A Peking correspondent sends us some items concerning the preparations that are being made in the Capital to celebrate the Empress-Dowager's seventieth birthday anniversary on the 16th instant. Fifteen thousand suits of special uniforms have been distributed to the troops under General Chiang Kuei-ti—one of Viceroy Yuen Shih-k'ai's most trusted lieutenants—who, ever since the return of the Court from Luan, in January 1902, have been garrisoning the environs of the " Forbidden City" and are inten ed to serve as the "first line of defence" against the attack of an outside ener upon the palaces. These special uniforms are embroidered with the charac-tors " Wan-shou-wu-chiang," or, freely translated, 'There is no limit' to the Imperial "Longevity," and present a blaze of gorgeous colouring to the eye of the sights cor at a distance. The officers of the various regiments composing these special Imperial guards—provious to 1902 only Manchu Banner troops had: the privilege of guarding the Palace environt—have also received presents from the Empress-Dowager in the shape of embroidered Court robes (Hua-i), which they will wear on the auspicious occasion at the head of their men. This shows that apart from a Fonperial Guards, numbering practically retty well-armed corps of Manchu
84,000 men, there are also 15,000 well-Grilled and' well-armed Chinese troops, belonging to Viceroy Yuan Shih-k'ai's well-known foreign-modelled Army, upon whom their Imperial Majesties may nowadays depend to guard them from their enemy On her Majesty's birthday ther li also be lighted three pair of gigantic candles of the usual Imperial orange-yellow colour, decorated with golden dragons twining around them, and ensconced in immense silver candlesticks of commensurate size, standing about five fect high. The gan tuan nature of the whole "outfit" may be imagined when it is stated that the largest pair of candles weighs 500 catties, the second pair 300 catties, and the third pair 200 catties, or ten picul: for the whole six of them. ' As the Palace kitchen staff is not large enough to prepare with becoming promptitude the con-factions and delicacies needed to place before her Majesty's guests, during the birthday festivities, which last three days before and three da; I days (13th to 19th Novem-bor inclusive); the already large Palace staff has been augmented by one thousand others selected from the principal restaurants and private kitchens of well-known epicures residing in the Capital. Alli these outside cooks have received the special uniforms they are to wear during their sojourn in the Palace at Eho Park, where the festivities are to be held b ginning from to-morrow, and their pay is at the rate of one tael silver a day. For draperies there have since arrived from the Imperial silk looms of Soochow, Hangchow, and Nanking no less than 36,000 pieces of red and yellow silks, satins, and gauzes, which are to be used to drape the doors and balconies of the various palaces in the Forbidden City and at Eho Park. Finally, be it always remembered that all these gigantic preparations, about one Per cent of the whole, are supposed to be merely on a "reduced scale, owing to the foreign war at our doors and the discontent in our Southern provinces."
is also stated by our correspondent that the Empress-Dowager had the intention of holding the "ceremony of congratulations" to be performed "by the Emperor, the princes, nobles, and high Ministers of the Court, and later on by the Empress at the head of the princesses, duchesses, ete., ete., before the Empress-Dowager seated "high up" on her throne, in the newly-built foreign-styled' palace at Eho Park, and to invite her foreign friends at the legations to witness the servile acts of prostrations by the Emperor and Empress at the head of their respective Courts. This was supposed by some specially to lower their Majesties in the eyes of foreigners, but fortunately for the Eu peror's dignity, the foreign palace las not yet been made ready for such an extensive ceremony and it will be per formed at the Paiyun Throne-hall in the Eho Park Palace, which will probably preclude, according to time-honoured precedent, foreigners from witnessing the Emperor's humiliation.
AManchu High Commissioner for Lhassi.
A private telegram from Peking states that former Vice-President of the Board of War, Yi Ko, now Tartar General of Suiyuan, Shansi province, has been appointed by special Imperial Edict to proceed to Lhassa to investigate matters and re-organise the government machinery of Tibet. It is also stated the Yen Hsi, the now Imperial Assistant Resident of Tibet, whose headquarters Kansu_ province, on the tibetan frontiers, who farewell audience of their Majesties the other day, will also accompany H.E. Yi KO to Lhassa, in which case H.E. T'ang Shao-yi will go to London after all to settle matters.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.