appeals, a tissue of artless fabrications, to the Sovereigns and
chief rulers of the Great Powers, and proceeded next to
display her sympathy with the besieged Ministers in the
Legations by presents of fruits and vegetables, to which she
subsequently referred with pride as convincing proof of her
good faith and good will. Her Majesty, in fact, was induced
to hedge, while never abandoning hope that Prince Tuan and
his Boxers would make good their boast and drive the bar-
barians into the sea.

The Viceroy's Memorial is chiefly interesting as an example
of that chief and unalterable sentiment which actuates the
Chinese literati and has been one of the strongest pillars of
Manchu rule, namely, that the Emperor is infallible, a senti-
ment based on the fact that complete and unquestioning
loyalty to the Throne is the essential cornerstone of the
whole fabric of Confucian morality, filial piety, and ancestral
worship. While deprecating the Imperial folly, the Viceroy
is therefore compelled to ascribe it to everyone but Her
Majesty, and to praise the. Imperial wisdom and benevolence.

His Memorial is as follows:--

The present war is due to bandits spreading slaughter
and arson on the pretext of paying off a grudge against
Christianity; thus we are face to face with a serious crisis.
The Powers are uniting to send troops and squadrons to
attack China on the plea of protecting their subjects and
suppressing this rebellion. Our position is critical and the
provinces are naturally bound to look now to their defences.
I have already made the necessary preparations, so that if
those hordes of foreigners do invade us, we shall resist them
with all our might. I feel that our Sovereigns are displaying
glorious virtue and that your Majesties are as bountiful as the
Almighty. Your indulgence to the men from afar indicates
the boundless magnanimity and good faith which animate all
your actions.

"At present, the first essential is to make the Throne's em-
barrassments, which have led up to the present situation,
widely known, as well as the quality of consistent kindness

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