Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-03

gradually up from the surrounding soil Tho
native bricks all came out of the kilns
twisted and distorted, the masons having
to square each one by chisel before laying
It. Moreover, the Chinese stonecutters, who
excelled in their final results, laboriously
carved model of each ornament out of
wood before executing it in stone. The
coolies carried the heavy stones in great
sings, suspended from poles placed across
their shoulders. But to offset these delays,
labor was cheap. carpenters demanding
but 20 and bricklayers but IS cents (gold)
per day.
Legation Guards and Barracks
All of the other foreign legations at
Picking have undergone similar improve
mentS, and the system of Notifications
about the entire diplomatic quarter has
been completed. The defensive walls are
surrounded by deep moats and extensive
barracks connecting with each country's
compound quarter the legation guards,
which. until the present apprehension ap-
peared. consisted of about seventy officers
and 1850 men, the German guard of 301
men being the most numerous. Until last
September we had detailed about $50 sol
diers of the regular army to serve as lega-
ton guards, but these were replaced by
marines, who. at present writing, number
three officers and ninety-Seyen men, the Of
icers being Capt Harry Lee. First Lieut.
Thomas Holcomb. jr, and Second Lieut..
Edward p. Larned. In case of an uprising
the senior military officer, non-Chinese on
duty in Picking, would be in command Of
the entire guard, according to the plan Of
the mixed military commission of 1901
which also advised that not less than a
three months supply of provisions and a
generous reserve of arms and ammunition
should always be kept on hand by each
country for the use of its legation guards
The total number of guns advised by the
commission was about twenty-five how
ltzers and thirty machine guns.
AS soon as the extension and irnDr0ve-
ment Of the diplomatic quarter was decided
upon, after the Boxer uprising all Chi
nese buildings were removed from the space
melted out. The quarter now presents the
appearance of a modern American or Eu-
ropean settlement of about one-half SQUARE
mile extent. In or bordering upon It are
three good hotels. Y. M. C. A. building
and Catholic church for the legation guards
and two hospitals, receiving both Chinese
and European patients. Not only Legation
street, but many other thoroughfares have
oeen macadamized and an electric light
company has recently been organized to
relieve the night of its darkness and dam
gers.
Old Legation Difficulties,
our old legation. just vacated, was Sc
rles or one-story bungalow-like buildings
rented by Minister Conger from our former
minister. Col DENLY, who purchased it
from the estate of S. W. Williams a for
mer secretary of legation. 1t is situated in
an Enclosure of some one and a half acres
surrounded by high wall But so intense
was the heat in these low-celinged houses
that Mr.. Conger, at his personal exnensa
had to rent each summer an ancient tenn
PIE, about dozen miles back in the hills
presided over by an old priest so pIckered
ana Wflnkied that he might have been mis-
taken for relic OF the days of Ruddha
At the time of his recent promotion To tho
rank OF ambassador and his transfer IN
Mexico Mr.; Conger was the most influential
Ioreighef IN all Peking. He was dean OF
the diplomatic corps. the conhdante OF tba
empress dowager and the adviser of the
foreign Office which trusted him implirifIv
showing mat II was the policy OF our gov
eminent 10 maintain the political entity
of China. Mrs. Conger was the first for
elgner to gain the friendship of the dow
ager empress, with whom she often visited
for hours at time. 1t was even wbisnarad
about that Mrs. Conger had converted ne
little old lady TO Christian science Dur
Ing his official residence in Picking Mr. Con-
ger hau lhe gfanflcatlon of seeing the diplo-
matte corps over which he presided re-
ceiVed for the first time as representatives
or soverelgns equal in rank to the Chinese
emperor and Mrs Conger had the satfsfae-
ton or having entertained at one time
eleven prtncesses and several ladies Of the
court which was not only a social triumnh
out an unprecedented departure from tha
exclusivenesS of the palace circlex wban
the Congers departed from Picking rho an,
peror decorated the minister with the firs.
grade or the third class of the Order OF the
IDHo4S DtdSoH--Nntcn congress will prob
ably not allow him to accept-and Mrs. Con
ger was the recipient of several irnpertaI
g1fts. for which she need not account 10
any home officials.
New Minister Trained Diplomat
William Woodville Rockhiii. our preser,
minis er. y also the right man In the right
place He Is Phiiadelphian. ffty-two
years old, who when a young man Of
thirty entered our oriental service as sac-
ond secretary to Peking. He was promoted
to secretary of legation year later. and
the following year. 'S6-S7, was our charva
dafraires in Korea. After that he made
two Journeys OF exploration In the I'm
known regions of China, Mongolia ana
of the State Department and then suc
cessiyely third and first assistant secre-
tary of state. From the latter Office ba
was promoted to that of minister to Greece
Roumauia and Servia. next becoming nur
commissioner to China for the settlement
of the disputes growing out of the Boxer
troubles. He was our pienipotentiary at
the congress of feking. where he signed
the final protocol which wound the matter
up. Previous to his present mission he
was director OF the bureau OF American
republics. He is an accomplished Chit |
nese scholar. and having virtually grown
up in diplomacy. Is just the sort of strenu-
Gus man to handle another Boxer difficul-
ty. Mrs. Rockhiil, who was Miss Edith
H. Perkins OF Ltchfield. Conn. before she
married the minister six years ago, Is with
him In Reking.
Minister Rockhilrs stafr Ii headed by
John Gardner Coolidge. first secretary 4
son of Thomas jefferson Coolidge, the