The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1902-01-24
EMPEROR RECEIVES.
The Foreign Ministers Attain
Their Rights at Peking.
CHlyA'S NOMINAL RULER was SILENT
Prince Ching Replied to the Adj
dresses Of the Ministers, While
the Empress DOwaxer Sat
Behind u Screen.


PEKING, Jan. 24.-The ministers of
the foreign powers here have attained
the goal which has been thcir aim since
Intercourse between China and the
powers began. They have been rereiv-
Ell as representatives of sONcrAgns
equal in rank to the Chinese emperor.
The audiences Wednesday between
the emperor and the ministers were
Forbidden City. The emperor sat upon
a dais behind table. There were
four princes al the back of his chair
and dozen officials at each side. The
dowager empress was concealed by a
screen, according to the stories of the
attendants, and remained invisible.
The audience chamber was tXrnished
Ornately, In contrast to the din9y rooms
which served for these audiences un-
der the old regime. The secretaries
translated the addresses of the minis
tiers, copies of which were handed to
the emperor. The replies to these ad-
dresses We're delivered by Prince
Ching.
The emperor was silent throughout
the audiences and remained stolid and
impassive. Formerly the emperor re-
piled to the ministers in Mantchoo, and
the prince interpreted what he said.
Today the emperor appeared as an
automnt0n, and the secretaries Of the
fprai ivp, mi, lot ,l,o
port that he looked weaker. less intel
lectual and more childish than prior to
the siege of the legations.
Sir Ernest Satow, the British repre-
sentative, made the following address:
"My august sovereign has charged
me to express to your majesty his sim
rere desire to see the independence and
the integrity of the Chinese empire
maintained intact and that the pros
pcrity and happiness of the Chinese
people may be fastened by the removal
of Obstacles to the free exchange Of
commodities. by the extension of manu-
features and by the utilization of the
resources of the soil
"The wonderful improvements in the
means of communication between diff
fcrent parts of the world through the
development of steam navigation rail
ways and telegraphs have brought all
countries into much closer relations
than were possible in former times.
Thus the nations of the world are en-
abled to profit by the lessons to be
learned from each other in the art of
government, in methods of education.
in the administration Of justice and the
application of the public wealth to the
advantage of the whole people. IT, un-
der the enlightened rule of your maies-
ty, the barriers which in the past him
dered the free and mutually advan-
tageous intercourse of China with the
rest Of the world he completely remoy-
ed and her domestic institutions wisely
regulated, it is certain that China, ad-
vancing along the path of progress,
Will attain to height of prosperity
unknown in the past
The ministers of the foreign powers
entered the Forbidden City at the main
gate leaving their military escorts out.
side. AT the second gate they entered
yellow chairs, like those furnished for
the princes and secretaries. They walk
ell through the inner courts of the For
hidden City, and their cortege retired
from the city by the east gate