a large number of Russian surveyors escorted by a considerable body of Cossacks have invaded Kuldja, or Northern Chinese Turkestan, are mapping out the country and nave erected forts at strategic points, without first obtaining permission from the Chinese authorities there. The Russian reply when asked as to the reason of such lega! action seemed io imply that Russia had decided to occupy the country permanently.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.