No. 124.
Mr. Williams to Mr. Fish.
Peking, September 17, 1874. (Received November 16.)
Sir: The inclosed translations relate to one of the most unpromising events which has happened at this court since foreigners have resided in its capital, and its import for the future cannot yet be fully understood. About twenty months have now passed since the Emperor took charge of the government, during which period the affairs of state have gone on as usual under the guidance of Prince Kung and other high officers, retained in their former posts. Last year the proposition was made to rebuild two of the palaces at Yuen-ming-yuen, for the accommodation of the two empress dowagers, and the works were commenced. During the winter and spring enormous peculations were discovered in the disbursements and contracts for timber, involving many high functionaries, and compelling the suspension of some parts of the projected restorations. Latterly, the outlays to prepare for resisting the Japanese have been so great as to compel the government to stop all the repairs and dismiss the workmen. This has excited the dissatisfaction of the two eminent ladies of the palace; and it was surmised that their disappointment would show itself.
Whether the issue of the decree of the 10th instant was caused by their influence in the palace councils cannot be decided; but this capital was stirred to an unusual degree on the next morning by learning that Prince Kung had’ been degraded for his rude speeches, when everybody knew that the real reason was his refusal to permit further expenditure at the summer palace. His son, Tsai-Ching, is about a year older than the Emperor, whose school-fellow he has been, and their close relationship has made the two youths very intimate. There are two grades of prince, called tsin-wang and kuin-wang, which may be distinguished as prince imperial and prince royal, the first being the highest title in the empire. A beili prince royal is peculiarly a manchu dignity.
For these two high personages, uncle and cousin to His Majesty, to be thus summarily degraded and shamed in the face of the empire, amazed and alarmed everybody not aware of the circumstances. However, the slight was amended as soon as possible. It is said that the Emperor wrote the edict himself, without submitting it for revision; and the next day he announced that he had received a decree from the empress dowagers.
[Page 201]By the plea of filial obedience to their behests, which he could not disregard, he extricated himself from the awkward dilemma into which he had rushed, and the whole affair will therefore be reported throughout the provinces at once, and the prince’s restoration be known simultaneously with his degradation, so that no interval of suspense as to what the latter may portend will be felt.
One of the members of the foreign office said it was a matter of little importance, and described the occurrence as a gust of wind, which stirred up a little dust and soon passed away. At present it is regarded as having no very serious bearings. Some official changes are reported in consequence, and a feeling of uncertainty is left which will require time to remove. The consequences of training a youth in privacy, and habieuated to receiving implicit obedience from those around him, and then at once introducing him to the control of affairs in a government of whose personnel he has very limited knowledge, whose provinces he has lever visited, and whose relations at home and abroad he cannot yet understand, are, I fear, likely to be more serious.* * *
I have, &c.,