The herald., 1894-09-24

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aistsd upon their immediate surrender.
SERIOUS BLUNDER.
Mr.. birmingham, the American con-
,ul general, soon discovered that the
Inspected men had no connection With
tho Japanese authorities. and that they
mad acted wholly upon their own mo-
tion and responsibility. 1t is under
stood that after due Investigation he
was not indisposed 10 save their lives
by shipping them forthwith to Japan,
but on reporting the incident to Wash
ington he received peremptory inetrue-
tions to deliver them over to Chinese
custody. This was, the telegraph an
nounces. done on September 9Th, to the
intense dissatisfaction of the majority
OF the aliens dwelling in Shanghai.
The ordinary procedure with accused
foreigners who have no consular repre-.
sentatives. is to bring them before
mixed court under the control OF ma
tive magistrate and foreign associate.
but no one believes that the prsscrihed
course will be followed in the present
case unless q strong denomination 10
made by the several consuls and is sup
ported by the ministers at Pekin,
against the removal OF the prisoners
from the settlement. 1t is generally
apprehended that il the Chinese ere
permitted to have their own way in this
affair, they will make it . precedent for
svading the customary obligation here
after. From the commencement OF the
war the attitude Of the native authori-
ties in Shanghai has been a canse of
snxiety to many aliens and the neces-
sity OF maintaining intact ali the safe.
gusrds in the foreign community ia en-
phatically proclaimed.
A SENTENCE OF DEATH.
Without regard to the question OF
legal right or propriety, it ia regretted
by Americans that the government felt
it imperative to infiict what was virtu-
ally a sentence of death upon those
over-zeslous Japanese. One striking
result OF their abandonment and of the
discovery that United States consular
agents are powerless to give practical
protection, is the suspension of all jap
ansss trade in Shanghai, the closure oi
banks ana other mercantile concerns,
and the departure of the native body OF
Japanese residents for their own coun-
try.
The governor OF Canton has published
decree forbidding all people under his
authority to purchase or use goods oil
Japanese manufacture.
CHINESE INsURREoTToN.
An insurrection has broken oat at
Changhan in the Shantung province.
sufficiently formidable to beat back the
detachment OF troops sent from Wei.
Hal Wei to quell the disturbance. There
is no evidence that the outbreak has any
political significance. though hints to
that effect appear in the Chinese news.
papers. Ths general distress in the
neighborhood and the approximations OF
famine sufficiently account for popular
disorders in more than one locality.
FearB are expressed in the north of
China that the supply OF rice will be in
sufficient. not only for the people as
large, but even for the demands OF the
army and navy.
DANGER OF FAMINE.
The Grand canal route from the south
ern rice-growing districts is blockaded |
above Chin Kiang, snd auubts
arisen as to the practicability Of trans
porting grain by sea. By q singular
error OF judgment the Pekin govern
Ment has included rice in the list OF con-
traband articles, circumstance which
would be turned heavily 70 their dis
advantage if European ships had not
since received an order that the grain
shipped in neutral vessels must not be
considered contranand. Even under
this ruling the difficulty of securing
ships for the service is great and the
conveyance OF food to tho Chinese troops
in Corea across the Gulf OF Pechili is
completely cut off by the Japanese
cruisers. Thus far, however. the Chi
nese forces have subsisted mainly upon
the products OF the regions they occu-
pied. In the middle of August it was
admitted b. officials in Pekin that the
northern grsnaries contained only
enough to meet the ordinary require
ments of six weeks.
DEFEAT CONSTRUED AS VICTORY.
The Chinese imperial family has been
persuaded that the rout OF the army at
Assn WAS brilliant victory, and Mich,
who figured in the preliminary fight at
Song Nwan, has received a present of
80, 900 taels direct from the sovereign,
and General Yeh. who WAS the chief in
command, has been placed in full con-
troll of the troops in Corea, with promo
tion to the rank of field marshal, and
u8B Dc6u uuuuIcu ny upctini 0oCfccp id
which the emperor eulogizes him in
these words:
'When General Yeh vanquished the
foe at Asan the empress manifested her
favor by bestowing upon him 10000
taelH. Now be memorializes us that he
left Asan with 1000 men, fighting his
way through the Japanese army of whom
he slaughtered 1900, losing only 500 OF
his own followers. We hereby proclaim
Yeh's bravery and the vslor OF those
who served under him. Let him send
us list of all HE officers, that we may
forthwith promote them; and also list
of his killed, that we may confer boun-
ties on their families"
Supplemental to the above an edict
has been published dated August 25th,
consequent upon the latest dispatch re.
ceived by the emperor from General
Yeh. That officer has at last found 1t
expedient to inform his sovereign that
after the battle ct Aean, which he still
claims as q victory, he was surrounded
by such overwhelming number of Japan
ese. that after fighting desperately for
six hours and inf1ictin2 frightful
slaughter upon the enemy, he was COM
PEELED to retreat and carry the remains
of his army to q new rendezvous at
Ping Yang.
He humbly beqs that he be severely
censured for his failure to destroy the
Japanese forceH; but the emperor pro-
olaina that Anna he WAS ahla to ascape