The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-08-01
HARD Task OF fBE ALLIES
Many Obstacles in The Way of an
Immediate Advance.
Member of the British Parliament
Believes an Early Movement I'm
Swamp and Easily Flooded by Chi
ncsc - Another Route to Pekin.

James Roche, member of the British
Parliament from the borough OF East Kerry.
who has had wide experience in mill
tary affairs. besides having Travelled ex-
tensively in China. is stopping in Wash
ington for few da5s He said to re-
porter for The Times yesterday that he
considers a movement from Tientsin to
Pekin by the allied forces at this season
impracticable. He believes it impossible,
unless the allies repair. utilize. and hold
the eighty miles OF railway between the
two cities. He gives it as his opinion
that this may be done. as the Chinese are
slow of movement and are not adopts at
raiding
They are not like the Beers in that
has 16O miles of railroad to take care of in
the face of many parties Of very active
raiders"
Mr.. Roche believes that the conditions
which confront the allies are not clearly
understood either in this country or in
country is one vast swamp, and this is
the rainy season. But, even though the
country is not flooded by rains it may be
inundated at the will of the Chinese. This
was done in 1860. when the troops Of
France and England advanced to the
capital and burned the summer palace. 1t
was in the winter that this was done and
the waters froze so that the troops were
able to move forward over ice.
With the country flooded and the rail-
read torn up l believe" said MIR. Roche,
that the allies cannot advance on Pekin
along the line suggested. But there is an
other route. 1t is known to the Japanese,
and presumably to the Russians. Begin
ming at the town Of Shang Hal -Qwgn. op-
posite Port Arthur at a point where the
Great Wall of China debouches on the sea
there is an old military road that leads to
Pekin. II follows the line of the wall, and
traverses high rolling country. 1t passes
through a region where troops might de-
ploy, and where cavalry and artillery might
be used to advantage. / am quite sure that
neither cavalry nor artillery could march
over the proposed Tientsin-Pekin route.
Mr.. Roche believes that the foreign Min
listers are alive and that the Europeans b.
their own bravery and the military skill
and nerve OF their guards, have held their
enemies at bay.
uc biitiSu LeBSliOu WAS DuiIt Will d
view to being well defended in just such en-
emergency as has arisen. 1t is veritable
fort surrounded by fine wall Of heavy
masonry skilifully loopholed.. Sir Robert
Hart's house. adjoining the British Lega-
tion. has long been noted as stronghold
THE European residents as early as
April had reason to believe that serious
trouble was impending and they took what
precautions were possible. no doubt, IL the
matter OF purchasing food supplies and
ammunition.
81 do not very well see how the British
Legation could have been shelled unless,
as have seen it stated, some field pieces
we're mounted on the city wall which at
the nearest point Is about three hundred
and fifty yards from the legation. I sus-
pect that several times pieces were mount
ed on the wall and the Europeans took
them by sorties. The losses of the Eu-
ropeans. as told by late dispatches. indi-
cate that there were quite number of
these sallIes The city wall, near the le-
CATION. as l remember. is about sixty feet
high and forty-fve feet wide. There is a
native street on top Of 1t, with native
houses and sentry boxes for troops.
The possibilit: of an uprising in the
southern provinces does not alarm me. The
Chinese in the southern provinces are not
fighters. They are Just like the Chinese
whom you ordinarily see here. They are
for the most part coolies. The Chinese who
are creating the trouble and who are at
tacking the Russians along the frontier
are the Manchus. They are big. brave fell
lows, and are ve=y hard fighters"