The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-09-24

uf1ea attention SH0 C2IseS Ba little Ns-
feeling amOng Americans and Earouesns
/ in China These young men had Tor sorae
time been pursuing their studies a.
! Shanghai and, Ike tie majority OF the
I japanese residents, were in the habit of
wearing the Chinese dress. With the idea
Of serving their country in some indehnite
way they undertook, AT the outbreak u
the var. 20 collect information which
they thought would be v2iuab3e 10 their
government What they gathered has not
been made public. bat il is eharssa that
they made drawings % the Chinese
defenses. in consequence Of which
they were arrested ~ native officers
in the French quarter os the
settlement Whea the lapaneSe consulaies
IN China were closed. IL vas arranged that
al japanese remaining in the country
should look 70 the local representatives Of
the United States for such advice and aid
as could be unoffieiaily vouchsaied. Ex-
plantations were evervwhere given that no
absolute protection could be extended. bat
IN the hope that something might he done
10 rescue those foolhardy yonns meg from
their peris0as position they were handed
over ny the sreBch consul to the Aueri.
car consul genera, In spite OF the protests
and demands OF the Chinese governor.
who insisted upon their immediate sur
render. Mr.. birmingham, the American
consul general, soon discovered that the
suspected men had no connection with the
japanese authorities, and that they had
acted wholly upon their Own motion and
responsibility. IL is understood that after
due Investigation he was not indisposed
10 save their lives by shipping them forth
With 10 Japan, bat on reporting the saei-
dent to Washington City ne received per-
emptory instructions 10 deliver them over
to Chinese custody. This was. the tele-
graph announces. done on September 5 10
the intense dissatisfaction Of great ma
jority of the aliens dwelling in Shanghai.
The ordinary procedure with accused
foreigners who have no consular
representatives is 10 bring them before
xed court under controI of a native
magistrate and a foreign assessor. but no
one believes that the prescribed course
will be followed in the present case unless
a strong demonstration is made hy the
several consuls. and Is supported hy the
ministers at Peking, against the removal
Of the prisoners from the settlement. II
is generally apprenended that if the Chi
nese are permitted 10 have their own way
in this affair they will make il precedent
for eysding the customary obligation
hereafter. From the commencement
of the war the attitude of the
native authoritie, in Shanghai has
been a cause of anxiety to many aliens.
and the necessity OF maintaining intact
all the safeguards in the foreign comnn-
nifty is EN- phatically proclaimed.
Without regard to the question of legal
right or propriety. ii is regretted by
Americans that the government felt it
imperative to iniiict what was virtually
sentence of death upon these oyeTzsalous
Japanese. One striking result of their
abandonment and of the discovery that
United States consular agents are power
less To give practical protection is the
sudden suspension OF all Japanese trade in
Shanghai. the closure of banks and other
mercantile concerns. and the departure of
the native body OF Japanese residents for
their own country. The governor of Can.
ton has published decree forbidding all
people under his authority to purchase or
use goods of Japanese manufacture.
An insurrection has broken out at
Cahngshan, in the Shantung province,
efficiently formidable to beat back the
detachment of troops sent from Weihai wei
TO quell the disturbance. There is no evi-
denee that the outbreak has any political
significance. though hints TO that etfee.
appear in the Chinese newspapers. The
general distress in the neighborhooi and
the apprehensions of famine sufficiently
account for popular disorders in more than
one locality.
Fears are expressed in the north of
China that the supply of rice will be IN
sufficient for the demands of the army
aud navy. The grand canal route from
the southern rice growing districts is
blocked from Chin kiang. and doubts have
arisen as to the practicability Of trans
porting grain by sea. By singular error
of Judgment the Peking government has
included rice in the list OF contraband ar
ticles, a circumstance which would be
turned heavily to their disadvantage If
European ships had not since received an
order that the grain shipped in neutral
vessels must not be considered contraband.
Even uuder this ruling the difficulty of Sc
curing ships for the service is great. aud
the conveyance OF food to the Chinese
troops across the Gulf of Pechiii is COM
pletelv cut of by the japanese cruisers.
Thus far, however, the Chinese forces have
subsisted mainly upon the products OF the
regions they occupied. Ia the middle of
August il WAS admitted by officials in
Peking that the northern gsaneries con-
tanned only enough TO meet the ordinary
requirements OF SIX weeks
The Chinese imperial family has been
persuaded that the ront At Asan VAS a
brilliant victory. and Nich, who figured
IN the preliminary fight at seikwaa. has
received 8 present OF $1,000 taels direct
from the sovereign. and Gen. Yeh. who
was the chief in command, has been
placed in full control OF the troops in
kores. with promotion to the rank of field
marshal, and has been honored by
.ueeial decree in which the emperor
eulogizss him in these words:
when Gen. Yeh vanqnished the foe at
Asan the empress manifested her favor 10y
bestowing upon nim ~, GO taels. Now he
memoriaiiz@s us that he left Assu with
1 600 men, fighting his way through the
Japanese army. Of whom he slaughtered
1 6gD losing only 500 OF his own folIoweFs
We hereby proclaim Ieh's bravery and
the valor of those sho served under him.
Let him send as list OF all bis oincers.
that We may forthwith promote them:
and also list of his killed. that we may
confer bountles on their families
Supplemental to the above, an edlet has
been published, dated August 9s, eonse-
asent upon the latest dispatch received
hv the emperor from Gen Ieh. That
officer has al last found Is sxpedieni TO
inform his sovereign THAI after the battle
at Asan, which be still claims as 3 victory.
he sas surrounded by such overwhelming
NUMBERS Of japanese that after lighting
desperately tor SIX hours aud infiictlng
80 ,E.f In rlran-s fnr anArnr -