The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-22

reached his sixteenth birthday. was mar
lied to Ahluta a Manchu lady of good fam
10y. rour months later Iungcne as assumed a
cree in which he stated that he had received
the commands of their Majestes. the two
Expresses. to undertake the superintend-
ence of business. Only for a short time was
ne suffered to exhibit the semblance OF
power. In September, 1874, he ventured to
announce by vermiliOn eoict that, Tor
using language in many respects unbecom-
Ing, he degraded Prince kung, who, at
that time: was a favorite of the two En-,
presses. Tungche was instantly compelled
TO retract what he had done; on the very
next day decree appeared relnstatlng
Prince Kung in his hereditary rank. The
Two great ladies thus asserted an absolute
right of control over the young Emperor 8
actions Not long after this disturbance in
the interior of the palace there were Oml-
nous rumors that the health of the Emper Dr
Iungche was in precariouS state, ana, In
december, 1t was announced that ne W:ls
seriously i'll. The disease seems to nave
been of malignant nature, for, on Jan. H.
1870, 1t was made known that Tungche had
assembled upon the dragon, to be guest
on high" without leaving any offspring to
succeed him. There were reports that he
was the victim of foul play; what is certain
is that his deceaSe was eminently favorable
to the interests of the. two Empresses and
OF their temporary vizier, Prince kung
They at once resumed the open exercise OF
supreme authority, which they had resigned
only little more than twelve months
before The most suspicious circum-
the treatment of the young Empress All
luta who was known to be pregnant at the
time of her husbands death. Instead of
waiting to see whether Tungches post
luminous child would prove TO be son or
daughter, the dowager Empress FASTENED
to make another selection, and to place the
young widow of the deceased sovereign in
prison, where she presently Sickened and
died before her child was born. The choice
of the Expresses fell upon boy four years
old, the son of Prince Chung. the so-called
Seventh Prince, who, on Jan. 3D. 1872 was
proclaimed Emperor under the name of
Kwangsu. The child's nominal accession
was followed by conflict of authority be-
tween the two Expresses and the palace
eunuchs, but the vigorous measures OF Isl
An soon put an end to the intrigueS of the
latter. In the course of the next six years
the Expresses re-established Chinese au-
thority in eastern Turkestan, reconquered
Kashgar and secured from Russia the retro
cession of Iii by the treaty signed at st.
Petersburg on Feb II. 1881. few months
thereafter one of the two regents died. This
was the Empress Isl Tshi, the principal
widow of the Emperor Hienfung, and the
nominal senior of the two ladies carrying
on the government. Her illness, like that
of many another conspicuous parsonage at
the Picking court, was short and sudden;
she was only forty-five when she died. Her
more capable and ambitious colleague, the
Empress Tsi An, who had been, as we have
said only the concubine of Hienfung, sur
vived to carry on the administration. She
has been ever SINCE and she remains TO-
day, the most potent individuality in China.