Reduced to a bare minimum, the Chinese ambassadors will abandon their posts

London, July 17. — Are all the Chinese legations in Europe, with the exception of London, going to be closed next week.

The Peking government has been so busy for thirteen months with internal strife, palace revolutions, and brigand stories, that it has completely forgotten to send its legations the money necessary for their upkeep. China, moreover, has, at the moment, nearly a million soldiers under arms and does not know how to pay them. It is understandable that she cares little for the fate of a few dozen diplomats. Also Mr. Cheng Lu, the Chinese minister in Paris, and his colleagues from the mainland, for months have been grappling with the worst financial difficulties and are now at their wits' end. The least money having not been received, they decided to put the key under the door. Currently there is no Chinese minister in London.

Mr. Wellington Koo.and his family left several months ago. He is a charge d'affaires who heads the luxurious Portland Place legation. It will probably stay there, but one wonders how, faced with such a burdened financial situation, China will be able to continue to maintain its representatives abroad.

It is true, pointed out a subtle Celestial, that there still remains the resource of violating the tomb of the good Emperor Chi Wang Ti. This emperor died 2000 years ago, but he had the happy idea of being buried with an enormous fortune in jewels and precious stones. This sacred deposit has been respected up to now, but necessity has no law. Chi Wang Ti will undoubtedly suffer the fate of his Egyptian colleague Tut Ank Amon.

R.L.