120
vient.
of the disability of the monarcb, is the mouth- : piece. He created it and wields it at his will. Doubtless it is useful in suggestion, but the one Roman in it is the King. What others say or think must meet his approval to have effect. He is omnivorous in respect to the affairs of the kingdom, and tries to be well-nigh omnis. However estimates of his disposition may vary, they agree wholly that his energy is tireless. The Land of the Effulgent Sun be- comes the Land of the Midnight Lamp within the walls that screen the royal household. Twice, sometimes three times a week, the King calls together his council. They do not meet until nine o'clock at night, and until the King shall have learned from each of them all that he wishes to know at once about depart. ment work they do not separate. Sittinga average in length five or six hours. There every phase of public work and policy comes under discussion. If a paper, representing the best study and research of a department upon a given subject, may not suit the liking of the King, he may crumple it in his hands and fling it in the face of the Minister who presented it, as he is said to have done the other day with
■ document submitted from the Department of Foreign Affairs. If he has directions to give contrary to the advice of his Ministers, he does not hesitate, and he expects at the succeeding meeting of the council to hear that they have been carried ont. the coming day, the Ministers sleep off the fatigue of the late session, the King is out at Dusit Park, superintending in person the construction of the palace he is building there, in order that he may turn over the palace in the city, three miles away, to meet the growing demand for office room. This is a daily visit. which he makes partly for exercise, besides attending to the endless ceremonious calls upon him.
HIS AWAKENING,
When with
There may be sufficient reason for the scant respect in which the King holds the official household, or for the mastery that he thinks it necessary always to assert in it. When he met his crowning humiliation with the French in 1893, he had been sapped by the life to which Oriental monarchs may easily be lured, and which made him nearly a physical and mental wreck at 40). The French shock cleared his sight, enabling him to see that he had lost caste in his little work, as well as in the large one. He found the Court expecting te have use soon for the jar that holds the royal dead, wherein his body, after due season- ing and draining off. might be prepared for a regal funeral pyre. His view penetrated the solfish intrigues of the palace and of the departments. He saw as never before the iniquities of the Kin Muang, the officials eating the provinces. While he had run with his pleasures, an official gorge had loen in progress everywhere. Salaries were but the chutney for official curry. The choice lay before him, to let his career drift out with this nauseous flow or to battle with it. He rose with the spirit that befits royalty, threw aside his personal follies, when strength and health and vigour returned to enable him to carry the responsibilities and dignities of his station. Since then he has been King in fact, and the course Siam has so far safely steered between foreign intricacies on one side and domestic intrigue on the other has been due to his patience, skill and zeal in her behalf.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
PEKING.
Peking, 29th January.
THE IMPER AL AL IENCE.
The Diplomatie Corps, at one o'clock yester- day afternoon, had their first audience with the Emperor since his return from Hsian. The day was a perfect one and mild as Spring, and the streets were crowded with people gathered to view the brilliant cortége. There were about a hundred chairs in line and the display of gold gorgeous. The and silver lace was most Foreign Office sent an escort to each Legation
to conduct the Minister and his staff to the Palace entrance and each Legation Guard also The entrance to the Forbidden City was made detailed mounted soldiers as a guard of honour through the East Gate and the road thence to the corresponding gate of the Imperial City was guarded by files of Chinese soldiers and police. No soldiers were allowed to enter the Forbidden City and all mafoos were compelled to dismount at the gate and lead their horses.
the Throne behind a table
on
[February 15, 1902. express the wish that Your Majesty may have a long and happy reigu and that your Empire may greatly prosper.
Respectfully submitted.
Prince Ching, who stood at His Majesty's left, knelt and received the Emperor's written reply which had been lying on the table. Rising, he read the Chinese which was trans- lated by sentence into French by HE. Lien. fang of the Foreign Office. The reply was as
follows:-
HIS MAJESTY'S ADDRESS. The united address presented to us by Your Excellencies, expressing such kind sentiments, has given us great pleasure. When the trouble of last year, stirred up by the "Boxers," dom. pelled us suddenly to take our departure, we especially appointed a Prince, and a high min- ister, as Plenipotentiaries, whom we commanded to return to Peking to negotiate and settle a Treaty. That our temples and altars are restored to peace and our. people sared from suffering is certainly due to the very friendly feeling entertained by the Emperors, Kings and Presidents of your countries as well as to the efforts made by Yonr Excellencies in our behalf. The rejoicing in China and abroad over the return of our Court will be over grate- fully remembered and is another source of We heartily concur in the sentiments expressed by Your Excel- pleasure and satisfaction.
lencies that henceforth we should together by manifestations of sincerity and justice seek to
our international intercourse in a harmonious manner, secure the peace of the whole world.
It is to be remarked that the use of the Man- chu language has been entirely dispensed with, but the audience is especially noteworthy as being the first in which the Empress Dowager has openly occupied the Throne. At the con- clusion of the response the Ministers and Charges were one by one presented to His Majesty. the Emperor, und afterwards to the Empress Dowager. His Majesty had nothing to say beyond a few words of greeting, but the Dowager expressed her regret for the unfor tunate events of 19.0 and her assurance that
After passing through several courts the chairs, except those of the Ministers and Charges d'affaires, were put down in the court of the The chiefs of the Legations Imperial Stud. were carried to the Ching-yün Gate, where they ороп exchanged their own chairs for small palace "chairs each borne by two men, in which they were carried to the foot of the steps leading through the Chien Ching Gate. Here they were met by members of the Foreign Board who escorted them to the Imperial promote mutual confidence, and by conducting and was furnished with a number of tables Study, which had been pub in thorough repair
loaded with refreshments. A pleasant half hoor was spent in couversatin, when all were summoned to the Chien Ching Throne Hall for the audience. Her Imperial Majesty the Empress Dowager was seated upon which lay a sceptre and several pots of chrysanthemums. A large number of high officials stood in either side of the Throne and, oz a low dais in front of it and raised not more than eight inches above the floor, sit the young Emperor in a chair covered with a sable robo. Before him was placed a table covered with yellow silk trimmed in black. Majesty still looks feeble, but is said by those who have seen him before to appear stronger than formerly. The Empress Dowager though somewhat thin in face looked otherwise quite rugged. Each Minister made the customary three bows as he entered and the whole Corps was arranged in three ranks. H.E. Baron Czikan, Dean of the Diplomatic Body, read the following brief address in French. which was translated by M. Morisse of the French Lega- tion iu Chinese.
line on
THE DOYEN'S AL DRESS.
His
The Doyon of the Diplomatic Corps on behalf of the Representatives of the Powers at Peking, repectfully presents this address to Your Majesty, wishing Your Majesty peace Inasmuch as the serious tronifles of last year compelled the Court to take flight to the West and greatly disturbed the relations between our Goveruments and China, we have been for more than a year in conference with the Plenipoten- tiaries appointed by Your Majesty, and, after so long a time, fortunately peace has been restored. On the 7th of September last the Protocol agreed upon was signed, and the long standing friendly relations between our Governments and China have been happily restored as of old to the mutual satisfaction of us all. With the signing of this Protocol we are able to establish our relations upon a new foundation, and have reason to hope that by a faithful observance of the terms of this now agreement the intercourse between our countries will daily grow more intimate.
In forwarding to England particulars of the resolution passed by the ratepapers as to tram- ways in Shanghai, Mr. Jameson, H.M. Com- mercial Attaché in China, writes:-" The expenditure incurred in sending experts out to acquire a knowledge of local requirements, might In Your Majesty's return and in the grant for the present prove to be money wasted: bating of this audience, we, the Ministers of the tramways are bound to be introduced, sooner or various Powers, are happy to sea a complete later, not in Shanghai alone, and many valuable settlement (of the troubles) and a proof of Your data may be collected by a caretul study of Majesty's desire to improve international other ports. Tientsin and Hongkong are relations and perpetuate good feeling. In this oonsidering the question. The French happy desire the Emperors, Kings and Presi Municipal Council at Shanghai are making dents of our various countries heartily join, as preliminary études for an independent tramway we their Ministers standing before Your ystem of their own, and purely native com- Majesty's Throne may venture to assure Your unities of the larger towns in China may, in Majesty. Now therefore on the return of Your e near future, not be averse to improving Majesty we, the Ministers of the various eir means of locomotion.”:
Powers, are happy to pay our respects and
they could never happen again. The Ministers took their leave, followed by the other members of the Corps, passing out through the door at the left of the Emperor..
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS. Tsai-chen, special envoy to attend the corona. tion ceremonies of King Edward the Seventh, will visit the various Legations on Fri lay of this week. H.E. Yang Lu, who is beginning to recover his courage, will pay a round of calls two days later.
The proposed Russo-Chinese Convention with regard to Manchuria has not yet been signed, despite reports to the contrary. Negotiations still continue and, now that the Chinese New Year is drawing near, there is little prospect that any conclusion will be reached until the close of February at the very earliest.-Mercury.
CORRESPONDENCE.
[We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions expressed by our correspondents.]
LA VIE EST VAINE.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE "DAILY PRESS.
5th February, 1902.
"Vois SIR, Your correspondent
must be given credit for introducing the oft-needed element of accuracy with respect to literary From the few words he has quotations. written I conclude too that he is a practical man with a clear head. Still I can concur with you from a given point of view in the opinion hazarded in your note concerning his criticism of the lines, for his judgment would scarcely be acquiescel in by all men. In fact one might make so bold as to say that hardly an acumen and literary instincts could fail to appreciate deeply the sentiment of the verses. Do you cons der "Vois" to be wanting in both or either of these qualities? I should reply, Certainly, you do not. Surely "Vois" must have meant, and rightly meant, by his reference to the trivial and hollow view of life, that the majority of minds which have reached maturity would feel there was lack of breadth or hollow. new in the lines when viewed in their relation
man of
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