The Times correspondent at Peking states in Monday's paper that
overtures have been made by the Grand Council to Yuan Shi-kai to induce him to return to office. His abrupt dismissal by the Prince Regent on the pretext that he had rheumatism in his foot and needed rest in the country is now generally admitted by the Chinese to hare been an unpatriotic blunder. The Central Government apparently cannot get on without Yuan Shi-kai, who is certainly the ablest statesman in China. He, however, is displaying a suitable reluctance to accept the invitation to return. The correspondent says that the Central Government has never been so badly in need of strengthening. The Prince Regent in attempting to increase Manchu authority his actually weakened it, because public resentment has been excited by his practice of giving the best posts to his relations. It is satisfactory, therefore, to hear that Yuan Shi-kai is certain to return to public life sooner or later. We must add that on Thursday the new provincial deliberative Assemblies, which are expected to have much influence in the development of Constitutional government, met for the first time.
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