Northern Shantung, it was with much anxiety that I received, on the 2nd instant, through Bishop Scott, of the Church of England Mission here, a telegram from the Mission at Ping-yin, in Northern Shantung, announcing that on the 30th December Mr. Brooks, of the Mission, had been attacked, wounded, and captured by thirty" Boxers" in the Fei Chêng district.

I at once sent Mr. Ker, the Assistant Chinese Secretary, to communicate the contents of this telegram to the Yamên, and to ask that urgent telegraphic instructions should be dispatched to the Governor of Shantung to take measures to deal with the rebels, and especially to secure the release of the missionary.

The Yamên Secretaries said that information of this occurrence had reached the Yamên, and that a telegram had been sent to Shantung to inquire particulars. They promised that my message would be reported to the Ministers, and a further telegram dispatched. They said that the new Governor, Yuan, had already reached the capital and taken over the seals of office.

On the following day I visited the Yamên. On inquiring what was being done, I was informed that the Governor had promptly taken steps with a view to effecting the release of Mr. Brooks. The Yamên had, however, to their great regret, received a telegram that morning from the Governor to report that the Deputy sent in haste to the scene of the outrage, had arrived only to find that Mr. Brooks had been put to death on the 31st December, the day after he was captured. A despatch was being prepared, informing me of this lamentable intelligence, and expressing the deep regret of the Chinese Government.

I have the honour to transmit herewith to your Lordship a copy of this despatch. In addition to the particulars related therein, I have since learned that the unfortunate man was beheaded by the rebels and his body flung into a ditch.

In acknowledging to the Ministers of the Yamên at my iuterview the expressions of regret which they offered, I laid stress on the importance of proving the sincerity of this regret by strenuous action in dealing with this case, and in guarding against the possibility of similar occurrences elsewhere.

Yesterday, when the Ministers of the Tsung-li Yamên and other high officials paid their annual formal New Year's call at the Legation, the Grand Secretary, Wang Wen Shao, informed me that he was specially authorized by the Emperor and Empress-Dowager to express to me the deep concern which was felt by the Throne on hearing of this outrage. An Imperial Decree was, he said, being issued enjoining the immediate capture of the murderers, and the punishment of the officials who had neglected their duty.

The Decree to which the Graud Secretary referred was published

in the Gazette this morning, and I have the honour to inclose a translation of it herewith.

I had the honour to telegraph to your Lordship yesterday the news of Mr. Brooks' murder, and the substance of the message which I received from the Throne on the subject.

As regards the future situation in Northern Shantung, the most hopeful feature is, I think, the choice of Yüan Shih K'ai as Governor. This official filled for many years the post of Chinese Resident in Corea, and has lately been in command of some 8,000 foreign-drilled troops near Tien-tsin. He has already announced the necessity of having the whole of this force sent after him to his province, and the decision of character and readiness to use force when necessary which has marked his action at various critical situations in his career make it possible to expect that he will succeed in making short work of the rebels in the province which he administers.

In a note which I addressed to the Yamên this morning I took occasion to remind the Ministers that there were other British missionaries living in the district where Mr. Brooks was killed, and to impress upon their Excellencies the necessity of securing efficient protection to these. I do not, however, entertain serious apprehensions as to their safety, because guards of soldiers have been for some time past stationed to protect the various missionary residences. The unfortunate man who was murdered was seized when he was travelling by wheel-barrow, without escort, through the country infested by the rebels.

The Marquess of Salisbury.

I have, &c.,

CLAUDE M. MACDONALD.

(Inclosure 1.)—The Tsung-li Yamên to Sir C. MacDonald,

(Translation.)

SIR,

Peking, January 3, 1900.

WE have the honour to inform your Excellency that on the 2nd instant we received a telegram from the Governor of Shantung as follows:

"I have just received a petition from the Magistrate of Pingyin stating that on the 30th December the English missionary Brooks was travelling in the Fei Ch'eng district. At a place called Chang Chia Chuang he was attacked and wounded on the head by a band of red turbaned Boxer' rebels, who were all armed with swords, &c. The rebels carried him off and are keeping him in biding in some place in Fei Ch'eng district. I, the Governor, immediately selected a trustworthy official, and dispatched him to travel night and day with cavalry to rescue the missionary."

The Yamên at once submitted this telegram to the Throne, and an Imperial Decree was issued commanding that the Governor be ordered by telegraph to immediately devise means for the rescue of the missionary. No mistake or delay could be permitted.

This telegram was sent to the Governor.

We have now received his reply as follows:

"On receipt of the previous report I immediately deputed the Prefect Tseng Ch'i-hsun to travel night and day, and, in conjunction with the Magistrates of Fei Ch'ong and P'ing-yin, acting under his orders, to devise all possible means for the ransom of the missionary Brooks, and to arrange for cavalry to follow so as to prevent the rebels' escape. I calculated that they would arrive on the spot by the evening of the 2nd January. But I have just received a telegram from the Magistrate of Fei Ch'eng, reporting that on the 31st December the missionary was taken by mounted "Boxers" to Mao Chia P'u, and there murdered.

"I have telegraphed to Tseng Chi to act with the two Magistrates, and have given them three days within which to capture the murderers. I have also directed the Provincial Judge to depute an official to proceed to Tai-an Fu and invite one of the foreign missionaries to go with him to identify the corpse, and to make proper arrangements for burial and expenses.

"I have to report to the Yamên the circumstances attending my inability to be in time to rescue the missionary."

We have the honour to observe that troops have been repeatedly sent to deal with the "Boxer" rebels, who have been creating disturbances in Shantung. Governor Yüan had only just arrived at his post, and was in the act of arranging the disposition of his troops when this unforeseen occurrence took place. The missionary arrived in Fei Ch'eng district, and was carried off by the rebels. The Governor, on hearing of this, immediately sent a deputy to rescue him, but before the soldiers arrived the missionary had been killed. It is undoubtedly true that there was no time to rescue him.

We have to express our deepest sorrow, and in addition to telegraphing to the Governor to immediately capture the murderers, it is our duty to address your Excellency for your information.

(Seal of Yamên.)

(Inclosure 2.)-Imperial Decree, dated January 5, 1900. (Translation.)

YUAN SHIH-K'AI reports by telegraph that rebels have collected and made disturbances in the two districts of Ping Yin and Fei Ch'eng, in Shantung. They seized a missionary and conveyed him

to Mao Chia Pu. The Governor tried every means to ransom and save him, and sent cavalry to capture the rebels, but suddenly before he could be rescued the missionary was killed by the ruffians.

On perusal of this report we were most deeply grieved. The Treaties provide that all nations may propagate their religions in China, and we have repeatedly issued Decrees ordering the Provincial Governments to direct the local officials to afford efficient and constant protection. Notwithstanding our repeated orders and injunctions, this murder of a missionary takes place in Shantung. The neglect of precautionary measures by the civil and military officers of that province is an offence which cannot be condoned; and if the murderers of this missionary be not immediately arrested it will show an utterly disgraceful state of affairs.

Let Yuan Shih-k'ai denounce to the Throne and propose punishments for all the officials involved in this neglect of duty, and let bim at the same time fix a date for the capture of the murderers, who must be caught and brought to justice, so as to restore peace to the district and preserve friendly relations with our neighbours.

SIR,

The Marquess of Salisbury to Sir C. MacDonald.

Foreign Office, March 1, 1900.

I HAVE received your despatch of the 5th January relative to the murder of Mr. Brooks, of the Church of England Mission, in Northern Shantung.

I approve your action in connection with this matter, and the steps which you took to insure the protection of the other British missionaries in the district.

Sir C. Mac Donald.

I am, &c.,

SALISBURY.

Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury.-(Received

MY LORD,

March 19.)

Peking, January 17, 1900. IN continuation of my despatch of the 5th instant on the subject of the murder of Mr. Brooks and the disturbed state of the northwestern part of the Province of Shantung, I have the honour to report upon my further representations to the Tsung-li Yamên in

the matter.

The members of the Church of England Mission in that district were stationed at two towns: Mr. Brooks and Mr. Matthews at Ping-yin, and Messrs. Brown and Jones at T'ai An. Bishop Scott having telegraphed to Mr. Brown to inquire as to the state of affairs, received on the 9th instant a reply as follows:

'Outlook very black; daily marauding; constant danger; Edict suppressing published; troops present, but useless; officials complete inaction Tai An Prefect blocks; secret orders from Throne to encourage."

This telegram represented the missionaries' idea of the situation on the 7th instant, and allowing for some exaggeration on the part of their informants, probably Chinese adherents of their Church, gave a very unfavourable picture of the conduct of the local officials.

On the 11th instant I saw the Ministers of the Tsung-li Yamên, and spoke to them in terms of the gravest warning. While I could not believe it possible, I said, that the rumours of secret orders from the Throue were true, the mere fact of the currency of such rumours showed the impression which the conduct of the Prefect conveyed to the public.

So much was I impressed by this, that I had come to-day especially to protest against the behaviour of the Shantung officials. The whole of the present difficulty could be traced to the attitude of the late Governor of Shantung, Yü Hsien, who secretly encouraged the seditious Society known as the "Boxers." I had again and again pointed out to the Ministers that until China dealt with the high authorities in such cases these outrages would not cease. I asked the Ministers to telegraph to the new Governor Yuan that I had called at the Yamên that day to complain of the conduct of the Prefect of T'ai An.

The Ministers attempted to excuse the inertia of the local officials on the plea that their difficulties were very great. The primary cause of the trouble was the bad feeling existing between the converts and the ordinary natives. This had developed until bands of marauders had formed, who harassed Christians and other natives alike. The local officials had hitherto not had sufficient force to cope with so widespread a rising, but now that Yuan and his troops had been sent to the province they hoped for the speedy restoration of order.

I impressed upon the Ministers in the most emphatic manner my view of the gravity of the situation. The Imperial Edict expressing sorrow for what had occurred and enjoining strong measures was satisfactory so far as it went; but Her Majesty's Government required something more than mere words, and would now await action on the part of the Chinese Government in conformity with their promises. The negotiations, I said, with regard to this case were only beginning, and (turning to the Yamên Secretaries, who were present taking notes) I requested that my words might be carefully recorded for submission to the Throne, and continued: "Whether these negotiations take a friendly line or