The record-union., 1896-11-30

His Master of Ceremonies.
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 29.-Special
correspondence Of the United Associated
Presses is a. follows:
Toxic, Nov. 16.-The Grand Old
Man" of China, whose return to Pekn
was expected to be the signal for his
restitution to power and honor is now
in the hands of the Board of Punish
ments, awaiting the infiction of a
penalty. 1t appears that some one
suggested to him the pleasure of a little
trip into the Palace Park, which lies
in the immediate vicinity of his lodg
ing in Pekin. He innocently adopted
the suggestion and was carried through
an unfrequented part of the park in his
court chair, the keepers and eunuchs
bowling obsequiously to him as he
passed The next day he received an
| official intimation that he had been
guilty of breach of etiquette and was
to be handed over" for punishment
The incident is said to have led to a
sharp dispute between the Empress
and the Empress Dowager, who has
always been LIS warm patroness 1t
has also evoked some thoughtless re-
marks from local foreign journals
which regard Lis treatment as an in
suit to the crowned heads and poten-
tates by whom he was received on his
recent tour, and go even so far as to
Isuggest that a protest should be lodged
by the foreign representatives in Pekin,
as if foreign interference in such mat
ter could be justified on any pretext
Some embarrassment exists with re-
gard to the revised treaty between
Japan and Germany. The treaty pro-
vides that, from the date of the ex-
change of ratifications German subjects
in Japan shall enjoy the privileges con-
| ferred by the Japanese law of pat
ents, trade marks and designs But no
provision has been made with refer
ence to the administration of the law.
Punitive clauses are of course embodied
in the law and should be inflicted
| against anyone guilty of infractions.
but the German Consular Courts have
no competence to enforce the observ-
ance of such a law and the japanese
courts will not acquire Jurisdiction over
Germans until 1899 when the revised
treaties are to go into operation. In
practice the omission is of no great
consequence, since German subjects are
most unlikely to violate japanese pat
ents or trade marks. But the affair
will probably involve the resignation or
recall of Viscount Aoki, the japanese
Minister in Berlin who negotiated the
treaty.
| The United States cruiser Boston ran
aground on a sandspit some twelve
miles outside Chemulpo Harbor on No
vember 9TH, but f1oated off without
damage on the high tide next morning
Some American newspapers appear
to be provided, just now, with corre-
| spondents in Japan who forward infor-
nation manufactured out of whole
| cloth. Recently the American public
We're Informed that the town of Kobe
had been wiped out by a conflagration,
but Kobe stands to this day unharmed
| by any such catastrophe. A later
tale represents Japan in the clutches
of such terrible famine that the Jap
anese Government had issued permis-
| sion to destitute parents to sell their
daughters.
The fabricator of this villainous lie
went on to detail the provisions of a
| law said to have been enacted on the
subject, and gave the prices for which
details equally false. The only way
! of accounting for this extraordinary
series of falsehoods is that their con-
coctor counfounded Japan with
province of China, where the sale of
girls is said to have been resorted to
| recently by parents reduced to the
verge of starvation. Even that hy-
pothesis, however, does not cover the
correspondent deliberate inventions
] about the details of the so-called law.
/ AS the text of Japan's new CONNER
cial treaty with China contains moth
] ing relating to the formers abandon
ment of the manufacturing privilege Sc
cured by the Shimonoseki treaty it was
at first supposed that the Shimonoseki
/ treaty would hold after ALL and that
| articles manufactured in China by Jap
anese or other foreigners would rank
with imported goods, and would con-
sequently be free from any special tax
alton. But a protocol has now been
| published in which the Japanese Gov
ernment distinctly comedies China's S
right to articles manufactured by Jap
anese subjects in China, provided only
/ that such tax shall not differ from or
exceed the impost paid by Chinese man
ufacturers.
| Inc Japan MAIL says HONG CnOQg-
Wo, who murdered Kin Okkyun in
| Shanghai, thus practically opening the
recent war, has been promoted from the
| position of Secretary of the Royal
| Household Department in Corea to that
/ of Master of Ceremonies. That is one
of the sublimest burlesques on record.
/ A foul assassin dischargng the func-
tions of Minister of Ceremonies at
| Kings court! No wonder that the
monarch of Corea has to hide for his
| life in foreign legations. To round off
! the savage comedy. vi Se-Chik, who
attempted to kill PAX Yong-Ho in
Toxic three years ago, succeeds his
more successful master in the post of
| Secretary of the Royal Household De-
partment The King of Corea ought to
import q hangman to be groom of the
chamber.
| Baron Saville Dead.
/ JnNnnN Nov C0-Tho death ic on.