The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-11-15
The Grand Old Man of China Has
Shortened Ills Life by Hard
Work for His Country.

- EKING, Nov. I'll Hung Chang
died at II o'clock this morning.
At midnight last night Ii Hung
Chang rallied slightly. His family had
installed native doctors IN charge of
the patient, the regular physicians
having refused to attend him unless
the Chinese doctors We're dismissed
At o'clock last evening Earl Ii
was still breathing and displaying I'M
expected vitality. The burial clothes
had already been put on. The court
yard Of the yamen was filed with life
size paper horses and chairs, with
cooIie bearers, which his friends had
sent, in accordance with Chinese GUS
toms, to be buried when he died. In
order to carry his soul to heaven. Sew
eral of the ministers of the powers call
ed to express sympathy
The Chinese officials are somewhat
uneasy concerning the effect his death
will have on the populace, and to
guard against popssible antI-foreign
demonstration the Chinese generals
have disposed their troops about the
city in such a way as to command the
situation.
The wife of Earl Ii and his two sons
and daughter were with him. They
are greatly distressed.
Chinese officials throng the yamen.
kilograms have been sent summoning
Prince Ching, who is now on his way
to meet the court, and Chou Flu. pro-
vincial treasurer, from Pao-ting-fu.
The former will assume the general
charge of government affairs, and the
latter will act as governor OF Chill
until Lii Hung Changes successor in
that office. who will probably be Yuan
Shi Kai. is appointed.
Robert CoItman, an American, who
is one of the physicians attending Ii,
told the correspondent that when he
was called to act with DIR. Nelde of
the German legation, November 1st,
he found the patient very weak from
a severe hemoTrhage due to liberation
Of the stomach.
The hemcrrhage was readily con-
said DIR. Coltman, but owing
10 the underlying condition of chronic
gastritis with persistent nausea only
the mildest liquid food could be d.
sested. Yesterday he was cheerful and
without pain, but at o'clock this
was no longer able to get rid of the
of mucus which he had free
" expectorated. Death is expected
shortly. owing to symptoms superven-
ng upon gradual carbonic acid poison
ng.''
Earl LIS persistent refusal to re-
frain from attending to government
business has aggravated his malady.
while the refusal of the family to per-
nit certain measures customary in
western medical practice for relieving
he stomach have contributed to bring
his end near.
For forty years Ii Hung Chang has
been the most important figure in
China, as we'll as the most pictur
.sque. In diplomatic ability he far
all his rivals, and this abil- |
ty enabled him to save his prestige
md his fortune in several crises that |
would have proved disastrous to a less
iextrous intriguer and politician. a |
,ative- born Chinese. he had all the |
natural traits, including great love OF |
money and profound suspicion of the |
motives of all his associates. He had \
unusual capacity for work, great keen |
less in the selection of subOrdfnateS !
nd absolute unsCrupulousnesS. What !
mainly gave him his prestige was the 4
act that he entertained in princely
lyle all distinguished foreigners who
listed China. In this way he COM
lended himself to General Grant, who
anked him with Bismarck, BeacOns-
ED and Gambetta as the four great
len of the age. That Ii Hung Chang