Los Angeles herald., 1890-12-20
FROM FAR CATHAY.
LATEST ADVICES FROM CHINA
AND JAPAN.
Over Eight Hundred Lives Lost by a
Powder Explosion - Opening of the
First Japanese Diet.

ship Belgic arrived this morning, bring
ing Chinese advices to November goth,
and Japanese advices to December Sd.
The deaths resulting from the powder
explosion at Tai Ping were more than at
first estimated, it being stated that
eight hundred coffins were taken out OF
the city, and yet there were not enough
to bury all the dead. A Chinaman
lighting pipe while repairing the roof
OF the powder mill is said to have
caused the catastrophe.
The British barkentine Guiding Star
the 29th ultimo, and it will be total
wreck. The crew were saved.
Tseng Kno Chuan, viceroy at Nan
king, and uncle of the late Marquis
Tseng, is dead
A number of villagers belonging to the
Feng district, near Snang Hal, in March
1889, attacked and killed fourteen SOL
diers belonging to the preventive SER
vice, who had seized lot of salt be-
lieved to have been smuggled. The vii
layers under misapprehension took the
officers for thieves, and OH discovering
their mistake, burned the senseless
bodies to prevent the disclosure of
the occurrence. The facts coming to
the attention of the authorities,
they have now decreed that the ring
leader shall be decapitated and his head
exposed at the scene of the crime. As
he has already committed suicide by
drowning, the corpse will be exhumed
and dismembered. Four others were
sentenced to be strangled, but of these
two are dead, four others are sentenced
to hundred blows each and perpetual
banishment.
The town of Yokosuka, Japan, was
almost entirely destroyed by fire, No
vomber 30th. Three persons were
burned to death, and eight seriously in
jured.
The opening of the diet, the first con-
stitutional legislative body ever assem-
bled in Japan, took place Saturday, No
vember 29th. All traffic had been sus-
pended in the capital, and the day was
given up to celebrating. The emperor
and his cortege were greeted on their
arrival at the legislative hall with
salute of 101 guns. The ceremonies were
brief, the emperor reading short ad-
dress in which he expressed the hope
that all institutions relating to the
internal administration of the empire
might be continued and extended in order
to obtain good results from the working
OF the constitution, and thereby mani
fest in the future, at home and abroad,
the glory of the empire, and the loyal
and enterprising character of the Japan
ese people. The emperor held it essen
tial that the military and naval defences
of the country be perfected and made an
object of gradual attainment.
Mr. Nakashima Nobuyuke and Mr..
Tauda Mamichi, who received the high
est honors for the offices in question,
were appointed by the emperor to the
presidency and vice-presidency of the
house OF representatives. The president
belongs to the constitutional radical
party. and the vice-president to the
Daiscikai party. The Liberals made no
special effort to elect their candidate,
but watched the actions of the other
parties. The Conservatives voted with
the Radicals.
The only disturbance, which took
place at the opening of the diet, was an
attack made by the Soshi, or students,
on the Russian legation. Madame
Schevitch, wife of the Rus
sian minister, and the ladies of
the legation, were struck by stones
thrown by the Soshi, who attempted to
force their way into the legation, but
were repelled by the attendants, who
retaliated with a shower of tiles. The
Soshi were repulsed and some twenty in
jured. A number Of employees of the
legation were also hurt. All the win
dows of the building were smashed.
The cause OF the attack is said to be the
fact that the emperor bowed to the
ladies of the legation in passing.