The sun., 1900-12-15
PEACE WORK IN CHINA
Negotiations Under Way at Last, Says
Won Waldersee.
AND FULL ACCORD EXISTING
Chinese PIenipotentiaries Find No
Difficulty Now In Communicate
ing Directly With the Inn
periaI Court at SIan-Fu.

London. Dec. IA private dispatch
to Berlin from Count Won Waldersee
says the negotiations for peace with
China are seriously under way, the initial
obstacles having been overcome and full
accord existing between the ministers of
the powers at Peking. The Chinese plen-
ipotentiaries, the dispatch also says, find
no further difficulty in communicating
with the court direct, telegraphie connec-
ton now existing between Peking and
Sian-Fu, via Shanghai. Only five days
is required from Peking TO Sian-Fu and
return.
A Peking dispatch dated Dec. Is says:
Iii Hung Chang and Prince Ching
have sent an official notification to the
ministers that they have received the
promised documents authorizing them TO
act in behalf of China in the peace nego-
tiations and announcing that they are
ready to proceed So soon AS re ministers
desire.
"The fact that Sir Ernest Mason Sa-
tow, the British minister to China. has
not vet received authority from his gov
ernment TO sign the joint note causes as
tonishmcnt here, as il is felt thai all the
other powers having agreed, there cannot
he anything in the joint note to cause
Great Britain TO object sufficiently to
make her refuse TO sign.
MIR. Conger says he believes China
will Immediately accept the terms impos-
ed and that She has il i'll her power to
comply with the majority of them before
spring, while the others can wait.
"On account of the frost neither will
the court he able to return to Peking,
nor will the troops be able 10 leave ill
April, when, if the peace conditions are
complied with, il is believed all the allied
forces, except the legation guards, not
to exceed 100 men for each power, will
leave pckiug, remaining until the fall on
the coast between Uaku and Shan-i Hal
Kuan, available, il necessary, FOR them
to be withdrawn, for il China cannot
behave as civilized power without mill
tary comnusion il would he necessary
70 dismemhcr the empire Mr.. ConGer
personally believes that the Chinese hive
oecn taught lessonsby the looting."
H. Escape OF the Court.
Papers from China give interesting de-
;ails of the escape of the Chinese court
srum Peking. According to the account,
he emperor, dowager empress aud party
we're nsuthciently supplied with clothing
and had no provisions Of any kind and
were accompanied by an armed guard
OF 100 eunuchs. They reached one Of the
northern gates, which was closed hy
Chinese fleeing from the city,
In order TO prevent delay the eunuchs
fired several volleys upon the crowd,
killing considerable number, and then
the carts conveying the imperial party
were ultimately driven forth over the
hodies OF the slain. by evening the cor
tcge reached Huailaihsicn. whore Magis-
trate Wu came forth to meet it and
escorted his imperial guests to his va
men. ,=.-
The empress, shivering with cold. beg
ged the magistrate to supply her with
additional clothing He replied that, to
his regret, being a Chinese, he had no
Mautchoo female attire available, where
upon the empress said that it was no
time for distinction 10 be made between
Mantchoos and Chinese and that she
was quite willing to don Chinese clothes.
The empress proceeded 10 hewail her
sad fate. Never before" she said, ''in
the history of the dynasty had imperial
humanity suffered such dire humiliation
and discomfort"