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[October 15, 1898.
into an investigation of those who belong to Kang's faction, giving such time to repent of their errors.
IMPERIAL DECREES.
Lu in his new capacity of Commander-in-Chief of the military and naval forces of Chibli pro- vince and the Peiyang Administration.
THE IMPERIAL TOUR ABANDONED.
Owing to the gradual approach of the cold weather we have come to the determination that
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND these measures which caused the Empress this connection, may go on as usual, and the Dowager to be opposed to the Emperor; but Viceroys aud Governors are exhorted to work it was the possession of power which excited earnestly and diligently in the above duty.
[It is understood by this that Chang Yin- her envy and hatred. It is really too bad that Again, as to the edict ordering the establish. the quarrel should have been brought to an ment of an official newspaper, the Chinese Pro-huan has bought himself off.-ED.]—N. C. issue over these questions of
Daily News. reform gress, and the privilege granted to all scholars which involve the integrity and pros and commoners to memorialise us on reforms, perity of the Empiré. The Empress has never etc., this was issued in order that a way might really shown herself opposed to such measures be opened by which we could come into touch
Peking, 29th September. But as we during her regency, but has always seemed to with our subjects, high and low.
JUNG LU'S NEW APPOINTMENT, be rather indifferent to them and waiting only have also given extra liberty to our Censors and
The Grand Secretary Jung Lu is appointed for a general demand on the part of the people. high officers to report to us on all matters per- Comptroller-General of the affairs of the Board Had she been won over to the cause of reformtaining to the people and their government of War, and the Board of Rites is hereby com- by some/skilful persuader, a different story reforms necessary, suggested by these officers.manded to make a golden seal for the said Jung might have been written. The Emperor seems
will be attended to at once by us. Hence we not to have desired to pursue a conciliatory consider that our former edict allowing all per- course but to compel submission. Neither he sous to report to us is for obvious reasons super- nor the Reform Party seemed to have rightly duous, with the present legitimate machinery at measured the forces which were opposed to hand. And we now command that the privilege them, nor the power necessary for them to attain be withdrawn and only the proper officers be before they could attempt such a bold move as permitted to report to us as to what is going on the setting aside of the Empress-Dowager. Her in our Empire. As for the magazine Chinese the contemplated Imperial trip with the Em- press Dowager to inspect first the Peking Field henobmen are everywhere entrenched both in Progress, it is really of no use to the govern.
Force at the Southern Hunting Parks, on All of the Metropolitan and Provincial offices,
ment, whilst, on the other hand, it will excite
the 19th October next, and eventually to Tien- Viceroys and Governors, all the Provincial the masses to evil; hence we command the said
tsin to review the military forces of the Peiyang Treasurers, and high officers, as well as all the paper to be suppressed (abolished). high military officers are appointees of the Em- With regard to the proposed Peking Univer-will be detrimental to Her Majesty's health ᎢᏳᎾ therefore hereby press-Dowager and are therefore her supporters. sity and the middle schools in the provincial in her old age and
command all preparations now going on to be Kang and his party were despised by these high capitals they may go on as usual, as they are a officials as upstarts and triflers. They were nursery for the perfection of true ability and forthwith cancelled. We could not, however, wish to disappoint our troops in the matter and considered to be mere adventurers playing upou
talents. But with reference to the lower schools the caprices of the young Emperor. It cannot in the sub-prefectures and districts there need therefore hereby command that the sum of Tls. 6,000 be sent as rewards to the troops under be doubted that their plan was too precipitate be no compulsion, full liberty being given to and dangerous, needing at every step the the people thereof to do what they please in Nich Sze-cheng. Provincial Commander-in- Chief of Chihli; Tls. 4,000 to the troops under courage of a strong man. When this was most this connection. As for the unofficial Buddhist, needed for the execution of the first step of Taoist, and memorial temples which were ordered Yuan Shih-ka'i, and Tls. 3,000 to the troops their contemplated coup the reliable man was to be turned into district schools, etc., so long under General Tung Fu-hsiang.. not found, and the hesitating Yuan overwhelmed as these institutions have not broken the laws them in defeat and death.-N. C. Daily News. by any improper conduct of the inmates, or the deities worshipped in them are not of the se litious kind, they are hereby excused from the edict above noted. Beyond the measures abore named, such as those for encouraging commerce, agriculture, science, and military matters, as they are really for the good of the people and the country, the proposals for put- ting them into effect shall go on but whatever reforms, previously commanded may conflict with the interests of the government and estab- lished custom are all to be repealed and we hereby command the Ministers of the Six Boards and the Tsungli Yamen to carefully deliberate over all the abore named measures of reform and report the result to us. At the present moment when the country is undergoing a crisis of danger and difficulty we must be careful of what may be done or what may not, and select only such measures as may be really of benefit to the Empire. We trust that all our officers, high and low, may recognise our efforts in this direction and aid us in so doing.
THE WHOLESALE REPEAL OF REFORMS.
IMPERIAL DECREE,
Peking, 26th September. The reforms that we ordained recently were for the sake of giving more chances to the masses to better their condition and because it was our desire to make our empire strong and wealthy. We never commanded these reforms for the mere pleasure of changing things or for the wish of casting away old customs that had been handed down to us. We feel sure that the great body of our officials and the people will recognise by our efforts that these reforms bad been inaugurated through the pressure of dangers hovering over this empire.
· has
been
Of late, however, we find that our subjects have been put into a ferment of fear and
believe we uncertainty, which due to the incapability of those in office to carry out our commands, as we should have desired. For this reason ignorant peo- ple hate thought that they could do every improper thing and in their ignorance have at. tempted to put wrong constructions on our move- ments. To take the case of our recent abolition of yamêns and officials Our real desire was to make away with superfluous posts for the sake of economy; whereas, 'on the contrary, we find rumours flying abroad that we intended to change wholesale the customs of our empire, and, in con sequence, innumerable impossible suggestions of reform have been presented to us. If we allowed this to go on, none of us would know to what pass matters will come. Hence, unless we bas fen to put our present wishes clearly before all we greatly fear the yameu petty officials and underlings. will put their own construction ou what commands have gone before and, creste ferment in the midst of the usual calm of the people. This will indeed be contrary to our de. sire and put our reforms for strengthening and enriching our empire to nanght.
We therefore hereby command that the up ervisorate of Instruction and other fire miuo Courts and Boards which were recently abolished by us and their duties àmalgamated with other Boards for the sake of economy, etc., be forth. with restored to their original state aud duties. because we have learned that the process of amalgamation contains many difficulties and will require too much labour. We think, there- fore, it is best that these offices be not abolished at all, there being no actual necessity for doing this As for the provincial bureaux and official posts ordered to be abolished the work in
¡
(2) Hsi Yung-yi, Senior Vice-President of the Board of Civil Appointments, is appointed a member of the Tsungli Yamën.
(3) Cheng Chang is appointed Vice-Director of the Court of Ceremonial Sacrifices,
[Note.-This was one of the six Courts or minor Boards abolished a short month ago.- Translator.]
with Hsü
(4) We have received the memorial of the Board of Punishments in connection the proscribed officials the trial of Chih-ching Yang Shèng-hsiu, Yang Jui, Liu Hsio, Tan Sze-tung, and Liu Kuang. ti, together. with Kang Kuang-jen, the younger brother of Kang Yi-wei, to the effect that, owing to the seriousness and gravity of the case in question, we should further ap- point high Ministers to assist in the said trial,
etc.
ALLEGED REASON FOR THE COUP D'Etat.
All of our subjects, officials and Ministers must acknowledge that we have tried in every way to advance our Empire and make her strong and wealthy by the inauguration of reforms.
We never, however, expected to find the 3rd class Board Secretary, K'ang Yn-wei, take adrantage of these steps to consum- mate his evil and treacherous plans of subverting this dynasty and that he dared, the other day, in prosecution of his nefarious de- signs to conspire to surround Eho Park, capture and exile the persons of the Empress Dowager and ourself.
Fortunately the conspiracy was found out in time by us and at once set at nanght. We hear also that the conspirators established the Patriotic Association--Pao-Kuo- hui-for their purpose, one of their principal tenets being that "in defending the Empire they were defending the country of China and not the Manchu dynasty!" All know that we try to rule this Empire by our filial piety to- wards the Empress-Dowager; bat Kang Yu- wei's doctrines have always been opposed to the ancient Confucian tenets. Owing, however, to the ability shown by the said K'ang Yu-wei in modern and practical matters we sought to take advantage of it by appointing_him a Secretary of the Tsungli Yamen, and subse- quently ordered him to Shanghai to direct the management of the official newspaper there. Instead of this, however, he dared still to re- main in Peking pursuing his nefarious designs against the dynasty, and had it not been for the protection given by the spirits of our ancestors he certainly would have succeeded. Kang Yu-wei is therefore the arch conspirator and bis chief assistant is the M.A. Liang Chi- tsao, and they are both to be immediately arrested and pauished for the crime of rebellion. The other principal conspirators, namely, the Cousor Yang Shenhsin, the brother of K'ang Kuang-jen-and the four Yu-wei,-K'ang Tsungli Yamen secretaries T'an Sze-tung, Lin Hsio, Yang Jui, and Liu Kuang-ti, we im- mediately ordered to be arrested and imprisoned by the Board of Punishments; but fearing that if any delay ensued in sentencing them they would endeavour to entangle a number of others, we accordingly commanded yesterday (28th September) their immediate execution' so as to close the matter entirely and prevent fur. ther troubles.
We hereby command the members of the Grand Council and the Court of Censors to make a joint tribunal with the said Board for the trial of the said malefactors. With refer ence to Chang Yin-huan (Senior Vice-President of the Board of Revenue) although he has been repeatedly denounced to us and has a very evil reputation, yet it appears to us that he is not one of Kang Yu-wei's faction; hence, we com- mand that he be temporarily confined in the Board of Punishment to await a further decree
[Note: The first of the above-named Tsungli from us. The case of Kang Yu wei, who had
Yamên Secretaries was the eldest son of HE. in Peking a faction composed of such men as Hsu Chih-ching, etc., is one of great gravity | Tan Chi-heun, Governor of Hapeh, an exceed and we fear that he must have a large factioningly bright and talented young official.] outside of the Capital also, consisting of officials, goutry, and coinmoners misled by the specious- ness of the man. We, however, desire to show mercy to such and therefore shall not go deeply
Peking, 30th September.
AN IMPERIAL CLANSMAN · RE-INSTATED. Huai T'a-pu (formerly cashiered President of the Board of Rites-Translator) is hereby re-
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