The first thirty years were the palmy days of the Legations. portant and "oublesome questions were few and far between, auf inter national rivalry ove: China had no, yet begun. 'The members of the Legatioas ied easy, carefree and spacious existence, such as we, living: in the harassed' and "quarrel: some world of to-day, can hardly visualize, They were like a happy family. 'The word family' receives additional weight from the fact that foreign society in Peiping from the Sixties to "Nineties was almost en-Airely restricted to members of the Diplomatic Body. With the excep-lon of Sir Roberi Hart's small Customs staff and @ very occasional tourist, no other foreigners came to Peiping.
'The Chinese Government was still very jealous of allowing more foreigners than absolutely necessary 0 reside at the capital. It was, for Instance, only "after the British Minister, Sir " Frederick Bruce, had vouched' for the respectability Prussia, as a country allied by marriage with the English royal family, that the Chinese would allow the After about, three-ay diplomatic altairs soon wil first Prussian mission to proceed to Peking. The capital was not a treaty port and so. they were able to Insist en the strict carrying out of the treaties in this matter. Herein they were strongly supported by the: Legations who did, their utmost to discourage any "outsiders" from Starting business in Peking.
The only really troublesome question that may have caused the Legations a few sleepless nights was the eternal "Audience Question," regarding the manner in which the envoys were to be received by the Emperor. Even then, it only worried them spaimodlcaliy and at long intervals, fas during the minority of the em-perers Tung Chit and Kuang Lis, the Chinese were able to shelve it for the time being. This question was only finally disposed of after the Boxer troubles in 1900,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.