The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-01-09
THE TERMS
OF PEACE
China Agrees To All
PreIiminaries.
COURT ORDERS ACTION
lnstructs its ENJOYS to Sign the
Joint Note and Get Best
Terms.

PEKING, Dec. 30.-The Chinese plen-
ipotentiaries have unexpectedly been
ordered to sign the preliminary joint
note and have notified the foreign en-
yoys to that effect. The Chinese them
selves were greatly astonished at re-
ceiving the imperial instructions.
Neither Ii Hung Chang nor Prince
Ching had expected success in persuad-
ing the court under ten days.
The Emperor's instructions are to
agree fully to the note, but to endeavor
to get the best terms possible, particu-
larly in the matter of limiting the num-
Der of the legation guards and also as
to the places where these are to be To-
Gated. The plenipotentiaries are in
structed to endeavor to limit the num-
Der of army posts along the line of
railway to as few as possible, and,
finally, to request the powers not to
destroy the forts, but merely to disarm
them.
Ii Hung Chang's health is bad and
it is doubtful whether he will be able
to do more than affix his signature to
an instrument delegating the powers
to Prince Ching until another plenipo-
Tertiary has been appointed. He was
dressed this morning and carried in a
chair to the residence of Prince Ching,
with whom he held a long consultation.
Prince Ching then called upon the
doyen of the diplomatic corps, the
Spanish Minister, Senior de Cologan,
and requested him to notify the other
ENJOYS that instructions had been re-
ceived from the Emperor to sign the
note.
PEKING, Dec. 30.-A meeting of the
Foreign Ministers will be held as soon
as Sir Ernest MasonSatow, the Brit
ish Minister, who is suffering from
chills and fever, shall have recovered
sufficiently to be present and when
date and place for meeting the Chi
nese commissioners shah have been
agreed upon.
A representative of the Associated
Press today had a personal interview
with Lii Hung Chang, who shows plain
ly physical evidence of his recent ILL
ness, but whose mind has not been af-
fected by his sickness and is as yigor
Gus as ever. In the course of his con-
versation with the correspondent Earl
Lii said he should prefer to meet the
ministers and commissioners at his
house If such an arrangement were pos
sible on account of the condition of his
health, but would not, in the circum-
stances, make suggestions. He said
also that the Emperor IS DESTROYS of
complying in all particulars with the
demands of the powers. On the other
hand he thinks the powers should or
der a cessation of the frequent irritat-
ing expeditions which he looks upon
as unnecessary and as doing a deal of
harm 1t will be quite possible now, he
says, to maintain complete order in the
province with the assistance of small
number of Chinese troops; and he hopes
the powers will agree to keep as at
present the troops now stationed at Pc
king and Tientsin and along the rail-
way.
The Emperor, Lii Hung Chang as
serts, is willing to punish all those
named by the powers by Punishment to
the furthest part of the Chinese domln-
ions on the northwestern frontier; and
their return, he declares, will be pro-
hibited under penalty of decapitation.
His Majesty is anxious also to have
the number of legation guards limited
and that other boundaries be specified;
and he hopes the foreign armies will
be recalled as early as possible in the
spring China will endeavor, says Earl
Lii, by every means in her power to
prove that she intends compliance with
the demands contained in the note and
to show her desire to make the country
safe and habitable for foreigners. He
believes the powers will not insist upon
the total destruction of the forts.