Evening star., 1896-07-18

hat on while he Is in the house. and his Of
fclal hat looks for all the world like an
inverted spsttcon, the brim being turned
up all around. The peacock feather is
fastened by button to the top OF the hat,
ana 1t sticks far out behind. When not on
dress parade Earl Ii wears a fine skull
cap of black silk, with crown shaped like
a hemisphere. When l saw him in 1894
this cap had big solitaire diamond in the
frcnt of it, and big diamond ring sparkied
on one of Earl LIS long yellow fingers. He
then had on trousers of roSe-colored satin,
which were tied around the ankles much
like drawers, and 1 could that these
trousers were wadded and quilted in order
that they might be the warmer During
the Interview some champagne was brought
In, but Ii Hung Chang took only a sip of
tfis. and l afterward learned that he did
not drink. and that he don't much believe
in intoxicants. He is great smoker, how
ever. He uses a Chinese water pipe a sort
of long-stemmed affair with a silver
Fowl about as big your fist, containing
water Into this bowl Is fitted tube.
which holds the tobacco. and you draw the
smoke through the water before 1t gets to
your mouth. When Lii Hung Chang smokes
he does not hold the pipe in his hand. He
has a servant to act as pipe bearer, and
every minute or so the servant pushes the
stem of the pipe into his mouth. Ii Hung
Chang takes ore or two whifs and the
servant thereupon takes away the pipe.
While Lii goes on with his talking.
At Dinner With LII.
Ii Hung Chang Is not entirely unaccus-
toned to foreign ways and foreign food.
At the banquet which 1 attended both
foreign and Chinese courses were served.
and 1 noticed that the viceroy partook
equally of both He can use fork as well
as chopsticks. and during chat I had
with him he told me that he liked mix
turc of the Chinese and European diet. He
said be believed In plenty of vegetables.
h,Ifr ratt hot
much meat. At this dinner Ii had two or
three servants about his chair all the time.
These were ready to obey his every mo-
ton They assisted him in his eating and
in keeping his dress straight, and from
time to time brought around steaming
white cloth for him to mop his face during
the meal This, however is only the Chi
nese crstnm, ard it must not be under
stood as indicating that the great earl was
In bad health or too old to take care of
himself. He Is. you know, about seventy
five. but he is full of vitality. and mentally
al physically ne is as young as many a
man of fifty. He has both an English and
Chinese physician with him. and 1t is
probable that tie English physician will
continue to administer the electric baths
to his cheeks to which Ii has been ac-
customed for some years. He had some
time ago paralysis of the face and he has
cured this by the use Of electricity. Dur
ing my stay in Tientsin he was taking
these electric baths, having them admins
Is tered something like an hour a day, and
he often said that electricity acted upon
him like tonic and gave him new life.
Why the BulIet Was Not Extracted.
In Ii Hung Chang's face you may still
see the mark of the bullet with which he
was shot by the Japanese crank during his
recent stay i'll Japan. The ball went In
just below the left eye and left a marked
scar. The bullet is still in his face and was.
1t Is said. recently photographed by means of
the X rays Ii Hung Chang's great brav-
cry during this shot has never been
described in print. He showed wonderful
nerve during the time that the doctors
were probing for tie bullet. He allowed
them to dig around in his face, and at
one time when one of the doctor. had
driven the probe into his bone and was
taEping away at 1t, saying he had found
the bullet. Ii replied that he was mistaken
ard that he was digging at the bone and
not at the lead. After the bullet was
found the question as to whether it should
be extracted was raised. Ii Hung Chang's
son. however. refused to allow this without
he mad special permission to that effect
from the emperor. He said that IL II was
question only of the life of his father he
could permit it. but that in this case Ii
Hung Chang was the messenger from the
throne. He represented the emperor, and
that ho could not venture to have his 1ife
put in danger without first telegraphinp to
fek1ng. The situation was critical at this
time. and to have teIegraphed would have
meant delay Of thirty-six hours The
doctors thought 1t best not to wait They
concluded 20 risk leaving the bullet in his
cheek ard the wound was sewed I'D, 1t
rapidly healed. and the viceroy has now
entirely recovered from its effects
Earl LII and Gen. Foster.
The above Information was given me by
Gen. John W. Foster. Immediately after
he had returned from Japan. He told ME
that Ii Hung Chang was much worried by
the shot. He thought that it might lessen
bis reputation in the eyes of the people of
China, or. as the Chinese says, that he
might lose face with them. Said Gen.
Foster: Il told the viceroy that he had
wrong Idea of the character of his wound:
that he should be proud Of the shot, and
that instead of losing face he had 'eainad
face 1 said that the wound had been re-
ceived in the service Of his country and
that In the United States we considered
such things honorable 1t was no use, how
ever. he would Lot be comforted"
did he think that the attempt to take
his life was intentional on the part of the
Japanese?' I asked.
No" replied General Foster. cor If he
did 1t was for only q short time The
Japanese showed such q great anxiety
about 1t, the emperor took the matter SO
much to heart, and the great men of japan
came IN and expressed their regrets so earn
estly that Ii Hung Chang soon saw that
the action was that of q fanatic and he did
not blame the Japanese government for it
After he was shot the Japanese could NOT
do enough for him. They wanted to send
him all kinds of presents. He would 40
cept only those having no value. He took
for instance, such things as chickens and
vegetables. but he would not accept works
Of art or anything that cost much money"
Fosters Grandson and Earl LIS Son.
Speaking of General Foster, I heard a
story the other day Of how he persuaded
Lii Hung Chang to allow him to leave China.
The Chinese viceroy became very fond of
Foster, and he offered various Inducements
to get him to stay in China and act az one
General Foster. however. did not want to
stay in China, and he told Ii Hung Chang
that 1t was impossible for him to do so.
But why is it imposible?" said Ii. els It