The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1900-07-19
WAR AGAINST RUSSIA
China Said to Have Made a
Declaration.
SERIOUS TROUBLE In MANCHURlA.
Russian Transport Seized and Escort
KilIed--siberian Town Destroyed.
LII Hung Chang Defines His
Mission to Peking.


LONDON, July 1S.-The news of the
Manchuria disturbances is not regarded
as justifying the serious view attributed
by The Daily Mails advices. Amur is
boundary territory between eastern 81.
IBERIA and Manchuria. The district has
been the scene of local disturbances for
a long time owing to the provocative con
duct of the Cossacks toward the 2o.OOo
Chinese employed in the construction of
the Russo -Manchurian railway.
The Daily Mail publishes a sensational
dispatch from st. Petersburg, dated
Monday, which asserts that there is no
doubt that China has declared war
against Russia.
THE Russian press" says the CORE
spondent, ''is restricted to the publica-
tion of official details, and the publica-
ton of many dispatches from the front
has been prohibited. | hear, however,
from a reliable source that the Chinese
troops and the Boxers seized Russian
transport vessel laden with munitions
near Aigun, on the Amur river, about Is
miles from the Russian frontier. killing
almost the entire Russian escort.
"They next suddenly attacked and
bombarded the town of Blagovechensk
capital of the Amur government, on the
Amur river. The garrison held out
bravely, but was finally overwhelmed,
Nearly all perished, and the town was
burned"
The Moscow correspondent of The
Daily Mail says:
Leading firms here have learned that
their tea and silk warehouses at Kalgan,
in the province of Chill, near the great
wall. have been plundercd and burned
by Chinese rioters and troops goods
worth 70,000,000 taels having been de-
stroyed."
The Daily Telegraph has the follow
ing from Canton. dated July 16:
in an interview with the foreign con-
suls today Ii Hung Chang said that his
mission to Peking was twofold-to save
the lives of the foreign ministers and to
arrange the best possible terms of peace
with the allied powers. The American
and French consuls, while congratulating
him upon these commendablc purposes,
reminded him of his pledges to protect
foreigners and to preserve peace in
southern and central China.
Earl Ii replied that he must obey the
summons to Peking, but that he had
taken all necessary precautions. He add
ell tnat he nau received important Gu
bles from Lord Salisbury and NJ. Del.
casse. demanding protection for the for
eign ministers in Peking and threatening
to take life for life of the high officials
responsible If the ministers were murder
ed. He told the consul that he was the
only man in China who dared transmit
such messages to the empress, but that he
had sent them verbatim and that he did
not doubt they had eXerted Il powerful
influence in saving the ministers lives.
He went on to say that, as the doyen
Of the viceroys, he had also induced all
the other viceroys, except two, to join
in lengthy memorial to the throne, ask
ing security for the foreigners, suppress
sion of the Boxers and full reparation
for all damages"
According to a dispatch from Shanghai
to the Daily Mail, dated yesterday, d
massacre occurred on July o at Tai-Yuen
Flu, capital of the province of Shansi
40 foreigners and 100 native converts
being killed.