The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-11-17

to see me. When l met the NlSSioS
saw the signs of mourning. he looked
like a starving beggar. he wore the
| coarsest raiment His beard and fore
head had not been shaved, and his
Queue hung down from clotted mass
of hair. Lines of sorrow streaked his
face. and his hands were grlmy as II
he had been lying in ashes. A rev days
later when | met him at Tien-TsIn the
beggar's mien had vanished and ne was
again the sumptuous and well appoint
ed nobleman.
It was never an easy matter to trans
act business with Ii, and yet l always
found him q man of his word. He would
| Turn a question over and over agaIQ--
| look into il minutely-QuiCk to detect
! the slightest error in your statement.
1t was never safe to go to MIN with
| out having your case prepared he
! would take nothing for granted, nor
! accept assurances" or understand
ings." No Rialto usurer was severer
IN the reading of the bond. BlandiSn-
nents or menaces were in vain. He
knew the tension which each State
would endure-What was meant by
Gladstone or Salisbury ascendancy tu
England, and the meaning of Demo-
cratic or Republican advent TO power
in the United States. lie knew how TO
play one against the other-When TO
give a significant smile to the ambas-
sador OF one power, or a no less sign
ficant shrug to the envoy OF another
power. he never overlooked the rela-
tons between Germany and France,
nor neglected the jeaIousies Of Russia
and England. But when once you hal
an understanding with LA complete
accord-the matter was done.
The relations between General Grant
and Ii had almost the element OF ro-
nance. From the moment that General
Grant arrived in China the Viceroy
took the deepest interest in his move
Enents. Messages from him awaited US
at every point. Arriving at TEN Tsin
on an American war vessel, before we
could debark the Viceroy came on
board. | remember the meeting, the
long, searching, curious glances be-
slowed upon General Grant, the cour-
tesy. the Difference and the respect.
The fact that General Grant had hel
soverligno power sank deeply into the
viceroy's mind. And sovereignty could
not be Invested by any mere resigna-
ton or supersession by electoral forms.
Then came the element of magma
ton to be expected from a poet like
Ii, whose mind was permeated with
hyperbole and Oriental fancies. He and
General Grant were born in the same
year. The name of General Grants
opponent was Lee. His own name was
LII. Their stars were in accord. | re-
call the ferVor with which the Viceroy
evolved this graceful fancy as though
1t were message from the stars.
His cynicism and haughtiness vanish
ed. The fates had ordained their meet
ing for some high purpose. When
(1GrlnV~a1 4 MR.as, -
Niceroy sent a guard and an official
chair lined with yellow silk. Yellow
was the imperial color 1t could only
be worn by the Emperor or princes of
the royal house. For the Viceroy him
self to have ridden in such a chair
would have been a sacrilege. But Grant
had been a sovereign. American men
of war gave him royal honors-and
why not? And so all Tien-Tsin saw
and with wondering eyes the yellow
chair surrounded by a guard. No such
slght had been seen by Chinese eyes
For II the Emperor had been in the
yellow chair every house would have
been closed and the inhabitants in hid
ing from the glow Of too much glory.
DR.. Coltman, in 1.-THE East Asiatic
Lloyd" relates an interesting CONVEX
sation he had with Ii Hung Chang on
the subject of the Bible He says that
one day when he called on the aged
statesman he found him reading a
beau tifully bound New Testament. The
| cid man was so deep in the book thai
for some minutes he did not see hi
visitor After while he raised his
eyes and gaZed at DR.. Coltman with
a piercing look. and said: "Dr. Colt
man. do you believe this book?"
III q answered.
/ did not believe it l should not have
the honor of being your physician
tmedical missionary. l believe it with
my whole heart"
Are you sure that this is not all
hearsay and human talk?" he asked
again.
quite sure"
How do you know it?" he went
on.
by sign that the book itself men
tlons: Is II not written that bad tree
can bring forth no good fruit. and 81
good tree no good fruit? Your excel
lency has already admitted that the
condition of the people in Western
lands Is far better than in the Orienr.
ana l can assure you that the pros
perity and happiness of the various
nations that you recently visited cor
respond exactly to the degree in VIII Oh
they follow the precepts of this book
Would to God your excellency believed
it. tool"
Why, I believe you would like In
make Christian of me-" said he. half
joking, half seriously.
Not only you," answered Coltman,
but also your young Emperor and
all his people,"
I'VE have Confucius," he said. lyon
have Jesus. Are they not in many re.
spects alike?"
Here the Viceroy was interrupted
| by important news, but when his ser.
want took his Bible from his hands =,
carry 1t to his bookcase he said: Dom
1 put 1t In the bookcase; lay it on the
table in my bedroom. l want to Ioot
at ii again."
Lii Hung Chang was called the rich.
est man in the world This assertion
is easier made than proved. for no.
body knows how rich he was Hi,
fortune may certainly be counted b.,
millions of dollars. but how MANY
millions Is purely conjectural 1t Il
enough to say that he was YER,
wealthy, and he accumulated nearly
the whole Of his fortune by taking adj.
vantage of his opportunities and max.
ing opportunities during his long ser.
vice as Viceroy of Marking and Pc.
| Chi Ii.
one way in which Ii for many years
made an enormous sum Of money wat
to use thousands OF sold iers in his owr
private enterprises without PAYING
them a cent for their labor. In the
| course of time he plirch \ sod exfapei W