| Show fiVES AWAY SECRETS I Diplomats in Peking Trying to Locate Who the Traitor Is Among the Several Sev-eral Envoys I I Some One Discloses to Chinese What Every Minister Has Pledged to Keep SecretLi Hung Chang Invariably I Knows Within Two Hours After Every Meeting What Has HappcncdJoint Note of Powers Has Been Signed London Dec 21A dispatch from poking says yesterdays meeting of the foreign Envoys was protracted ands and-s stormy owing lo the desire to discover who discloses U > the Chi ncsrt what every Minister has pledged Ito I-to Keep secret Li Hung Chang Invariably Inva-riably knows within two hours of the t closo of a meeting what has happened I It Is generally belleved that the ChI nfK set their information as to what Is done at the meetings of the envoys through some one connected with the jiusi > lan legation JOINT NOTE SIGNED A representative of the Associated I res learns that thc joint note or the I powers which has been signed by all I the Ministers at Peking will be prc erntfd to Prince ChIng and Li flung Chang immediately The text will be ublMictl as SOOM ns it I Is dcllvercd I HITCH HAS OCCURRED Another dispatch from Peking says Once more there Is a pronounced hitch I In the proceedings The preliminary Joint note has not yet been signed Mr ICon I Minister I Conger the United States says he docs not believe that there arc sufficient reasons whY it should not be Blcncd in the near future and Sir Ernest Er-nest Satow the British Minister takes the same view Dr Mumm von Schwartzenstein speaking for Germany Ger-many believes that tho xlsting agreement agree-ment will be signed sooner or later The other Ministers also say that they consider the piobabilltles in favor oC signing OPINION OF CHINESE I Chinese sources of information however how-ever say there is reliable authority for the statement that there is very little chance of the note being signed for some time As a matter of fact the members of the staff of Li Hung Chang believe that the note will eventually have to he drawn UP either In Europe or America probably thc hitter because be-cause they claim that the Washington Government had most to do with the existing modifications of the various forms of harshness UNCLE SAMS POSITION Tho United States is looked upon by really the Chinese aa the only power desiring to retain the integrity of the Chinese empire The other powers are desirous of breaking It up regarded as rc of Russia wIth the pojrslblc exception fa think merely which the Chinese in order to even vora a postponement tualfyBccure a larger share EARL LI IS ILL the felt regarding Grave fears arc owing to a hNlllh of LI Hung Chang severe cold that he caught on the day he visited Gen Chaffcc It Is said that lie is better today but there is a fear of pleurisy which at his advanced age mIght be fatal |
