The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-10-14
PERSONALITY OF Ii HUNG CHANG.
TT. Russell Young in Review of Re-

PERSONALITY OF Ii HUNG. CHANG.
II. Russell Young in Review of Re-
views.1
How far the career of Lii Hung Chang
will justify the estimate of General
Grant history will show. But he is
undoubtedly one of the notable men of
the century. When I first saw him
in 1879 he was in the fulness of activi-
ty, an alert, imposing parsonage; tall,
with a soldierly bearing, and the touch
of the poet in his glittering eye. He
had less of the passive Oriental man
ner than was common to Eastern
statesmen, the result, 1 presume, of
much contact with foreigners. He
would give you the English grasp of
the hand. or more likely rest his hand
upon your arm in a gentle caressing
way when taking leave. He had an
abrupt and at times, turbulent manner,
with capacities, I was told, for vehe-
ment anger-and there were occasions
when courtiers and high people would
seek safety in flight as was the custom
in Berlin in that era of flying bootjackS
and imminent cudgels when the father
of Frederick the Great was king. Lii
was never vouchsafed to me in this
condition, was always stately, inper-
alive person, with capacity for ask
ing questions, and given to moclery
and banter and unique views of West
ern affairs. He welcomed talk run
ming into narrative. did not disdain Cos
sip, liked to hear of the customs of
other lands, relished anecdotes of emil
nent men-Lincoln, Grant and others.
He, had read international law, and 1
remember his handing me copy of
Wheaton in Chinese. and asking me to
point out the passages in which Whea-
ton had laid it down that a negro
should have more privileges in America
than a Chinaman. The Viceroy in
tended this criticism as an offset to
some demand I was presenting. for in
his soul he cared no more for the emf
grafton question than the average
American does for the Digger Indians
in Lower California, and when l i'm
piled as much he turned it off with
laugh. 1t was the only conversation
I ever had with him on the burning
issue of emigration. He called it an
English trade question:, and cared
nothing about it.
Ii Hung Chang was princely in his
courtesy considerate, strove to divine
some way of comforting favor, would
If possible anticipate your wishes, and
do it off hand. He would send his
steam yacht fifty miles to render a ser
vice to the ladies of the legations. His
industry was incessant, and he kept in
touch with everything. He would in
nocently read kilograms passing to Pc
king through Tientsin, and if at all
vague, would send inquiry to the re-
ceiver as to their meaning. I remem-
Der that a foreign minister heard of
the death of member Of his family
through a message of coincidence from
the Vicercy which arrived before the
dispatch containing the news. The dis
patch had been entrusted to the Vice
roy and was belated in its delivery.
This tendency of the Viceregal mind to
keep informed by other peoples tele-
grams was, if runor were correct, util-
lied by some of the embassies. 1t is
said that when negotiations came to
hitch they would be advanced by a
confidential message of a warlike char
acter addressed to an admiral through
the Tientsin office. advising him to pre-
pare for serious business.