Thk Progress of the World. 



439 



A Pathetic Decree. 



Opinion of all educated Chinamen was strongly in 

 sym[)athy witli the ri.ljels. The court promptly called 

 back Yuan Shih-Kai, who had been dismissed from 

 office, and made him Viceroy of the provinces in 

 rebellion. The manoeuvres were discontinued, but 

 the Imperial troops which had Ijeen prepared for the 

 manoeuvres were hurried up lo the seat of war. 

 Though the rebels fought with immense valour, they 

 were overpowered and driven out of Hankow with 

 great slaughter. 



But at the very hour of their 

 defeat, their cause triumphed. 

 On the ,50th ult., presumably 

 under the combined pressure of 

 the army and the National Assembly then in session, 

 the Throne issued a decree in which the Emperor, 

 a boy of five and a half years old, is, with rare dramatic 

 pathos and skill, made to utter a comprehensive 

 confession of sin and a yet more comprehensive 

 repentance : — 



I have not employed men properly, not having political 

 skill. I have emplojed loo many nobles, which contravenes 

 Constitutionalism. In railway matters someone whom I trusted 

 fooled me. The whole Empire is seething. The spirits of 

 our nine late lunperors are unable properly to enjoy sacrifices. 

 All these arc my own fault. Hereby I announce to the 

 world that I swarc to reform, ami with our soldiers and 

 people to carry out the Constitution faithfully, modifying 

 legislation, developing the interests of the people, and 

 abolishing their hard»iilps, all in accordance with the wishes 

 and interests of the people. 



An immediate Constitution is granted, with a 

 Cabinet from which nobles are exclttded, and a 

 Prime Minister who will, it is said, have to be elected 

 by Parliament, the Parliament to share the power of 

 making treaties, but to have full power over the 

 Budget. A free pardon is offered to rebels and all 

 political oftenders. The Mancliu President of the 

 National .Assembly is " allowed " to resign, and a 

 Chinese is appointed to succeed him. The Manchu 

 Minister of Constabulary is similarly replaced by a 

 Chinese. So, suddenly and dramatically, absolutism 

 .'jnds in China— for the time. But these transforma- 

 tion scenes, as sudden as those of a pantomime, are 

 often followed by others of a very dift'erent nature. 

 Much blood is likely to flow in China before the 

 new regime is established, and when blood flows in 

 China it flows like a mountain stream in spate. 



The three weeks' event .shows how 

 The Eastern rapidly the ferment of the West is 

 Ferment. working in the Far East. Sun Yat- 



.Sen, at present in hiding in the 

 United States, is said lo be the leader of the Repub- 

 licans, who, with their rebellion at Wuchang, buist up 

 the old order. He is said to be a Christian, and the 



son of a Christian. The military head of the rebels, 

 Biigadier-General Li Yuan Hung, is a man of English 

 speech and European culture. Both he and his col- 

 league, Yuan Sin, were educated in Japan. \Vhetlier, 

 as is expected, the Republicans having got everything 

 that they desire, excepting the nominal abolition of 

 monarchy, will acquiesce in the new Constitution 

 remains to be seen. The eflfect of a Parliament 

 at Pekin on our fellow-subjects in India also re- 

 mains to be seen. When Japan, China, Persia and 

 Turkey have at least a semblance of Constitutional 

 government, it would be difficult to refuse kindred 

 institutions to the peoples of Egypt and of India. 

 Not that the Constitutional experiment in Persia is 

 all that could be desired, to put it very mildly. On 

 the other side of Europe the Republic of Portugal 

 has apparently weathered its first great storm ; an 

 invasion of Monarchists has been repelled and dis- 

 persed. Mexico, no longer under the hand of the 

 old Strong Man, has elected its President in what 

 seems to be a normal method. Parliamentary govern- 

 ment in Europe has been discredited by the scenes at 

 the opening of the Austrian Chamber, when shots 

 were fired at deputies. The Reichstag has re- 

 assembled at Berlin for the last time before dissolu. 

 tion, and is bubbling over with discontetit, even 

 pressing for some say on the Morocco settlement. 



The Canadian Census has been 



Empty Continents pubUshed, showitig a population 



and the o r 1 



Wistful German, of 7,081,869, slightly under the 



population of Greater London. 

 There is room to live in Canada, at any rate, for 

 some time to come. There is a cry from another 

 meagrely peopled continent, from the Commonwealth 

 of Australia, of the scarcity of labour. At Sydney 

 alone 3,247 artisans are said to be wanted at once. 

 When will the Governments of the Britains at home 

 and oversea take seriously in hand the problem of 

 the redistribution of population within the Empire ? 



The new Canadian Cabinet, as is 

 Earl Grey's natural after so long a period of 

 Imperialism. Liberal ascendency, is largely 



composed of men little known on 

 this side of the .\tlantic. Mr. Borden has taken care 

 to indicate that the recent elections were no verdict 

 of hostility towards the American Republic, but only 

 a choice of methods in expressing friendship. The 

 Duke of Connaught has been received with great 

 demonstrations of loyalty as new (Jovernor-General, 

 and this country has been enriched by the invaluable 

 presence of Earl Grey. His speech at the Royal 

 Colonial Institute on the 24th ult. was worthy of the 



