The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-07-21
Chinese Legation in
London Has News.

London, July AT a. m.-The Conger
despatch falls to carry conviction to eth
er the British press or public. It's gen
uiness is not disputed for, as is pointed
out here, the Chinese must possess quite
sheaf Of such messages, which the min
listers fruitlessIy endeavored to get trans
mitted, from which they could easily Sc
leet a non-committa1 despatch to serve
the required purpose.
1t is supposed that Mr.. Conger omitted
to destroy the cipher code and that this
is now in the possession of thu Chinese,
IN which event the selection or concoc-
ton Of the despatch would not be diff
cult
1t is argued that the despatch, If 1t were
a genuine reply to enquiries Of the Anne
rican government, vsouis sc more into
details. A slight ray Of hope is admitted
in the fact that both Mr.. and Mrs. Con-
ger are known to have been on very
friendly terms with the Empress Dowa-
ger but the universal opinion here is
that if the despatch is genuine, the date
IS falsifIed
The bare possibility that the news of
the massacre was premature, however,
has had its effect and the government
has issued a semi official disclaimer of
responsibility for the proposed memorial
service in St. Paul's catherdal while the
newspapers are calling for the postpon-
ment Of the service until all doubts are
set at rest.
The Spectator says:
ssIt matters nothing whether the En-
press Dowager or Prince Tuan is the
reigning monarch. Both are devoted to
the extirpation Of foreigners, and no t
one of the Yiceroys VIII dare oppose the
anti-foreign policy.
1.-THE plot has covered the whole en-
pire. Men who have dared to order an at
tack on q Russian city upon Russian
ground viii dare anything. Within a
month the viceroys of the coast towns
will have thrown off the mask and the
only safe place for Europeans viii be on
shipboard.
hurry is out of place. Who would have
dreamed six months ago that for ten
thousand regulars to take lien Ys1n
would be a difficult and glorious taskY''
The Daily Telegraph in an editorial
eongratulatlng the Washington govern
men6 upon it's energy, says:
Unless the powers are capable OF re-
spending Immediately to MIR. Hays ap-
peal by ordering their united forces to
face and risk all for an immediate ad :
vance, the days not only Of old chivalry,
but of modern humanity are dead togeth-
err
Sir Halliday Mccartney, counsellor and
English secretary to the Chinese legation
in London, who was interviewed yester-
day, admitted that the legation was in
receipt of news which 1t was not yet able
to disclose. He added:
"You may take it that on July 1S. the
date of the Conger message all the lega-
tions and Europeans in Pekin were safe.
cannot say why the other ministers
governments but there is no reason why
they should not use the same channel as
Mr.. Conger employed.
Perhaps supreme effort was made
for Mr.. Conger's message and possibly
the Chinese do not realize the anxiety
existing in Europe
The ST. Petersburg correspondent of the
Daily Express commenting upon the
mystery OF the death of Count Muravieff
suggests that the late Russian foreign
minister was poisoned by the secretary
of the Chinese legation, Other st, Peters
burg dispatches Show that the situation
in Manchuria is improving Gen. Gribeki
dlUeE relieving D4aSONSatCACnSh Cdpkyte4
of the Amur government received further
reinforcements and bonbarded the Chi
nese village of Sakhalen which was set
on fire, The Chinese, however, continued
to receive reinforcements and maintained
such obstinate resistance as to convince
Gen. Gribski OF the necessity OF occupy
ing Aigun where 1000 Chinese with artil-
lery were in possession.
The Russian treops advanced from the
direction of the town OF Nismennaja
The Chinese naassed their troops in large
bodies at various points and made q stout
resistance but were finally overcome.
The town of Aigun was partly de-
stroyed and the Russians Occupied all the
imp ortant defensive Positions on the
right bank of the river driving the Chi
nese cut of them. The Russians captured
II guns and killed 2O00 Chinese.
The Russian troops who were de-
spatched to the relief of the railway