NEWS OF THE WEEK.
THE news from China published on Friday shows that the abdication of the Manchu dynasty and oligarchy has in fact taken place. Unless, then, some unforeseen event occurs, a Chinese Republic will have been proclaimed by the time these pages are in our readers' hands. The Peking corre- spondent of the Times, telegraphing on Thursday, describes the method by which the fall of the dynasty is being accom- plished. A conference, he tells us, was held at the Palace on Wednesday between eight Mongolian princes of Inner Mon- golia and the princes of the Imperial elan to discuss the pro- cedure of abdication. Only one Mongolian prince was in favour of maintaining an impossible war. All the rest were for abdication. Neither Yuan Shih-kai nor the Empress Dowager were present at the conference—Yuan Shih-kai because he has retired on three days' sick leave, a sickness which is no doubt ceremonial, for the attempt on his life by a bomb appears not to have perturbed in the very least the Chinese soldier and statesman. The Republican leaders at Nanking are showing a great deal of reasonableness, and are thus inspiring confidence in their future action.
