We have dealt with the problem before Yuan Shih-kai elsewhere,
but may note here that Friday's news is to the effect that Yuan Shih-kai has formed his Cabinet. According to the Times correspondent at Peking the names of Ministers are not likely to give satisfaction, and show that he is engaged in the hopeless task of reconciling the irreconcilable. Of the ten new Ministers it is noticed that only one—the Minister for the Dependencies—is a Manchu. Though there are no fresh rebel successes to record, the drift of events is distinctly in the direction of a republican solution of the problem. We 'hope and believe that Yuan Shih-kai may still be able to prevent this dangerous solution, but we are bound to say that, unless a constitutional settlement under an impartial Chinese Regency is quickly reached, there is little hope for the dynasty. Delay is almost certain to involve the Manchu throne in the ruin of the Manchu oligarchy.
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