The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-01-24
CHINESE EMPEROR RECEIVES TUE
FOREIGN MINISTER'S IN AN
HUMBLE SPIRIT
HE rs MERELY AN AUTOMATON
Tsi An, the AIl-POverfuI DOuager
Was Quite Shy, and YELLED Her
August Person behind
Saving Screen.
BLARNEY BY BRITISH MINISTER

PEKIN, Jan. 23.-The ministers of the
foreign powers here have attained the
goal which has been their aim since in
tercourse between China and the powers
began. They have been received as rep
resentatives of sovereigns equal in rank
to the Chinese emperor.
The audiences yesterday between the
emperor and the ministers were held in
the innermCst and largest hall of the
Forbidden City The emperor sat upon
das behind table. There were four
princes at the back of his chair and
dozen officials a each side. The dowager
empress was concealed by a screen, ac-
cording to the stories of the attendants
and remained invisible.
The audience chamber was furnished
ornately, in contrast to the dingy rooms
which served for these audiences under
the old regime.
The secretaries translated the address
es of the m nsters, copies OF which were
handed to the emperor The replies were
delivered by Prince Ching.
Emperor Mere AutOmatOn.
Tie emperor was silent throughout the
audiences and rema ned stol;d and impcs-
siYe. Formerly the emperor replied to the
ministers in Manchu and the prince in
terpreted what he. said. Today. he ap-
peared as an automaton and the secre-
taries of the foreign ministers who were
present said that he locked weaker less
Intellectual and more childish than prior
to the siege of the le cations.
Sir Ernest Satow, the British repre-
sentative made the following address:
MY august sovereign charged me to
express to your majesty his sincere de-
sire to see the indeper dence and the in
tegrity of the Chinese empire maintained
intact and that the prosperity ane hap
piness of the Chinese people may be
hastened by the removal Cf obstacles to
the free exchange of commodities, by the
extension of manufactures and by the
utilization of the resources of tne soil.
A Few Bouquets.
''The wonderful improvements in the
means of communication between differ
ent parts of the world. through the de-
velopment of steam navigation railways
and telegraphs, has brought all countries
into much closer relations than was pos
sible in former times. Thus the ratiOnS
of the world enabled to profit by the
lessons to be, learned from each other in
the art of government, in methods of
education in the administration Of JUS
tice and the application of the public
wealth to the advantage of the whole
people. If, under the enlightened rule of
your majesty, the barriers which in the
past hindered the free and mutually adj
yantageous intercourse of China with the
rest of the world be completely removed,
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
ed through the inner courts of the For
hidden City and their cortege retired from
the city by the east gate.