The China news is meagre. The American Government, exasperated by
the slow progress of the steam-roller at Pekin, proposed that its operations should be removed to Washington, or some other capital, where a Conference should discuss and decide the points still in doubt. The Powers, however, thought it best not to make any change of plan, and the proposal has therefore been withdrawn. We think the Powers were right. Even the brightness and vigour of Columbian air would not have stimulated the European Concert to that movement of allegro con brio which is longed for—and most naturally—by the Transatlantic diploma. tist. The change would only have produced more delay. Meantime it is said that the Dowager-Empress refuses to punish any persons except those already named, and will not agree to execute the lists which the Ministers are preparing. This, however, may be only Pekin gossip. In truth, nothing certain is known as to the real intentions of the Dowager-Empress and the Court. They sit safe and secluded behind a cloud of lies and rumours at Sian, and no man really knows their aims and schemes, or oven their actions. It may be that behind that cloud is preparing a military coup which will startle all Europe. At any rate, the gleam of arms, real or imaginary, sometimes strikes through the mist. A Chinaman who was lately at Sian is reported, according to a New York telegram, to have declared that eighty-five thousand Chinese are drilling there, that the majority are armed with modern rifles, that they are bitterly anti-foreign, and that they believe they can beat the Allies. We have not yet done with the Chinese imbroglio.
