Tus reply from Yuan Shih-kai to Mr. B.S. Little's Inst telegram which we reproduce to-day, following so closely upon the concise account given by our Waucbaog correspondent yesterday of the revolutionary attitude in that centre, is calculated to produce a feeling of complete bewilderment. Yesterday morning there would have seemed to be some reasonable prospect of " settlement. We may or may not believe in the wisdom of the position to which General Li and his fellows have committed themselves. But it was at any rate clearly defined; it provided a recognizable basis for argument above all it appeared to be a united expression of opinion, the first really representative utterance from the chief centres of revolt. There can, we believe, be no possible mistake about the telegram; indeed for more reasons than one it may be regarded as an official pronoancement emanating from the headquarters of the revolution. It is, en, almost incredible, in view of the "general complexion of the negotiations promoted by Mr. Little, that there is not the faintest reference in Yuan Shih-kai's telegram tony discussion at Wachang, albeit a Peking message of yesterday's issue asserts that Tang Shaoyihas actually loft the Capital to partake in the debate. It is possible that the mention of Yuan Shibkai's name in the Wuchang pronouncement, as one conceivably acceptable to the country as constitutional raler, was deliberately planned in order to discredit him in the eyes of the Manchus and thus to force him to change sides or run the risk of being thrown over by the Imperialists, The mere fact, it might be argued, that Yuan Shih-kai has granted a truce and opened negotiations would arouse suspicion in the Manchu camp which must be intensified " bhundred-fold by any suggestion that he would be received, with regal honours, by the Southern party. Such a device, if true, is worthy of Chinese ingenuity Bat it is still difficult to explain why Dr. Wa Ting-fang and his colleagues in Shanghai adhere absolntely to their statement that no negotiations are to be regarded as, official except such as may take place in Shanghai, and that General Li has no authority to treat and no states beyond that which was assigned to him in the scheme of Provisional Government drawn up in Shanghai a few days ago.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.