New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-10-10
THE CHINESE SUCCESSION.
HOW CRISIS SIMILAR TO THE PRES
ENT WAS AvERTED IN 1915.
MINISTER AvERY's NARRATIVE OF INCIDENTS
FOLLOWING THE DEATH OF EMPEROR
T'UNG CHIH-THE MANCHU
DYNASTY,
fpY TELEGRAPH TO THE rRrBrNE.1

fBY TELEGRAPH THE rRrBrNE.1
Washington, Oct. 9.-The recent unconhrmed re-
ports as to the death of the young Emperor OF
China give freshness TO much of the information
relating 10 the Emperor. his pedigree. his char-
acter his reign and the law OF succession. which
has been supplied from time to time by American
Ministers TO China. Serious complications were
threatened at the time of the Emperor's accession
TO the throne because OF doubts about the success
sion. At that time January 1870 the question OF
the succession was surrounded By embarrassing
conditions somewhat similar TO those OF today. ex-
cept that since then. by decree of the dual dow
ager Empress's Government provision was made
for the succession.
The Emperor T'Ung Chin who died In 1879. had
not completed his nineteenth year. He was a
cousin and the immediate predecessor OF Emperor
Kwang- Su, whose death under tragic circ"H'-
stances. at the age Of twenty-seveh mas
been reported and denied from Picking. TUng
Chih did not have neal heir. nor has the
present Emperor linea heir. Emperor I ing
ch,hs death was a surprise, although he had for
some DAYS been III with smallpox. He had. az the
Chinese expressed H. experienced the felicity or
the heavenly flowers Their superstition was that
the Goddess Of Smallpox" IA fell goddess great
" dreaded and hated) must be propilated-he'
anger must not be provoked. and thus. when any
body Is taken with the disease she perSohihes'
friends do not condole with the patient which
provoke
This superstition' our Minister remarked, &C
counted for the expressions used with reference to
the Emperor's sickness that he had experienced
the felicity OF the heavenly flowers.
certain ambitious prince Tsn wang con-
snired 70 set aside the natural guardians OF the
boy Kwang-Su, II not 10 usurp the throne oul
his plot was discovered and thwarted by the boy
Emperors uncle Prince Kung. and the Empress
Dowager who formed regency for the purposes
J,,rg,,c ,na iyona minority.
SOLVED THE CHINESE Puzzle.
United States Minister Benjamin p Avery, In an
official letter to the Department Of State. made
statements in relation the death OF the Emperor
T'U-ng Chih and the acts of the Empress Dowager
which have peculiar interest just now. because OF
their applca biity In respects 10 the present
situation in China.
In almost any Oriental country" said the Min
lister under the same circumstances as those at
tending the death OF the late Chinese Emperor
(TI'ng-Chih) without leaving a lineal heir. the
nearest of kin being four uncles. and no code Tx
ing the succession scenes Of intrigue and violence
might be certainly expected: but here. such Is the
force of tradition and custom and such the regard
for order growing out of peculiar system of edu-
cation nothing OF the kind has occurred. II should
be added that If any OF the princes cherished a
secret ambition for the throne none of them has
following or a party which he could rely FOR
support In bold attempt 10 seize H.
This Is how the Empress mother got around
those circumstances" avoided scenes OF intrigue
and violence " and made code fixing the success
sion" as related by United States Minister Avery
"All speculations as TO the succession. some OF
which pointed TO Prince Kung as the coming man.
were speedily put at rest by an official decree III
the name OF the Empress mother VINO had oeeh
constituted a provisional regency during the nrst
DAYS OF the Emperors Illness procaiming the post
Of Sa
mr. Prince Chun brother of Prince Kung, and COM
monty known as the seventh Prince as the son OF
Heln-fung the boys uncle and father Oh the ia'e
Fmperor who was the boys cousin. by TINS nc
ton which is not new thing In Cninese iueaS
and customs, Tsai Tien, an infant Of scarcely FOUR
eors horn ten years after the death of his father
by adoption, becomes the nominal ruler OF ABOUT
four hundred millions of people, more than one
third of the human race usually computed, anu
so far the decree Is calmly received and obeyed.
.The selection of Tsa Tien rather than the son
Of an elder Prince, Is said to be due 10 the III
Auence of the late Emperor's mother whose sister
is the wife OF the seventh Prince and mother OF
Tsai Tien story is current that during the
Family deliberations at the palace 10 the success
sion this lady who IA credited with much FORCE
OF character suddenly appeared with her little
renhew and exclaimed authoritatively. 'Ihis Is
your Emperor.
EMPRESS DOWAGER'S STRONG CHARACTER.
THE story is at least dramatic and Illustrates
the reputation for decision and energy which inc
Empress mother has among her people. her as
tendency in the Government may appear anomalous
10 those who have read OF the generaIIy hie''o'
nos,tion Of woman in China, but 1t is strictly con-
sie,ent with the ideas of the Chinese who venerate
maternity wdowhood and age. and VINO, tlere-
fore accord position and influence TO the woo"
OF one Emperor and the mother OF another when
are withheld from the hapless wife OF the decease~
Emperor who had borne him no son and VINO Is
now so distracted with grief that she IS SAID 10
hoyo o,tempted her own life with poison The de-
cree Of abortion provides that when a son shall
have heen born TO Tsai Tien he. in turn shall be
.adopted as the nheritor of His Majesty now de-
parted; that is, the Emperor just dead rms pro-
vision not only fixes the future succession in TINS
branch of the family, should Tsal Tien retain the
throne and leave son. but II also supplies d ue-
scendant in default of natural male issue to wor-
shin the names Of the late Emperor in accordance
with the demands of the national religion.
ION the same. date with the decree from the En-
press Dowager another was issued, ostensipy rom
the new boy Emperor himself Sceepth r me he nonn
TO console by gentle and good rule. ordering me
due Performance OF aG's o, M ,nrnng g hponrb
"s.in another decree of the same date purports
70 he a mandate from the late Emperor express
inr his gratitude 10 the Empress Dowager for her
care during MS nf ogtern I love- the success Of
his reign; lamenting the calamties of war. flood
and drouth which have afflicted his people pa
thctically announcing the approach Of his death:
declaring agreeable TO the Will of the Empress
DoWager that Tsa Tien shall be his heir. and I'm
ting the mourning TO twenty-seven days. 1t is
altogether probable that this testamentary decree
is only nctitiously attributed TO the late Emperor
and that the succession was independently deter
mined on In family council. as were the steps taken
later to put the new reign in commission
INTERESTING FACTS OF CHINESE HISTORY.
In the same official dispatch the United States
Minister related some remarkable and peculiar"
facts IN Chinese history quoted below. In con-
nectlon with them. however. should now be added
the statement that the present Emperor. Kwang
Su is the ninth in regular hereditary succession.
and that his nominal and actual rule has extended
over twenty-three years. The Minister'S statement
was follows "
THE late Emperor was the eighth in regular
hereditary succession of the Manchu. styled the