CHINA'S PRIME MINISTER.

North Otago Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8161, 16 April 1895, Page 4

CHINA'S PRIME MINISTER.

Li Hung Chang, China's famous Prime MlnUter, is 72 years o'd. To ov*ry one, •ooner or later, there comes an opportunity, and Li's chance in life sprang from a disquieting circuuu stance. Some men and women hnve bui t reputab : ODB on the quacking bog of national turmoil, and th ; 8 is what China's Premier did. Forty yeira ago tho great rebellion in China threw that country into etornal strife. " Youth '' points out that the objec") of the rebe lion was to overthrow tho j rcigain;* Manehu dynasty, and to establish a Chiueie one in its plaoo, to be callod Tai-ping (tha Groat Po*co) The lebela conquered a number of provinces. Nankin, the ancient capital of China, was captured, and tho Tai-ping leader established himsolf there m k n?. The Chinese Government after some year*' futi c attempts to Buppress the rebellion, appealed to England for help, and General Gordon — the here of Khartoum — was sent to their assistance. He organised an array, known as the " ever-vctonous" army, Li was then governor of a pro vioce, and, as general of the imperial troops, was associated with Gordon in the successful sippression of the rebellion. Gordon and bis men did most of the lighting, and Li reported tho succ3tse*to the tbrone, taking much of the Ciedib of them to himself. As the leige of the city of Soochow, famous for its tilka, Li was guilty of greab treachery to his Eng ish comnvJe in arms. Gordon had promised to spire the lives of the rebel chiefs if they would surrender, to which Li assented ; bub as toon as tho latter got them into his power, he ordered them to be beheaded. On hearing of this Gordon was so enraged that he armed himself with a pistol and went in fearch of Li to shoot him ; bub, hear* ing of his approach, Li hid himself, and thus escaped, Gordon threw up h ; s command ; bub afterwards, in the interests of the country and the people, he b cime reconciled to Li, and spoke of him as the ablest man in Chini. It is taid that when General Grant of America vis ted China in 1878, Li said to him, " Yo and I are the two greateab men in the world. You pu down a greab rebellion in your country nod I did the fame in mine.