CHINA. 



1ST 



Political Crisis. The Empress - Kegent and 

 Prince Chun, father of the Emperor, made the 

 fall of Bacninh the occasion for degrading 

 Prince Kung and the other members of the 

 Grand Council. Once before, in the last months 

 of the reign of Tungche, Prince Kung, who had 

 directed affairs since the death of his brother 

 Hienfung in 1861, was superseded by Prince 

 Chun, whose more vigorous counsels pleased 

 the Palace party and the young Emperor. When 

 Tungche died, without choosing his successor, 

 the Empress Dowager and Prince Chun had 

 the infant son of the latter appointed Emperor 

 in a family council, although by the dynastic 

 law he was ineligible, being of the same gen- 

 eration as the deceased Emperor, and therefore 

 not competent to perform the rites of ances- 

 tor-worship toward his manes. Prince Chun 

 thereby obliterated himself politically, accord- 

 ing to Chinese ideas, since if he took any part 

 in the direction of the state his parental 

 authority would compromise the supreme 

 power of the Emperor. He retired with the 

 rank of Imperial Prince to the office of curator 

 of the family mausoleum, which post he also 

 resigned in 1879 ; but in 1880 he took a mili- 

 tary post of enormous power, that of com- 

 mander of the field force of the Imperial Prov- 

 ince. The break-down of the Chinese defense 

 of northern Tonquin gave Chun and the dy- 

 nastic and Manchu party, of which he was the 

 head, the chance to oust Prince Kung and the 

 officials of Chinese race, who had advanced to 

 the highest stations under the rule of the latter. 

 A more vigilant and valorous central govern- 

 ment, not weakened by the influence of Li 

 Hung Chang and other believers in European 

 superiority, was welcome to the nation. Prince 

 Kung was charged with negligence and mis- 

 management, with bribe-taking, with opposing 

 the imperial desire for a resolute and active 

 policy, and with aiming at supreme power. By 

 an edict obtained from the boy Emperor he 

 was deprived of all his offices and emoluments. 

 His subordinates in the Grand Council were 

 dismissed on various indictments. The Gov- 

 ernors of Kwangsi and Yunnan, the provinces 

 bordering on Tonquin, were ordered to Peking 

 in disgrace. Two of the officers in Tonquin 

 were sentenced to be beheaded in front of their 

 troops. The Viceroy of Canton was dismissed 

 for disobedience, but, upon confessing his fault, 

 was continued in office, pending an investiga- 

 tion. Prince Chun took the presidency of the 

 Grand Council, which had been filled by his 

 elder brother for twenty-four years, excepting 

 two brief intermissions. Two other Manchus, 

 Prince Li-SM-To and O-Le-Ho-Pu, and Chang- 

 Chi - Wan, a reactionary mandarin, were ap- 

 pointed in the place of the other councilors. 

 Three other Chinese were made associate mem- 

 bers, without a full voice in the deliberations. 

 Prince Kung's place as President of the Tsungli 

 Yamen was given to Prince Koang, of the blood 

 royal, Chun's most confidential political ad- 

 herent. Li Hung Chang was not disturbed in 



his post of Viceroy of Pechili. His knowledge 

 and ability, and also his power as the organizer 

 and commander of the only efficient military 

 force in the empire, and a person of vast influ- 

 ence throughout China, gave his counsels to 

 the Empress a force superior to General Tso, 

 the Marquis Tseng, and all the fire-eating cour- 

 tiers and mandarins. He was the only man 

 who could defend the capital against foreign 

 foes, the only man also who could lead a revo- 

 lution and upset the Tartar dynasty. Exas- 

 peration at the ruthless reprisals of the French, 

 and a knowledge of the difficulties the French 

 Government would encounter in an earnest 

 campaign, changed the situation and defeated 

 the peaceful solution nearly effected by Li. In 

 September the composition of the Tsungli Ya- 

 men was changed by the replacement of six 

 members by new councilors, who possessed 

 more efficient administrative qualities and sup- 

 ported a more vigorous policy toward France. 

 The general effect of the conflict with France 

 was to strengthen and improve the central 

 Government. The degradation of Prince Kung 

 was only temporary, as on former occasions ; 

 yet he was not restored to his position, but 

 called in as a coadjutor. 



Conflict with France. At the beginning of 1884 

 Chinese garrisons were stationed in Bacninh, 

 Langson, Chatke, Caobang, and Laokai, await- 

 ing the attack of the French. The Black Flags, 

 whom the Chinese Government at first re- 

 garded as rebels and outlaws, after their valiant 

 resistance to the French advance, were ac- 

 cepted as allies, and received assistance in 

 men and money. The Chinese Government 

 announced a state of " unofficial war" with 

 France. The Marquis Tseng threatened war 

 in case the Chinese garrisons were attacked, 

 while M. Ferry spoke of exacting an indemnity 

 of China for the irregular hostilities in Ton- 

 quin. About 6,000 were moved south to aid 

 the Black Flags, and volunteer forces in de- 

 fending the mountain districts of Tonquin. 

 Diplomatic intercourse ceased after the de- 

 parture of the Marquis Tseng for England. 

 The capture of Bacninh by the French pro- 

 duced a sweeping change in the Chinese ad- 

 ministration, which resulted in the predomi- 

 nance of the anti-foreign party, yet it enabled 

 Li Hung Chang to convince the Empress of the 

 necessity of corning to terms with the French, 

 who were meditating a blow at Canton, and 

 the occupation of Formosa or Hainan as a 

 pledge for the payment of 150,000,000 francs 

 indemnity. That progressive viceroy was the 

 author of the European armaments and coast 

 defenses with which China has provided her- 

 self at great cost, and was conscious of the 

 inability of the empire to withstand French 

 naval and military attacks. Negotiations were 

 begun informally by the Chinese at the sugges- 

 tion of Gustav Detrine, a European official in 

 the Chinese custom-house, and a friend of Li 

 Hung Chang. The Chinese were given to un- 

 derstand that France would let fall her demands 



