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 continued its journey to the capital. On the eve of her de- parture Her Majesty took occasion sternly and publicly to rebuke the Manchu Prefect, Wen T’i,* who had dared to advise her against returning to the capital, and to predict that the treacherous foreigners would certainly seize her sacred person—a useful piece of play to the gallery.

At the crossing of the Yellow River, which took place in beautiful weather, she sacrificed to the River God, in expia- tion and thanksgiving. The local officials had constructed a magnificent barge, in the form of a dragon, upon which she and the ladies of the Court crossed the stream. It was noticed from this point onwards that wherever foreigners happened to be amongst the spectators of the Imperial cortége, she made a point of showing them particular attention and civility, and before her arrival in Peking she issued a Decree commanding that Europeans should not be prevented from watching the procession upon her arrival, and this in spite of the fact that, in accordance with the usual custom, the Legations had issued notices forbidding their nationals to appear in the streets during the passage of the Imperial cortége. Everything indicated, in fact, that Her Majesty now desired to conciliate the European Powers by all possible means, and if it be borne in mind that it was part of her deliberate policy thus to ingratiate herself with foreigners as a means of furthering her own future policy, her actions lose nothing of interest, while they gain something from the humorous point of view.

On crossing the borders of the Province of Chihli, Her Majesty issued a Decree, couched in almost effusive. terms of friendliness, proclaiming that the Emperor would receive the foreign Ministers in audience immediately upon his return to the palace, and that the reception would take place in the central Throne Hall of the sacred enclosure, Chinese, reading this Decree, and ignorant of the terms of the Peace Protocol which provided for this particular con- cession to the barbarian, would naturally regard it as a spontaneous mark of the [mperial clemency and goodwill. In the same Edict Her Majesty proclaimed her intention of

1 Wen T’i had been a censor in 1898, but was cashiered by the Emperor or being reactionary. Tzit Hsi restored him to favour after the coup état.