Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-01-27

whom he is In deadly fear.
The analysis OF his councillors from
the western point of view does not allow
much TO be said in their favor. At the
head OF affairs Is the Cabinet or grand
council, which consists OF fve members
Prince Kung. Prince Ii. Weng Tung-ho
Kang vi, and Chen Ylng-pu. OF these
Hsin, Prince Kung. is the one best.
known by name 20 foreigners generally
He is the sixth and only surviving son
OF the Emperor Tao Kuang and uncle
Of the late and present Emperors His
health Is very Indifferent, and there are
often very stormy scenes between the
Empress-Dowager and himself. He has
less than no heart for reform In Peking,
as his family was set aside when the
throne became vacant by the death Of
| III. NJ. Tung Chi without issue, his SER
vices to China in 1860 were forgotten, he
was sent into retirement by the anti
foreign party after directing China s
foreign affairs for over twenty years,
and was only recalled when the En-
press-Dowager saw that the Ship OF State
was on the rocks. He Is believed TO be
a thoroughly well-intentioned man. but
he is old. in very bad health. and dis
! gusted with the treatment he has re-
| ceived.
Shih To, Prince L. is a nonentity.
| He is President of the Imperial Clan
| Court, and Chancellor OF the Board of
Astronomy. He has no knowledge what
ever OF foreign affairs, nor does he keep
any adviser who knows them.
THE EMPEROR's TUTOR.
Weng Tung-ho, the Emperors private
tutor, and among other things president
of the Board Of Revenue, has long been
regarded as an implacable anti-foreigner,
but since the humiliation Of China at the
hands Of Japan, he has taken earnestly
and conscientiously TO the study of for
eign affairs. The Emperor has more con-
fidence in him than in any one else.
Kang vi IS a Manchu, who began Off
cial life as Taotai at Swallow some
eighteen years ago, and has subsequent
ly held office in Kiangsi, Chilli, Yunnan,
Shansi, Kiangsu. and Kuangtung. About
the time Of the outbreak of war with
Japan he presented large quantity Of
arms and ammunition TO the Pekng-Field
Force, and gave a large sum OF money to
the Emperor to be used in the prosecu-
ton of the war. He was accordingly
given high office at Picking. His appre-
citation Of modern improvements may be
judged by the fact that he ordered the
soldiers to practice their drill with bows
and arrows, instead of firearms, and he
commanded that those who did use for
eign guns should have bullets made Of
clay instead Of wasting money on lead.
Even now that he sees that modern in
sentions cannot be dispensed with, he
cannot realize that they can only be
prohtably introduced by men who know
how to handle them. lie thinks that
the crude ideas which he cxcogitates
from his inner consciousness are more
Nqlnq lla than tho Oh cfnHfpa A
many nations and many ages.
Chen Ying-pu is a native Of Chekiang,
and, like his Kiangsu colleague, Weng,
has never held office out of Picking. He
is now president of the Board Of Works
He has had no experience whatever OF
foreign affairs, but he is very free from
prejudice against foreigners.
THE WAR MINISTER'S.
The Minister of War, or Chun WI Chu,
is understood to consist, since the death
of Li-Hung-tsao, of four members-Prince
Kung, who is president; Prince Ching,
vice-president; Weng Tung-ho, and Jung
Lu. Two of these-Prince Kung and !
Weng-haye already been noticed.
l Kuang. Prince Ching, has been presi- |
dent Of and constantly connected with |
the Tsungli Yamen, and is believed to !
be a fair-minded man, but necessarily |
or very narrow views.
Jung Lu is a Manchu, who has spent |
most of his life in military Offices at |
the capital, but was at one time Tartar
General at Hsianfu. Shensi. He be-
came favorite with the Emperor soon
after the Franco-Chinese war, and is
regarded as one of the most intelligent |
of the Manchus at the capital. Accord
ing to Chinese report, he is one of the
most insstent in calling upon the En-
peror to show a bold front to foreign
aggression. -.
THE FOREIGN OFFICE.
Finally, the Emperor has the Tsung-
Ii Yamen, or Office OF Foreign Affairs,
to turn TO for advice. Among its men,
bers are Princes Kung and Ching Jung
Lu, Kang vi, and Weng Hung-ho, 10
whom we have already referred and Ii
Hung Chang who IS too we'll known to
need further comment now. though we
may remind our readers that Valentine
Chirol described him, in the best appre-
citation of the clay-Bismarck of China
ever made, as gifted with no mean in
telligence and with a double dose Of
Chinese cunning too much OF
3 sceptic to allow prejudices or principles
OF any kind to stand in his way" Then
there is Ching Hsin, a Mancbu, who has
spent all his official life in Picking, whose
I
Prince Kung's, who knows nothing OF
foreign affairs but what he has learned
IN the Tsungli Yamen, and like his Prince.
8 not willing TO own that foreigners
know anything that he does not know
much better.
Two other Chinese members remain TO
De noticed, Chang Yin-huan and Wa
ring-fen. The former has some knowl-
edge Of foreign affairs. having gone
abroad twelve years ago as Minister 10
he United States, Spain, and Peru. and
his year as Special Ambassador to
.ho Queens Jubilee. His comparatively
ow rank disables him from having much
influence with the Emperor, and he has
10 policy of his. own that he would have
he presumption to advocate. His knowl-
'dge of foreign affairs is of the thinnest
Kind, and he accordingly is in practice
Nothing better than a weathercocl IL
nay be mentioned, to show the calibre
" his mind, that when he returned from
vancouver the other day. in the En-
,ress OF Japan, Marquis Ito, the Japa-
lese Envoy to the Jubilee being also on
,oard his chief preoccupation was that
he Empress should fly his flag at the fore
when going into Yokohama, an attention
o which he had no possible right.
Last comes Wa Ting-fen, an Anhui
nan of the younger generation, who is
imposed to have been put into the va
men as a nominee OF Prince Kung, that
e might represent the Princes views and
eport to his patron. He belongs to the
teform party in Picking, and has with
i'm all the new Haulins and hterati OF
,oung China. 1t was hoped by them
hat he might be able to influence for
oOl his fQllou-nrovfnpfol n HIM. | 4