New-York tribune., 1900-07-29
OPINION IN GREAT BRITAIN.
OFFICIALS BEGINNING TO TAKE HEART
REGARDING SAFETY OF LEGATIONS.
Copyright; 1900: BY The Hew-York TrIbunel
[BY CABLE TO THE TRIBUNE.l

Copyright. 1900: SSey-Tcrx Tribune
IBY CABLE TO THE TRIBUNE.l
London, July %. a. ul.-The British Foreign
Office has published a Blue Book containing the
diplomatic correspondence relating to China in
the six months ending about the time of the
opening Of the siege OF the legations, on June 20
The rise and. progress Of the Boxer movement
were described n detail by the British Minister
= Pssi.RE. ana ,-he dangc.cuse eteG6epcies OF the
sI.-f -~+- --l,-t - .se-C 1searIy perceived and
he 1peElgI 5,err isn't was warned of the
consequences Of supineness and lack of energy
in dealing with it.
The Foreign Office would like to have the pub
uc accept this budget Of correspondence as a
Satisfactory proof that the home Government
was not blind TO the risks Of a national uprising
against the foreigners, and that the Russian
Minister Of Foreign Affairs was so credulous as
TO suppose that the revolt would be suppressed
IN q fortnight when the Boxers were beginning
70 swarm around the legations
There is no evidence in the Blue Book that
the full magnitude Of the movement was fore
cast by the British Minister or by any diplo-
matte associate, and certainly the military pre-
cautions adopted for the safety Of the Legation
were Inadequate. That Embassy. like the other
foreign legations, was dUped into the belief that
the Imperial Government would be arrayed
against the Boxers, instead of sympathizing
with them.
MESSAGES PERHAPS INTERCEPTED.
= veteran official who has given to me many
explanations respecting affairs in China stated
yesterday that he suspected that the messages
from Mr.. Conger and from Sir Claude NJ. Mac
donald OF July and had been intercepted and
held back and finally allowed TO go through to
the consulates at Tien-Tsin. He could not un-
derstand how seventeen days CoUld have been
required for the carriage Of these messages
from Peking TO Tien-Tsin. He had made the
tourney himself in a single day with relays Of
horses, and he was unable 10 explain why
couriers should have required more than three
or four days at the outside for the journey. He
considered il probable that the messages had
been held back by the Boxer generals and then
allowed 10 90 through when they had convinced
themselves that they had something to gain by
their delivery He added that there was moth
ing impracticable IN the rapid transmission OF
Secretary Hays message and Mr. Congers reply
4 the delivery Of these dispatches had been IN
dertaken by Chinese officials. Couriers were
frequently enabled 10 travel two bundled miles
day between PekiHg and the southern capt.
tails. This service had been maintained for dec
ades and possibly for generations and was
managed by relays of fresh horses and riders
o. the Imperial Government, and the Niceroys
could easily continue to send messages at the
rate Of two hundred miles in twenty-four hours
If they we're bent upon dispatching them in hot
haste
The sensational announcement by news ageh-
cies that the State Department had been con-
vnced that the Chinese officials possessed the
American cipher code, and that Mr.. Conger
meazage on July 1s was a forgery, was not
understood here by diplomatic experts VINO
have been following the Peking mystery closely
Nobody has ever suggested that MT. Ccnger
cipher dispa tch was q forgery, since the text
seeIned 20 indicate that it was genuine Tor
Chinese officials would not have invented mes
sage which would have exposed them TO an
attempt to hasten a march on Picking
MORE TRUST IN CONGER's MESSAGE.
Gae general theory has been that an earlier
message YVES intercepted and palmed of on the
etate Department, but the officials have been
iess confident Of the plausibility OF this ezpla-
Aation IN the last few days, and arc disposed 10
believe that il might be a genuine answer 10
"lf Hays dispatch.
The Chinese Embassy here persists in assert
that The Ministers are safe and can be
acorted TO the seaboard If a march on Peklng
suspended
Several press dispatches were printed from
'hsnghai yesterday in confederation Of the orig
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