CHINA. 



dent of the BOOM of Deputies, after making one 

 attempt, would not und.-rt 





 :. 



The crisis 



Marly 



month, 



for n fusion 



of the Liberal parties. One of the Radical 

 SeAor Keratianvn. then undertook to organise a 



n Aug. 1 as fol- 

 low*: Minister of the Interior, Dr. Reoabarren ; 



Minur of Foreign AfT, 



, r ..,. . J,r M !,.: M:-.:.:.r al War MM-! 



\M-jt v Vnld,/: MIIII-I.T 

 Handles Fontecifla; Minister of Public Works. 

 Perils Haii ia The new Government made toe 

 same promises that the ministry had that was 

 overthrown, including pledges of noninterfer- 

 ence in election*, conversion of the public debt, 

 and the fulfillment of all treaty obligations. It 

 was proposed to raise a loan of 90,000,000 pesos 

 f..r national defenses and the development of the 

 annexed province*. A railroad is to be built to 

 Tarapaca, and a harbor made at Constituent!. 

 and Talcahuano. where the Government has con- 

 structed a great dry dock, is to be strongly 

 f , . 



Prnvlirn Relations A joint commission ap- 

 pointed to delimit the Argentine frontier came 

 together in the summer of 181*5. but made no 

 progress in the actual work of delimitation. 



The claims of British subjects for damages 

 arising oat of the civil war of 1891 were sub- 

 mitted, under the terms of a convention con- 

 cluded on Sept 88, 1808, to a mixed commission, 

 which met on Oct. 84, 1894. Claimants had to 

 present their memorials within six months from 

 .- . 



( III N \. .-in empire in eastern Asia. The Gov- 

 ernment is an absolute monarchy regulated by 

 historical precedents and th< < <>nfueian princi- 

 ples of morality. The Manchu or Tsing dynasty 

 has reigned since 1644. The Km jK-ror chooses 

 his heir from among the sons of his first three 

 wires. The present Emperor, who reigns under 

 the stvle of Kwangsu. which means continua- 

 tion of splendor, was proclaimed irregularly, his 

 ancle and predecessor having died a minor wit h- 

 odt leaving a legal successor. He was born Aug. 

 2. 1872, being the son of Prince Chun, the seventh 

 ton of the Emperor Tarkwang. and came to the 

 throne after the death of the Emperor Tsaichun, 

 Jan. 12. 1875. under the direction of his aunt and 

 adoptive mother, the Empress Dowager Tsu -IN. 

 mother of the late Emperor, who retained her 



title of oo- 

 the death of 



sole Regent upon 

 in L86Land 



:--..,-- KM,. 



the Empress Dowager 

 the final voice in important decisions. 



The office* in the Imperial GovemffiflBl and 

 in the administration of the provinces are con- 

 ferred upon mandarins who show in exam mu- 

 ttons excellent scholarship and literary style 

 formed on the model- ^icl writers of 



history, poet rv. and political nnd ethical philoso- 

 phy. Only tho Ittrrnh. men who have passed 

 the literary examinations, of which there are 

 many grades, are eligible to civil office ; but ap- 

 pointment* and promotions depend not merely 

 on literary proficiency, but upon personal fitness 

 and proved administrative ability, often too, it 



ifsaid, upon fnv..ritism. Tln-iv i< n Tsuiii:-Tu. 

 i.r Governor-General, over tin- capital ]>n.\m.v 

 hili and nv.-rtln- Lianu'-Kian^, Min-( v lic, 

 Liang-Hu, Chan-Kan, l.ia . ami Vun- 



Kwe groups of provinces and over Szcclnim, 

 whilr ea'hpr.'\iin-r has its Sun-l-'u. orGKjTemor, 

 These officers and the local officials are almost 

 Independent of tin- Imperial Government, which 



has little to (i.. \viih (hi* pniplr in LT-'II ral. but 

 they an- In-Ill a<--iuntHbl-by tin- rminil auihori- 

 tit-s fortheir maniirr <>f ailiiiinist ration, ami may 

 be removed at any tii i-;ul.-.| in otlicia'l 



rank or punishiMi r\m with d.-capitat imi f,.r 

 Wrongdoing whil.- on the other hand a virtuous 

 and successful adiiiiiii>trati..Ti brings n-ward-. 



I iii.Micrs.-'nic r.-vcnuc of tin- Imprrial 

 :.iuriit is derived from a land lax yielding 

 about 80,000,000 haikwan taels a year, the ri.-e 

 tribute worth, on t he average, 2,800,000 taels, the 

 salt levy estimated at 9.600,000 taels. tin- native 

 oostom yielding 0,000,000 1 

 opium and other goods that gives about 11,- 

 000,000 taels, licenses producing 2,000,00" 

 and the maritime CUM..IIIS under foreign Mip-r- 

 vi>in. to which an additional tax <>n opium 

 has been added which import. -r> have ih.- option 

 of paying in lieu of likinor transit duti.--. The 

 total revenue is supposed to be from 75,00o.uio 

 to 78,000,000 taels a year. The cu.-ti.mhouse 

 returns are the only ones that an- <.lli( ially pub- 

 lished. The receipts from ma riti m. customs in 

 1893 amounted to 81,989,800 haikwan ta. -Is in- 

 cluding 5,362,738 taels from tin- rommutrd 

 likin tax on opium. In cm. ri:< IK i. < il 

 ernment has compelled wealthy ollicials and 

 others to contribute money for the relief of its 

 necessities. The sale of brevet titles is another 

 occasional source of revenue. 



The first foreign loans, amounting to 

 2,225,000 sterling, were contracted at 8 per cent 

 in 1874 and 1876 and secured by the customs. 

 In 1884 and 1886 silver loans amounting to 3,- 

 755,000 were obtained, and in 1887 a loan of 

 250,000 was raised in Germany. Early in 1895 

 a war loan of 3,000,000 was obtained. 



Commerce. The imports for 1893 were offi- 

 cially valued at 151,362,819 haikwan taolsniic 

 exchange value of the tael was nearly $H in- 

 cluding 1,964,000 taels of re-exports, and the 

 exports at 116,632,311 taels. Allowance being 

 made for costs incurred after landing and for 

 expenses of shipping to be added, the value of 

 the imports was about 129,250,000 and of the 

 exports 181,950,000 taels. This does not im ludc 

 a considerable trade that is carried on in ( liin. s. 

 junks not subject to the control of the maritime 

 The directtrade with various countries 

 was as follows : 



Indte 



Ota* saatriM 



Total. . 





104,000 



J4K ...... 



_'.- 4., MM, 



1,882,000 



48,290^)00 



1 I.MS..MNI 



0^88,000 



6^000 



