The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-10-14

translations every week In the English
newspapers, which | receive from China.
Practically nothing is as yet given about
the Chinese-Japanese war, except that in
the issue of August % it is stated that
"the Empress Dowager has sent 1000 boxes
of cooling pills to the soldiers in Korea"
and the courers will probably bring the
news in on horseback and retail it to the
people. There is no doubt there is more
lying done in the dissemination of official
reports than can possibly be committed by
American reporters. and l learn from
Picking that the people are kept in entire
ignorance of what is going on in the war
with Japan.
II is doubtful whether the Emperor him.
self understands his real situation He
has, l venture, never reviewed his own
army. and he knows nothing about mill
tary tactics. 1t is common amusement
with him to 60 out and shoot with a bow
and arrow. and his only experience as to
travelling by railroad has been in a small
train OF cars which French syndicate,
who wanted TO get railroad concessions,
presented to him. The train cost them, l
am told, something like 100000. Tue EN-
peror refused to accept it as a gift, and
sent them back the sum of $4,000, in
order to relieve himself from any oblipa-
| ton. 1t is now six years since the pres
emit was made, and they have got
no concessions. 1 saw these cars in Tien.
tsin some years ago when they we're on
their way to the Emperor. They were
carried into Peking by water, and his
| Majesty had track laid in the palace
grounds, and they were run for a short
| time with steam. This, however, was too
| fast for his Majesty, and l understand
| that he now harnesses up his eunuchs to
the engine and has them whipped right
royalty by the brakemen as he rides
through the grounds. The Emperor
knows nothing of modern civilization and
modern warfare. He does not even know
] his own country, and did he possess a
great character il would have been ruined
long since by his surroundings.
This is the man who Is supposed to be at
the head of the great Chinese empire, and
who to be directing the war with japan.
He is, l am told, largely governed BY his
eunuchs. They have been his closest as
sOciates throughout bis life, and differen t
estimates state that he has all the way
from 1000 to 10000 Of these ennuchs in the
palace. Our own Minister, Colonel DENNY.
says that he has actual information that
| there are at least 1000, and when You re.
member that this immense colony Is scat
tered over an area not much larger than
that of farm. you will see that eunuchs
are much thicker than black berries in Au-
gust; they are graded in different depart
ments, and each has his own duties.
Those of ordinary rank receive from
| 70 lint hax he
fortunes out of squeezing and stealing,
and there is one eunuch in the palace who
is said to be worth millions. His name is
Pi TsIau LII, and he is the confidential ser
want of the old Empress Dowager. he is a
great Office broker, and l heard of in
stances of his getting 100000 and upward
for single Offices. and / have no doubt that
be divides his Or fits with the old Empress.
II of the officials OF Picking are afraid of
him, and though he began life as the son
Of shoemaker, he has more power than
many of the princes. His father was a
cobbler in the city of Iung Chow, about
| fifteen miles from Picking, but since his
| son has become so powerful The old man
has been elevated to a fine office and he
| has feather in his hat.
| saw number Of instances myself in
Picking which gave me an insight.into the
| stealing of these eunuchs. The finest of
| the silks and embr oideries of China are
| made for the Emperor. He has vast silk
looms at Marking. and lie has great por-
celain factories in diffe rent parts of China.
He receives his satin by the CARLOAD. and
one of his recent orders, as / see by the
Picking Gazette, included 3400 r,lIs Of silk
gauZe, 500 rolls of bTocades and $40 rolls OF
satin. He buys his pencils by the thou
| sand. and paper is carried 10 Picking for
him by the shipload. He receives many
presents, and he can't keep track of all his
possessions. The euDuchs sneak goods
out of the palace and Land them over to
second hand peddlers, and | Was offered
gowns which were probably made for the
royal harem. again and again during my
stay in Picking, and you can buy fine
pieces of embroidery there with the five
clawed dragon upon them, which is the
imperial coat-of-arms, for a song. Many
fine piece of porcelain is smuggled out of
the palaces aud sold. and the officials prob
ably get squeeze on all orders of goods
that they make for the Emperor.
Just one word more about the eun uchs.
| The laws provide that none but those of
lOydl UlOOQ SUdit nave tHo lisuI ~ Employ
them, and princesses can have thirty
eunuchs, W hile the nephews of the EN-
peror are restricted to twenty. Every fifth
year certain of the officials Of China are
| required to furnish for the use Of the pal
| ace eight young eupuchs each, and these
princes are paid $500 apiece for them.
Even the priests who attend to the wor-
ship of the barem are eunuchs, and the
Emperor goes to no place without them.
| There were several hundred guarding the
roads when the foreign Ministers came in to
the audience, and the old Empress Dow
ager has quite corps of them.
The Empress Dowager will be 60 years
old next month. She is said to be mo f
| remarkable woman, and she has been
| practically the ruler of China for the past
generation. She was the secondary wife
or the first concubine of the Emperor Hen
Fung, who died along about the tire of
the beginning of our civil war. and she has
been practically the boss of the harem and
the empire since then. She was at the
head of the empire during greater par, of
the Kaiping Rebellion. She managed its
affairs during its war with France, and
she had little taste of Russian
diplomacy In her fuss with the
| Gar of some years ago. She is said
| to have a mind of her own, and
all Of the Chinese respect and fear her.