Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1900-06-29
SPIRIT OF THE PRESS
FACTS AND OPINIONS GATHERED
FROM CONTEMPORARIES.
THE LEGATIONS At PEKlN.

lhe leGA lONS NJ PENN
Rev. Isaac Il. IIeadland, professor in
the Methodist University at Pekln, who
has been home on a %furlough since last
March, gave the following information
about the legation buildings and mission
airy compounds in Pekin:
NEARLY all the legations said Mr..
Headland. ''eXcept the British, are in
Legation street and not far from one an
other. The legation compounds as they
are called, comprise anywhere from one
to three or -four acres of land, enclosed
by high walls. Within the enclosures
are the legation buildings, including the
official residences, Office buildings and
quarters for the servants. All the build
ings in each compound are of brick, and
rooted with tile or sheet iron. This leads
me to doubt that all the legation build
ings have been burned. One building,
or even two. in a legation compound
might be fired, but it would be extremely
difficult to fire all of the buildings in one
compound alone, to say nothing of burn
ing all of the legations.
1.-The mission buildings are in COM
pounds like the buildings of the lega-
llOllSs IIt IllSSlOH COll JUuIlNlS MT SCdl-
tered all over the city, most of them at a
considerable distance from the legations,
some of them as far as two miles, so it
doesn't of necessity follow that, because
the legations are burned, if they are, that
the buildings in the mission compounds
have peen Injured or the missionaries at
tackled. Furthermore, all the missionaries
have now taken up their residence in the
Methodist compound, which is at the
head of Legation street. The compound
is surrounded by a wall about ten feet
high and is well adapted for defence.
The nearest legation to our compound
is the Italian, which is, perhaps, three
hundred yards away. The German lega-
ton is further down on the south side of
the street. Our legation is nearer the
German legation, but on the opposite side
of the street. Our executive building is
one of the few fine modern buildings in
Pekin, and our compound covers about
two acres. There is a fire department in
Pekin-not a vry good one, to be sure
but still of enough account to cope with
a good-sized fire if not interfered with"
An officer of one of the other mission
AIRY societies had this to say: "If the leg
atoms have been burned the.Boxers must
be in absolute control of the Chinese cap
ital. And If they are. it means that the
imperial troops are offering little or no
resistance. If this be true, then all the
foreign residents of Pekin are at the
mercy of the hOrdes which have come
down from the north. Knowing the
character of the legation buildings IN
Pekin as | do, | am sure as | need to be
that all the legations could not have been
burned unless the Boxers had been aided
or abetted In their work by the native
servants at each legation. In China a
great number of servants is employed in
every establishment. If q fire started at
any of the legations, there would be ma
tive servants enough. under the direction
of the officials, to put out the fire before
it spread to the other buildings in the
compound. Therefore. If all the lega-
lions have been burned, the Boxers must
have had allies even within the walls of
the legation compounds. With this pos
sibility taken into consideration, we
must be ready to expect worse news at
any time"