Grofs Nr. 12363. proved that this alarm was amply justified. At Mission stations, both outside britannien. and inside the city, where soldiers had been sent ostensibly to protect the 28. Mai 1900. Missions, the soldiers were fraternizing with the Boxers, and helping to terrorize the Christians, alleging that the real object of their arrival was to prevent the latter from escaping before the time fixed for their massacre. In the city the Proclamations, which had been posted by the authorities, were being torn down by the populace amidst angry maledictions against the Government for daring to denounce so patriotic a body as the „Fist" Society; and priests and converts alike were everywhere received with menaces and abuse. So audacious had the Boxers become that they actually lighted fires in the streets as signals for assembly. M. Pichon stated his conviction that there was grave danger of a very serious outbreak, and that protection was urgently required for all Europeans in Peking. If the Chinese Government failed to adopt immediate and effective measures, the foreign Representatives ought to bring up Legation guards in sufficient numbers to prevent the possibility of a rising. || The Italian Minister confirmed from his own experiences many of the facts adduced by M. Pichon, and also expressed the opinion that the Yamen's reply was most unsatisfactory. || M. de Giers, the Russian Minister agreed with his colleagues as to the unsatisfactory nature of the Yamên note, but said he had reason to believe that it did not adequately represent the intentions of the Chinese Government, who were genuinely determined to take effective measures. He could not believe that the danger was so imminent as the French Minister described it. He admitted, however, that the latter had sources of information which put him in a better position than his colleagues for judging of the situation, and he felt, as we all did, that it was, therefore, impossible to disregard the views expressed by M. Pichon. During the discussion, that followed the German Minister, Baron von Ketteler declared that it was utterly useless either to expect the Chinese Government to do anything effective, or to take any action ourselves, such as bringing up guards, based on the belief that that Government could remain stable, or on the desire to assist in propping up its crumbling structure. || It was eventually decided that the doyen should address a note to the Tsung-li Yamên, and send it in the same evening, demanding that the terms of the Edict which they had mentioned should be communicated to the foreign Representatives, and that a categorical statement should be furnished of the measures taken for the suppression of the anti-foreign movement. || Both the Russian Minister and myself had appointments to meet Prince Ch'ing at the Yamên next day on business connected with the Boxers, and our colleagues requested and authorized each of us to lay the views of the whole Diplomatic Body before the Prince, and to press for a favourable reply. We were to meet our colleagues again in the evening after our interviews, and it was resolved that if by that time the Yamên had not answered satisfactorily, Grofs Legation guards should be sent for without further delay. || I had the honour Nr. 12363. to telegraph to your Lordship yesterday the substance of what passed at the britannien. meeting. || At my interview yesterday with Prince Ch'ing and the Ministers of 28. Mai 1900. the Yamên, which took place immediately before that of M. de Giers, I accordingly delivered the message with which I was charged. I found it unnecessary to lay stress on the dangers of the situation, as it was evident that the Ministers had already heard the worst that could be said on the subject, and the Prince at once interrupted me to express the lively concern with which the Throne regarded the recent manifestations of the Boxer's activity. It was apparent that unrest and dissatisfaction was being excited not only against foreigners and native Christians, but against the Chinese Government also. The strictest instructions had been given to the Viceroy of Chihli to arrest and punish the ringleaders and disperse their dupes. Inside the city, also, all possible measures were being taken, and his Highness, as Commander of the Peking field force, said he was willing personally to undertake the protection of all foreigners. || Another Yamên Minister, Ch'ung Li, who is at the head of the Peking gendarmerie, described the investigations he had himself made in his capacity as a „local authority", and the measures he had taken in the obedience to the Imperial Edict. || I was requested to convey the above assurances to my colleagues, and to say, with regard to the joint note, that a despatch was now being prepared communicating the terms of the Imperial Edict already referred to, and stating in full detail the various measures which were being adopted to maintain order. If these measures did not prove efficacious, further steps would be taken and communicated in a supplementary despatch. || Speaking as a personal friend of Prince Ch'ing's, I warned his Highness that, rightly or wrongly, the Representatives of all the Powers viewed the situation as extremely serious, and were reporting to their Governments accordingly. If they could not obtain from the Chinese Government the protection they sought, their means of self-protection would take the form of bringing up Legation guards. Whether these should be sent for or not would probably be decided that same afternoon, and, if they were sent for, they would no doubt come in much larger numbers than before. || I said this with a lively recollection of the desperate efforts made by Prince Ch'ing eighteen months ago to prevent the arrival of the guards, and I was somewhat surprised at the calmness with which he received the suggestion which, he said, had already been made to him. It may possibly be that the Chinese Government, now awake to the strength of the Boxer movement, would be disposed to welcome the additional security afforded by the presence of foreign troops. The Prince only reiterated his assurances that the Legations could count on receiving all the protection due from host to guests, and again laid stress on the fact that the Boxers were the enemies of the country. || At the meeting of the foreign Representatives which subsequently took place it was decided, in view of the Yamèn's assurances to Nr. 12363. wait another day for the receipt of the promised despatch, and to delay till this evening any decision with respect to the Legation guards. Grofsbritannien. 28. Mai 1900. Claude M. MacDonald. Nr. 12364. China. Nr. 12364. CHINA. Der Kaiser an die Königin von England. Peking, July 3, 1900. (Translation.) || (Telegraphic.) || The Emperor of China to Her Majesty the 3. Juli 1900. Queen of England, Empress of India, sendeth Greetings: || Since the opening of commercial intercourse between foreign nations and China, the aspirations of Great Britain have always been after commercial extension, and not territorial aggrandizement. || Recently, dissensions having arisen between the Christians and the people of Chihli and Shantung, certain evilly-disposed persons availed themselves of the occasion to make disturbances, and these having extended so rapidly, the Treaty Powers, suspecting that the rioters might have been encouraged by the Imperial Government, attacked and captured the Taku forts. The sufferings arising from this act of hostility have been great, and the situation has been much involved. || In consideration of the facts that of the foreign commerce of China more than 70 per cent. belongs to England, that the Chinese Tariff is lower than that of any other country, and that the restrictions on it are fewer. British merchants have during the last few decades maintained relations with Chinese merchants at the ports as harmonious as if they had both been members of the same family. But now complications have arisen, mutual distrust has been engendered, and the situation having thus changed for the worse, it is felt that, if China cannot be supported in maintaining her position, foreign nations, looking on so large and populous a country, so rich in natural resources, might be tempted to exploit or despoil it; and, perhaps, differ amongst themselves with respect to their conflicting interests. || It is evident that this would create a state of matters which would not be advantageous to Great Britain, a country which views commerce as her greatest interest. || China is now engaged in raising men and means to cope with these eventualities, but she feels that if left to herself she might be unequal to the occasion should it ever arrive, and therefore turns to England in the hope of procuring her good offices in bringing about a settlement of the difficulties which have arisen with the other Treaty Powers. || The Emperor makes this frank exposure of what is nearest to his heart, and hopes that this appeal to Her Majesty the Queen-Empress may be graciously taken into her consideration, and an answer vouchsafed to it at the earliest possible moment. Nr. 12365. CHINA. Kaiserliches Edikt. Durch die chines. Peking, 29. Juni 1900. China. In view of the circumstance that the Treaty Powers have unexpectedly Nr. 12365. assembled considerable forces in China, it is expedient that the Chinese 29. Juni 1900. Ministers accredited to foreign countries should be made acquainted with the situation of affairs at present, and the causes that have led to it. || We therefore command that the following account of what has recently taken place in Peking be communicated to them, in order that they may the better be the interpreters of our intentions with respect to the Treaty Powers. || The present unsatisfactory state of affairs originated in the formation of a Society consisting of disorderly persons in the provinces of Chihli and Shantung. The ostensible object of the Society was the practise of athletics, attended by strange rites founded on the pretended possession by its members of supernatural powers. || At first the authorities, viewing it as harmless, took no notice of the Society or sect with any measures for its suppression, but soon, spreading like wild-fire, branches of it were found everywhere, and in the matter of a month great numbers of its adherents were found even in Peking, where they were considered as a mystical sect to which crafty and designing persons introduced anti-Christian proclivities. || About the 10th June its enmity towards Christianity was no longer a matter of doubt. In spite of every effort to control them, they then set fire to some of the missionary buildings in Peking, and at the same time killed some of the native Christians. || When things began to assume a serious aspect, the foreign Representatives in Peking requested permission to bring up some soldiers for the protection of the Legations, and, the situation appearing critical, this was agreed to, and the Legation guards were accordingly increased by the number of about 500 men of the different nationalities. This is an evidence of the desire of the Chinese Government to maintain friendly relations with foreign Powers. || On other occasions, when foreign soldiers had been called up to Peking for the protection of the Legations, the men were confined to the premises of the several diplomatic establishments, so no collision ever occurred between them and the populace, but on this occasion, no sooner had they arrived than they were sent with their arms to patrol the streets, and sometimes they used their arms to fire on the people. Nor did they seem to be kept 'under proper control, but were allowed to roam, apparently at their own will, wherever they liked; some of them having been stopped in an attempt to enter the Tsung Hwa mên, a gate leading to the Imperial Palace, by which entrance is strictly forbidden. These acts on the part of the foreign soldiers so incensed the people that, lending ear to the false rumours that were being industriously disseminated amongst them by members of the Society, many of the people joined the latter, and, setting the law at defiance, Staatsarchiv LXV. 15 Nr. 12365. proceeded to assist them in murdering the Christians and committing other 29. Juni 1900, outrages. || At this point the foreign Representatives called for more troops, China, but the advance of the reinforcements that were sent having been opposed by the combined forces of the Shantung and Chihli rebels, they have not, as yet, succeeded in reaching Peking. || It was not from any reluctance on the part of the Imperial Government that they did not adopt stronger measures for the suppression of the Boxer movement as soon as its real object became evident, but because of the danger to which, in the meantime, the Legations and Europeans in the disturbed districts would have been exposed. It was necessary to temporize, in order that the Society should not be provoked into attacking the Legations and committing further acts of hostility towards the Christians whilst the Imperial Government were preparing to deal an effectual blow. Any failure to do this at the first blow, might have led to the perpetration by the Boxers of acts which the Imperial Government would have viewed as a national calamity. || It was in view of these considerations that the Imperial Government thought of the expedient of requesting the Diplomatic Body to temporarily absent themselves from Peking, and it was whilst this project was being debated by the Tsung-li Yamên that Baron von Ketteler, the German Minister, was killed whilst on his way to the Yamên. On the previous day he had written to the Yamên asking for an appointment, but in consequence of the menacing attitude of the populace who then thronged the streets, it was not considered safe for him to be seen outside of the Legation. The Yamên, therefore, declined his request for an interview. The wisdom of this course was seen in the lamentable result of his attempting to come to the Yamên the next day. The increasing audacity of the crowd now then knew no bounds. It was now too late to send the foreign Ministers to Tien-tsin under the protection of a sufficient well-armed escort as the Yamên had intended doing so, the only other course open to the Yamên was to continue the Ministers in Peking under the protection of an adequate guard of Chinese troops. And this was done, the officer in command of the guard having stringent orders to protect the Legations effectively in every possible emergency. || On the 16th June the officer in command of the allied fleets at Taku, much to our surprise, demanded of General Lo Yung Kwang the surrender of the forts under his command, at the same time informing him that, in case of non-compliance, they would be attacked and taken at 2 o'clock next day. It was the duty of Lo Yung Kwang to hold the forts, so he had no alternative but to refuse the demand. || At the appointed time the allied Commander opened fire on the forts and eventually captured them. (( These hostilities were not of China's seeking. No false estimate of her power led her to measure her forces with those of the combined fleets. She fought because she could not do otherwise than resist. This point the Ministers must make unmistakably clear to the respective Governments to whom they are severally accredited. They will also take |