New-York tribune., 1900-07-28
HOPE OF ENJOYS SAFETY.
WASHINGTON OFFICIALS CONSIDER SIR
CLAUDE MACDONALD'S LETTER
ENCOURAGING.
EnY TELEGRAPH To THE rnrnuxE.l


Washington, July 27-1n the single week that
has followed the receipt OF Minister Conger's
cipher reply to Secretary Hays test message
the belief that the legations in Pekng were
destroyed has changed to a universal conviction
that the foreigners through some miraculous
agency, survived the onslaught Of regular Chi
nese troops using artillery against them, and
even the European chancelleries, which united
last Friday in dlscreditng the American Min
ister's dispatch of the 17th firm in their belief
that general massacre occurred on either June
p or 80, have now undoubted evidence that
nothing of the sort had occurred up to July 6.
The German Government has received salts
factory advices that the foreigners were defend
Ing themselves as late July 1J or within two
days of the Conger message, and Minister WI
is strong in the belief that his friends in China
have heard OF the safety Of the refugees in the
British compound on July %
In the estimation of officials In Washington
the most important and reassuring advces since
the Conger dispatch are those received at
Shanghai from the British Minister dated July
6, which, though despairing, indicate a condi-
ton less desperate than that of two days
earlier, when Minister Conger and Sir Claude
Macdonald sent notes to Tien-Tsin. Minister
Conser. on July A, thought that entry of the
relief forces into the city would probably be
hotly contested Sir Claude Macdonald On
July o. anticipated only slight resistance to
the relief force" The British Minister'S char
acterization OF the Chinese as towards with
out organized plan Of attack. where Minister
Conger called them Chinese soldiers determined
to massacre all foreigners is less ominous, and
his estimate that the legations could hold out
for fortnight if matters grew no worse is re-
garded as most encouraging. Minister Conger
described the city without government. except
hIy he SF,a
ing daily. According to his colleague. while
the authorities were giving no assistance. there
is no intimation that the assailants are regular
troops. but rather unskied in military mat
ters. and presumably nothing but Boxer rioters.
Minister Conger, with regard for the military
disadvantage OF telling anything OF value to the
enemy. omits all reference to killed and wounded
or to food and ammunition. Sir Claude Mac
donald says the latter short and there
had been forty killed and wounded. The casual
ties were certainly not large for an assault
lasting two weeks out of a force exceeding
thousand persons. of whom five hundred COM
posed the international marine guard. 1t is
significant that the British Minister confirms
the report. hitherto heard only from Chinese
sources, that a portion Of the marine guard
had captured part Of the city wall overlooking
the legation compound and still held 1t. This
is understood to have occurred on July ,
The much despised dispatches of Chinese Of
icials on which the United States has been
criticised abroad for placing any reliance, are
not placed IL a very bad light by comparison
with Sir Claude Macdonads letter. That OF
the nearest is one transmitted 10 Minister WI
by Taotai Sheng of july II. forwarding advices
from the Governor of Shan-Tung covering his
advices from Peking, July Z. one day after the
British Minister wrote. According to this, the
European troops defending legations made a
sorte. killing 200 soldiers of General Tung
Fuh Slang. The Boxers have been unable to
take legations. but the situation is very criti-
cal"