Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-08-28
STATUS OF Ii HUNG CHANG
he Comes to This Country as Special
Ambassador.
Will Therefore Be Received as Such
A Story About the EarPs
Wife.

There Is no longer any question in official
circles as to the status of Earl Ii Hung
Chang. Inasmuch as he is the bearer of a
personal letter from the Emperor of China
to the President of the United States, he
will be received as an ambassador and
treated as a guest of the nation. He was
SO recognized and treated In all the capt.
tails of Europe which he visited on SIM
liar mission. He is in no sense tourist.
merely passing through the country In a
private capacity.
His Retinue.
The retinue of Ii Hung Chang consists
of secretaries. including Lord Ii. who dur
ing Lii Hung Chang's absence in Japan
when he was negotiating the peace treaty
after the late war, acted as the prime min
lister of China; Lord Lo Feng Lu and Wis.,
count Lii, the son of Lii Hung Chang, both
of whom, with Lord Ii, are at the head of
the ambassadors suite: three young men,
Lin and Lien twho speaks French) and
You; two doctors, one a Scotchman and
the other, DR.. Max. a native Chinaman,
educated in Europe; six or seven attaches,
young men who are students of diplomacy
and are in line for promotion and about
twenty servants, including Wallets, the two
cocks and several military attendants.
There should also be added to this list,
While Ii Hung Chang is in this country
the name of Edward B. Drew, who ranks
with the first four of the suite.
Not So Large as Reported.
The retinue thus consists of about thirty
five persons 1t has been reported as con-
s'stns of about fifty. This may have
arisen from the fact that the ambassador
did have nearly fifty originally, but sent
some twelve or fifteen Of them home from
Paris, as he found his suite rather cum
persofne one to carry about and really
Larger than was needful.
among other entertainments that have
bee n arranged in honor of Ii Hung Chang
during his stay in New York will be a din
ner at the Waldorf tomorrow evening.
which was rendered to him several weeks
ago and accepted by cable. The hosts of
the occasion will be Americans who were
once residents of China
About sixty persons will sit down to the
bar rquet including the officials of the en-
voys suite. Among the invited guests are
Generals Miles and Ruger of the United
states army and First Assistant Secretary
of State Rockbill.
An Anecdote of Lady Ii.
In 1879 Lady Ii. the Wife of Ii Hung
Chang, at preseLt out nation's guest, was
dangerously i'll. The treatment required
was such as could not with Chinese ideas
Of propriety be performed by one of the
opposite sex. SO DR.. Leonora Howard, a
missionary of the Woman's Society of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, was called 10
take charge of the case, and she was car
ried with all possible haste to Tien Tsin
by the prime minister's own boat. For a
month she resided in the palace as ply
slclan and guest no restriction being placed
upon her Christian work. When she re-
turned to Peking the cure was complete,
and Dr. Howard was Lady Lis acknowleds-
ed friend The gratitude of herself and
husband was evinced in generous contri-
buttons to free dispensaries and hospital
wards for women. Later DR.. Howard at
tended Lis aged mother, who died ard
left $1,000 to DR.. Howard's work. This
was the hrst bequest Of Chinese woman
to Christian benevolence. Said the earl
recently: IF Christianity ever prevails in
China, your doctors, more especially your
woman doctors, must open the hearts f
the people,"