The Portland daily press., 1900-06-25

was preparing to 60 to the province OF
shan ST."
A Che Foo despatch to the Daily Mail,
dated yesterday, says:
1.-The attack on the Tien Tsin relief
force was made by 10000 Chinese using
machine guns and modern field pieces.
The allies were wise in retreating. For
warding detachments In this manner Is
suicidal and the defeats Of the foreigners,
even though in small forcs, greatly aids
the movement of the Boxers, which is
gaining enormously through the inability
OF the foreigners to make Roadway
against 1t.
Practically the whole of northern
China Is ablaze. Hostilities are now
conducted on an extended scale, due to
dirct orders from Pekin. General Yam
Shi XII, governor of Shan Tung, cam
mands 11,000 foreign drilled troops, Or
ganized to high pitch Of excellence and
equipped with mausers. 1t was In the
plans that these troops should go to
Taku; but the seizure of the forts was
effected before they could get there
Some Of the special dispatches from
Shanghai describe the great southern
provinces of China as still quiet; but
others assert that the news from the
dangerous height of feeling and that mil
lions may rise any day. Shanghai is
quiet but there are fears Of a rising. The
action of the consuls In asking for the
departure of the six Chinese cruisers was
objected to by the senior naval officer,
who informed them that he had at his
disposal force sufficient to compel them
to leave II they objected to the presence
Of the fleet. The Chinese cruisers are
heavier armed than the vessels of the
allies, among whose six vessels Is the
United States gunboat Castine.
The powers are said to have fatally
under-estimated the numbers, desperation
and armament of the Chinese, who for
three years have been accommodating rifles
at the rate Of 10000 month.
The question here is, what are the
powers g Ing to dor Japan Is preparing
TO trans-ship this week, 10000 additional
troops. Russia is sending down from
lhtANOotCIh III at4 AoASCSS Vo-
timated at from 5000 to 5000 men although
recent events have shown that the num-
Der of Russians on the Pacific coast has
been over-estimated.
The Indian council held special meet
ing at Simla yesterday and considered
the feasibility of sending more troops.
Russia, according to Che Foo corres-
pondent, has landed force of Cossacks
at Pei Tai Ho and another at Shan Hal
Kwan to intercept the Chinese troops
marching from Manchuria. A cores
pondent at Lii Kung Tao, on Wei Hal
80, coo troops all told.
The Official Messenger of st. Peters
burg published a communication yester-
day reviewing the course OF events n
China and concluding as follows:
1T will thus be seen that the Russian
troops are pursuing no object hostile to
China. On the contrary, in view of the
present exciting events, the presence Of
the Russia troops in that friendly state
can only render an essential service to
/ the Pekin government in its struggle
with the rebels"
The St. Petersburg correspondent of the
Daily Telegraph in a despatch dated
Saturday sends a long statement embody-
ing the views of the Russian foreign
office, prepared by permission of the late
Count Muravieff, and embodying not
only his views but those Of his successor,
Count Lansdorff. This statement holds
that state of war does not exist under
International law and hence 1t is possible
to assume that the order for active mill
tary operations at Taku originated with
the provincial authorities and not with
the imperial at Pekin.
"Like other nations" says the state
ment, Russia is pursuing humanitar-
ian aims; and 1t can be categorically
stated that Japan is following the same
correct and pacific aims as the other
powers. Past experience shows that the
Chinese do not persist in fighting. Prob
ably they will soon change their attitude
TO one of complete submission"