The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-08-08

commanders at Tien-Tsin. One has only
to glance through the records of the last
armed conflicts between China and the Eu-
rCpean Powers in order to obtain an idea
of the incredible atrocities to which the
white soldiers captured by the Chinese
were subjected. fiaying alive being one
of their favorite forms of torture, while
few can forget the fate of the French
Consul and all the French missionaries
and Sisters of Mercy at Tien-Tsin, who
were put to death in the most appalling
manner by a mob of insurgents in 1870
the massacre, which was connived at by
5 the Chinese authorities, being attended
by cruelties of too horrible a character
to bear description in print. The recent
slaughter of the missionaries and their
converts at T;en-Tsin by a strange coin
cidence took place on the very anniver-
sary of the outrage of thirty years ago.
The Russian troops, more intimately ac-
quainted with the extent of Chinese bar
barity than their American and European
comrades, are less inclined to forbear-
ance. and should not be too severely
blamed for displaying at the outset of
the war degree of relentlessness which
will doubtless extend to the entire allied
army before the present trouble in China
| is brought to a conclusion.
THE ETHICS OF WELL-POISONING.
! 1t would be wrong to assume, however,
that the Asiatic and African nations have
rules of warfare. On the contrary,
they have some well defined laws which
are strictly observed. Thus, throughout
the northern and central part of Africa
no native would ever dream of tamper-
ing with the wells or the pools of the va
rious GASES, not even when by destroying
well it would be possible to arrest the
advance of an invasion. When in 1884 q
British expedition hurried across the des-
ert in a vain attempt to rescue Gordon
all wells and pools were found available
for use. Unfortunately these native rules
of desert warfare are as much of a deat
letter to white soldiers as the laws OF
civilized warfare are to Asatics and Afri
cans. and the result was that TO accoun
was taken of the chivalrous forbearanct
of the Dervishes in connection with the
wells, every one of which was either de.
stroyed, poisoned with veterinary store.
or polluted with the carcasses of camel
and other beasts of burden by the Eng
lsh in order to check the advance of thu
Mahdists, who were lowering around tn,
rear guard of the retreating expedition
airy force. 1 recall, too, Sir Harry Parke
relating to me how the Viceroy of Can
ten, being about to lose his head for hav
ing permitted the destruction of som,
forts at the mouth of the river by Eng
lish cruisers, in 1860 appealed for mere,
on the ground that the British 'barba
rians' had utterly failed to observe tn
rules of war"-that is, the Chinese law
bearing on the subject. This plea wa.
accepted by the Emperor, and the Vicero.
was allowed to retain his office, being in
: structed, however, that there was mo ne
? Icessity of adhering too strictly to tn,
recognized Chinese rules of war in deal
ing with such savage and uncivilized bar
barians as the English"
In conclusion IL may be pointed out tina
all of the former European wars will
China, as we'll as those of England will
PERSIA, and Afghanistan, and of Greco
with Turkey, have begun without an,
formal declaration of war. The presen
:. conflict with China bids fair to be NJ
Exception to the rule. In fact, the wa
between Turkey and Greece was almos
over before anybody dreamed of sending
the Turkish Minister at Athens about hi
business. Wars nowadays are usual.
7 begun by some act of hostility on tn
part of either the armed forces or tn
| lc;tizens of a nation, and 1t is not unit
: the Government accepts or disclaims re
: isponsibilty for these acts that the ques
d ton of the existence of state of wa
can be decided.
: Ex-ATTACHE.
Ia