CHINA
REIGNING Sovereign and FAMILY
Kuang Sü, Emperor of China, is the son of Prince Ch'un, the seventh son of the Emperor Tao Kuang. He succeeded his cousin the late Emperor Tung Chi, who died without issue on the 12th January, 1875, from small-pox.
The proclamation announcing the accession of the present sovereign was as follows:-"Whereas His Majesty the Emperor has ascended upon the Dragon to be a guest on high, without offspring born to his inheritance, no course has been open but that of causing Tsai Tien, son of the Prince of Ch'un, to become adopted as the son of the Emperor Wêng Tsung Hien (Hien Fung) and to enter upon the inheritance of the great dynastic line as Emperor by succession. Therefore, let Tsai Tien, son of Yih Huan, the Prince of Ch'un, become adopted as the son of the Emperor Wên Tsung Hien, and enter upon the inheritance of the great dynastic line as Emperor by succession." The present sovereign is the ninth Emperor of China of the Manchu dynasty of Ta-tsing (Sublime Purity), which succeeded the native dynasty of Ming in the year 1644. There exists no law of hereditary succession to the throne, but it is left to each sovereign to appoint his successor from among the members of his family. The late Emperor, dying suddenly, in the eighteenth year of his age, did not designate a successor, and it was in consequence of palace intrigue, directed by the Empresses Dowager, in concert with Prince Ch'un, that the infant son of the latter was declared Emperor. The Emperor Kuang Su, now in his twenty-seventh year, assumed the reins of Government in February 1887, was married, on the 26th February, 1889, to Yeh-ho-na-la, niece of the Empress Dowager, and his enthronement took place on the 4th March following.
GOVERNMENT AND REVENUE
The fundamental laws of the empire are laid down in the Ta-tsing Huei-tien, or Collected Regulations of the Great Pure Dynasty, which prescribe the government of the State as based upon the government of the family. The Emperor is spiritual as well as temporal sovereign, and, as high priest of the Empire, can alone, with his immediate representatives and ministers, perform the great religious ceremonies. No ecclesiastical hierarchy is maintained at the public expense, nor any priesthood attached to the Confucian or State religion.
The administration of the empire is under the supreme direction of the Interior Council Chamber, comprising four members, two of Manchu and two of Chinese origin, besides two assistants from the Han-lin, or Great College, who have to see that nothing is done contrary to the civil and religious laws of the empire, contained in the Ta-tsing Huei-tien and in the sacred books of Confucius. These members are denominated Ta Hsio-sz, or Ministers of State. Under their orders are the Li Pu or seven boards of government, each of which is presided over by a Manchu and Chinese. They are:-(1) The board of civil appointment, which takes cognisance of the conduct and administration of all civil officers; (2) The board of revenue, regulating all financial affairs; (3) The board of rites and ceremonies, which enforces the laws and customs to be observed by the people; (4) The military board, superintending the administration of the army; (5) The board of public works; (6) The high tribunal of criminal jurisdiction; and The board of admiralty. To these must be added the Tsung-li Yamên, or board of foreign affairs. Independent of the Government and theoretically above the central administration, is the Tu-cha Yuan, or board of public censors. It consists of from 40 to 50 members, under two presidents, the one of Manchu and the other of Chinese birth. By the ancient custom of the empire, all the members of this board are privileged to present any remonstrance to the sovereign. One censor must be present at the meeting of each of the six government boards.
The amount of the public revenue of China is not known, and estimates concerning it vary greatly. The Imperial Maritime Customs receipts form the only item upoň which exact figures are obtainable, and these for the year 1896 amounted to Tls. 22,579,000. Mr. E. A. Parker, formerly of the British Consular Service, in 1896 published the following estimate of the receipts from the other principal sources:-Land tax Tla 20,000,000, Salt Tls. 10,000,000, Lekin Tls. 15,000,000, Native Customs Tls. 3,000,000, Miscellaneous Tls. 3,000,000. In addition the grain tribute may also be estimated at Tla. 3,000,000, making a total estimated revenue of Tls. 76,000,000. The amounts given
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