The evening times., 1898-10-19
ENGLAND TO Save China
Demands the Restoration of
Emperor kwangsu.
JAPAN CONSIDERED ANALLY
The sympathies of Russians Divid-
ed-England,s Prestige Through
D0wager Empress, Lii Hung Chang
and lunH Pi.

Pekin, Oct Ig-The demand OF Sir
Claude Macdonald, the British minister
TO the imperial Chinese court, that the
Emperor Kwangsu be restored 10 the
throne from which he was deposed by the
Dowager Empress. and that the reformer
friends of the Emperor be pardoned. is
the subject Of much excited though unoffi-
cial comment. No explicit denial or afiir
nation of the reported demand can be
secured, but it has been learned that
some new move is on foot. which may
increase the international complications.
Yesterday the physician OF the French
legation paid a visit TO the secluded EN-
peror in order to make a medical exam
ination Of his majesty. but whether be-
cause some new report of his illness and
possible death is TO be promulgated, on
because France is taking active steps TO
prepare for participation in whatever cri-
sis may occur, is naturally matter of
conjecture
1t is unnecessary to go back to the days
Of Lord Palmerston 10 find any prece-
dent for the high-handed message which
ii is reported that the British minister
at Pekin has just addressed to the Chi
nese government. II is no grant of ter
rstory or concession in favor of British
trade that Lord Salisbury's agent de-
mands this time of the Tsungli- -Yamen.
What he eXacts is the restoration of fun
authority and freedom TO Emperor
Kwangsu, and not only the pardon but
likewise the entire rehabilitation of all
the mandarins and dignitaries who dur
ing the past few weeks, have been dis.
graced, deprived Of their Offices and OF
r-HV
association with the young monarch ih
his projects of reform
One Of the principal sources of Eng
lands vast prestige throughout the Orient
is her fame for looking after the wei
fare Of her friends, no mater at what
cost.
Britain and Russia Face TO Face
In China Russia and England are face
TO face with one another, and the political
parties of the empire may be divided,
broadly speaking, into those who sympa-
thize with Great Britain and those whose
preferences are Muscovfte Especially
since the recent war with Japan has this
struggle for predOmnance at Pekin be-
come acute, the foreign nations having ap-
parently then. for the first time. become
aware of the extent to which they had
overrated the power and the Importance
of the unwieldy Celestial empire as
factor in contemporary politics.
Europe and the United States gradually
acquired the conviction that the empire as
q unity was doomed. and that il was des-
tined 10 disruption at an early date. This
OF course, increased the rivalry at Pekin
of England and Russia The latter has
everything to gain by the disruption Of
China, whereas Great Britain would lose
much thereby. In the case Of the parti-
Ion ..g i
to secure possession of all the northern
portion of the Celestial empire thus
rounding off the huge Siberian dependency
and enabling the Gar by the acquisition
OF ice-free ports on the coast to become
one of the powers sharing the control
OF the Pacific Ocean. England on the
other hand, finds in China as now consti-
tuted. with its population Of 400. 00O. 600
the most valuable market in the world for
her trade and Industry This market
would be terribly diminished were China
TO be partitiOned.
Indeed the partition OF the Chinese en-
pire among the various great powers of
England, would. even if England were to
receive the lions share in the shape of
the Yangtze Valley, result in the diminu-
ton of British trade in China by more
than 80 per cent. Ii is necessary to bear
this in mind in order TO understand what
is going on at Pekin.
England Reused 10 Act
England, thoroughly realizing that it is
only by means of reforms of an enlight-
ened character that the Chinese Empire
can be preserved from disruption. has
managed TO incucate these views not on
ly into the minds of some of the foremost
statesmen at Pekin but also into that of
the young emperor himself. And there is
every reason TO believe that Lord Charles
Beresford, in spite of the Genials that
his mission is invested with any kind of
an official character, is now at Pekin
with the object OF acting as adviser and
assistant Of some kind or another to the
members of the reform party at Pekin
Russia, on the other hand, perceiving
that a retrograde and reactionary policy
at Pekin must inevitably result in the
partition of the empire, is naturally op-
posing everything in the nature Of reform
at Pekin. BY dint of bribery il has won
over to its side Ii Hung Chang and the
dowager empress, woman OF masterful
character and devoured with an insatiate
longing for power and wealth-a longing
that has led her TO destroy by means Of
poison already two emperors, three en-
presses and number of important states
men who stood in the way of the realiza-
ton of her ambitions. She is shrewd
enough to understand that 1t is only by
the maintenance of the old system of Sc
cluding the emperor in his harem under
the strict guard of several thousand eu-
nuchs obedient to her command that she
can hope to retain her power and auto
cracy.
In this conflict Japan must be regarded
as cordially cooperating with England
TO preserve the Chinese empire intact.
Realizing that her independence and her