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honour to report that I paid a visit to the Yunnan Provincial Assembly last Monday, the 8th instant.
Having informed the Bureau of Foreign Affairs beforehand of my intention to attend a sitting of the assembly, Mr. Wong, the English interpreter attached to the bureau, called for me shortly after 9 o'clock, and accompanied nie to the Yunnan Guild House, which is being used temporarily as an assembly house until a special building has been erected.
I entered the guild house through a gateway surmounted by a couple of dragon flags with crossed" staves and guarded by two sentinels in modern quasi-European uniform, who presented arms as I passed, and on my alighting from my chair I was received by Mr. Nich, one of the members for Tung-ch'nan prefecture, in the north-east part of this province. This gentleman conducted me to a small waiting room, the walls of which were ornamented with maps and botanical diagrams, where the usual tea and cigarettes were offered to me. Here I was joined by three French visitors, and a few minutes later Mr. Chang, the president of the assembly, a little old man of 70 with a long thin white beard, came into the room. He made a few remarks to me about the assembly not being quite in working order yet, everything being in consequence very rough, and I made a few deprecatory remarks in reply; and in a few minutes' time, 10 o'clock having struck, we all adjourned to the assembly ball.
Here my French companions and I were conducted up some stairs to what was formerly a private box in the theatre of the guild house, directly facing the presidential table on the stage, and with the seats for the ordinary members in the stall space below me.
I observed that the back of the stage was covered by a large yellow curtain, on and over which were posted the imperial edicts relating to the constitution and conduct of provincial assemblies. Directly in front of this screen was a seat for the Viceroy, and on each side near the corners of the stage were two similar seats, intended for any of the high provincial authorities who might desire to be present at any sitting, On the occasion of my visit these three chairs were unoccupied. In the centre of the stage was a long table with three chairs for the president and vice-presidents, and immediately fronting this were a desk and a chair, intended for members addressing the assembly in set speeches. On the left front of the stage were a table and chair for the chief secretary, and the corresponding place on the right was occupied by a large blackboard.
Immediately below the orator's tribune was a table at which two reporters were sitting, and on it was a ballot-box. In the stalls' part of the theatre were some sixty or seventy chairs and desks ranged in semi-circles facing the stage, with a broad gangway up the centre and smaller paths beween every two or three seats at the sides. The names of the members were written in small characters on the backs of their chairs.
Under the galleries, running round the three sides of the building not occupied by the stage, was a large open space, which seemed to be the particular domain of the sergeant- at-arms, in the shape of a portly officer of police in a new European-style uniform.
In the side galleries were rows of plain desks and chairs intended for ordinary visitors; and in the distinguished visitors' box in the centre were a few silk-covered scats and desks covered with green baize similar to those intended for the members below.
The hall was well lighted by large glass windows in the sides and smaller windows round the square-raised roof in the centre.
I counted thirty-eight merabers present besides the president and the two vice- presidents, and exclusive of Mr. Nieh, who remained upstairs with me and the other visitors. They were arranged according to age, the oldest occupying the front seats. All wore official hats, and most of them had gold or silver buttons; one old gentleman seated in the front row near the blackboard being conspicuous by having a red button and peacock's feather. I was told that he was a Mr. Ting, member for Ho-ch'ing Chou in Li-chiang prefecture, in the north-west of the province, formerly salt comptroller in the Liang-huai region of Chiang-su and Anhui.
The chief secretary chalked on the blackboard the subject for the day's discussion, which was what arrangements for the future were to be made with regard to the funds of the Yunnan Bank, which had failed; and after a pause a member left his seat, and, ascending some steps at the side of the stage, advanced to the tribune, and, with a how to the president and his colleagues in front of him, commenced to speak. He was followed by two other speakers, and then a general discussion took place. Everyone appeared to speak very naturally, with quiet dignity, and very little gesture; and even
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in the general discussion only one member spoke at a time. The speeches were practically extempore, very slight use being made of the notes which the speakers placed on the table before them. Altogether, I was much struck by the air of seriousness and sense of responsibility which seemed to pervade the whole assembly.
The president did not say, and did not appear to do anything; the vice-president on his right took copious notes the whole time, while on the other vice-president appeared to devolve the duties of a speaker in our sense of the term, questions addressed to the chair being answered by him. Both vice-presidents were comparatively young men, the one being 40 and the other only 35 years of age.
At about half past eleven Mr. Niel invited me and my companions to go downstairs and have some refreshment, so I had to leave the hall before any voting on the subject under discussion took place. Chinese cakes and sweet champagne followed, and shortly before uoon I left for home.
In my despatch No. 46 of the 30th October I stated that 62 members in all were elected, and that Yunnan prefecture had returned six members. I was informed by Mr. Nich and Mr. Wong that the total number of members was 68, and that Yunnan prefecture had returned 10 members.
I have, &c.
P. E. O'BRIEN-BUTLER.
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