The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-04-24

| quarters are known as the Purple fot-
hidden city. The walls OF this last pen
are rigidly guarded. Ihey lhclose ,ho
quarters Of the Emperor his FANNY, the
ladies Of the royal harem. ana the thou-
sands OF eunuchs who make up the ser
wants, and include buildings for court
ceremonies, which are arranged round
the sides OF a ridge OF palaces running
from the north 10 the south. me En-
peror himself lives in the northwestern
part Of the pen, and the Empress DOW
ager has a palace near by. IN another
part OF the Enclosure is the nan OF me
rary abyss or the imperial library, ana
I'm this the Cabinet officers about whom
more anon hold their sessions feklh
Is a huge city. credited with l.JOtV IN
habitants but apart from the eunuchs,
the toades and tho women VINO haunt
the Purple Forbidden city. II is doubtful
II 5000 OF this vast number nave ever
set eyes upon the monarch ana among
Europeans and Americans u Us only ihe
Ambassadors who are perhi''eu 10 s"~e
upon his august cOuntcnance.
Though ne is generally credited with
the possession OF n very ugly temper
which incites him TO smash inc bIlc-a-
brac Of his APARTMENTS when he cannot
have his own way. his efforts az ruling
20 no further than doing what ne ls lold
to do. lie is kept in order-ancesl NoI-
ship being a strong point IN the NeI'''i''
moral code-by the old Empress DoWa-et
who practically runs the state snow.
and who is influenced sometimes 10y Wnim
working through a thin leaven or diluted
statesmanlike feeling. and sometimes hy
that backstairs palace intrigue Wnltn
works through the favorable medium of
her favorite eunuch. Bitslan-u. NuehS
Hsu-which means The lllustIlous ous-
cession-has been under the Ola Idl5
thumb since he was years OF abe' "H.h
ne was chosen To succeed Tuns-chi. She
SUPERVISED his education. She picked ont
his wives for him, and she makes the
ladies Of his harem skip to-day III they
don't walk chalk in her presence. or
course she took her own friends when
she selected his wives ana she mas MIN
so hemmed about with her oihcials ana
girls that # he had VIII OF nus own
he wouldn't know how 10 use IT,. me
Empress Dowager. who mas nosScd 'he
Tsung-li-Yamen for generation D. now
eq vears old She was the secondary wife
Of the Emperor Hsien Fung. She was
at the head Of tho empire during q great
or part Of the Tapping rebellion. ohe
managed its affairs during it, war with
France and she has had more tnan one
taste OF Russian diplomacy She Us san
IN have n mind OF her own. and all or
the Chinese respect ANA rear htI- -H-
IS a sticlkler as 10 form. ana insists tldt
all business shall be done thTousn 'ne
Young Emperor. though she really di-
reefs what he is TO do. she Is even more
secluded than the Emperor ana "len
she receives her officials and the Nauluet
Ministers her practice IS 10 sit behind n
screen while they talk az her through u
unless she has something strong 10 say
10 them.
The Emperor Is p. lean, undersiS~d and
unhealthy His features are Tartar as
contradistinguished from Chinese lhe
reicnine family being (as every one
should know but probably does noD
Tartar He does an his business at Aisu1
and he sleeps I'm the daytime. re uetihs
his work about IN the morning a-ler
midnight breakfast. when DE receives
his Cabinet Ministers. who. on being
ushered into his presence, go down on
their knees and perform the seven 'c,H
"KO-tou"-that g.. bump tnef menus
again and again on the floor. They also
remain on their knees while before NM
Evervthing about and connected with
Kuang Hsu is regulated 10y law, even q"
his meals. According 20 the ola OIIi,9e
books there must be placed before MN
daily thirty pounds of meat i'm basin
and seven pounds boiled into soup. I've
has daily allowance Of about q pound
of hogs fat and butter, and he has inc
ripht 10 order. two sheep, two fowls ana
two ducks. while his drink for the Gay
IS restricted 10 the milk or eighty COWS
and the STEPPING Of scventy-ive parcels
Of tea. II IS probable that his real diel
is different. bur these are the regulation
provisions. and If he desires anything
that is not on the menu the board having
cbar~a ~ the imperial table has 10 be
consulted. II is more than doubtful
whether his Majesty realizes his exalted
situation and his power. TIE has 1een
hommed I'm and fooled all his lite. he
knows nothing Of modern civilization.
and IN spite Of the recent war next 20
nothing Of modern warfare. lie mas
never reviewed and IS not capable or
reviewing. his army and his common
amusement Is 10 shoot with n bow ana
arrow. II he ever had In MIN the max
ings Of a character they must have been
ruined long since by his mode Of life and
his surroundings.
The supreme bodies which, by the grace
OF the Empress Dowager and the favorite
eunuchs have the direction Of the cOun-
try's affairs, are the Grand Council. the
Ministry OF War, and the Tsung- ll-1 a.
men. The first. which is enormously con-
founded with the last, corresponds 10 our
Cabinet. and consists Of five members
Prince Kung. the EmperOrs uncle whose
10 thwart the Empress D0wager. with
whom he has many stormy scenes; Shin
To. better known 10 as as Prince II, who
has no knowledge Of foreign affairs and
hates all foreign barbarans." Weng
Tung-ho. the Emperor's private tutor.
who IS equally conspicuous for his dis
like Of the barbariaus though he IS credit
ed with having taken 20 the study of for
eign affairs since the troubles with Japan;
Kang 81, an official VINO gained his high
o &c by presenting the Emperor, for the
purposes of the late war, with large
sum Of money, which ne had no doubt
obtained By extortiOn OF one kind or am
other and whose appreciation of modern
conditions in warfare may be Judged by
the fact that he prefers bows and arrows
to guns. and has ordered that those of his
companies which are provided with the
murderous rifle shall use clay bullets, so
as 10 save the expense Of leaden ones;
and Chen Ying-pu, President OF the
Board OF Works, who is singularly Iree
from prejudice against foreigners, IN
spite Of the fact that experience has
never brought him into proper contact
with them. The Ministry Of War con-
sists OF Prince Kung PRESIDENT, Prince
Ching PRESIDENT, Weng, Iung-nO,
and Jung Lu. with two Of these gentle
men we have already made acquaintance.
Prince Ching q Kuang) was promoted
from the third 10 the second order OF
princes four years ago. lie has held
many offices in the capital, among others
that of President Of the Tsung-h Namen,
10 which he still belongs, and is reported
TO be a fair-minded man-relatively, that
is. for he has never been far from home.
I'm I 4.