New-York tribune., 1900-08-01
PREPARING TO ADVANCE.
ALLIES AT TIEN-TSIN APPARENTLY
ABOUT TO START FOR PEKING.
A REPORT FROM GENERAL CHAFFEE RE-
CEIvED BY THE WAR DEPARTMENT.
TBT TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE.l


Washington, July 31.-There seemed to be
good ground for the opinion or less guard
edly expressed by the military authorities to-
day that an advance by the international forces
from Tien-Tsin is imminent, if. indeed, 1T has
not already begun. The press dispatches on
that subject had been forestalled in a degree
by the dispatch from Major-General Chaffee
to the Adjutant- General of the Army, which
was received here at II: 80 o'clock last night, but
not given to the public until this morning after
a conference between General Corbin and the
Secretary Of War. This dispatch is as follows;
Che-Foo. July 30.
Adjutant-GeneraI Washington:
Have had interview with Admiral Go ashore
this afternoon. Facilities for unloading not ade
quate therefore discharging slowly. Informed
Byron has ordered tug for towing seventy-ton
lighters If tug is obtained discharging will i'm
prove Indiana viii finish dischaTging to-day
and proceed to Nagasaki; take two days to
load horses Reilly's battery; week before Grant
row.
Reported in Taku Bay intention to make for
ward movement tomorrow toward Peking. De-
tails are not known here. Arrive Tien-Tsin too
late tomorrow to cable from there. Message
from Tien-Tsin must leave Tong-Ku 6 morning
TO catch dispatch boat at anchorage for Che-Foo
at afternoon. Soon as possible will get def
mite information regards conditions and pTr-
CHAFFEE.
General Chaffee's dispatch was regarded
extremely satisfactory, because it contained
some valuable military information which
up to date, and indicated that the commander
of the United States forces in China would lose
no time in pushing to the front. His dispatch
also gave the first official information that
Colonel Daggett, with the 14th Infantry and
Reilly's battery had arrived at Taku. Colonel
Daggett appears to have pushed on to Tien-
Tsin with his regiment and the battalion of ma
rines, leaving the battery to follow as soon as
the horses and guns could he ashore is
evident from the dispatch, also, that If the 9th
cavalry is to take part in immediate advance
it will have to do so dismounted as the horses will
probably not arrive at Taku and be brought
ashore before the end of the week 1t is as
sumed that Major Biddle, with his battalion of
marines, 22O strong has already moved to Tien-
Tsfn, bringing the effective force of the marine
contingent up to $50 men. If the 9th Cavalry
is pushed forward Immediately the men Of two
troops will probably be left behind at Taku to
bring up the mounts as soon as they have been
landed.
STRENGTH OF CHAFFEES FORCES
A careful calculation shows that when all the
American reinforcements now at Taku have
arrived at Tien-Tsin the command of Major
General Chaffee will consist Of about 200 ef-
fectives-3,500 cavalry, artillery and infantry
and 700 marines-all seasoned and well dis
ciplined troops most OF them Injured to active
field service. while all thoroughly euuippe
for such service. The complement of artillery
is somewhat smaller than could be desired but
Reilly's Battery is said not to have its superior
in any army. Besides the field artillery. the
command will have a fair proportion of ma
chine and quick-fring guns, which will be eff
fective against Chinese either in the open field
or behind hastily constructed Notifications
1t is not yet officially known here how strong
the total international force is is the
strength of each of the several components
except that of the United States known but it
seems that the recent messages from Pekng,
showing to what straits the Ministers and other
foreigners there have been reduced and how
precarious their situation has become, have
spurred the international commanders to an
immediate effort to advance upon Peking. The
fact that the couriers sent from Tien-Tsn have
been able to get through to Peking and return
indicates that the commanders must have been
enabled to obtain pretty full and accurate in
formation from spies and by means of scouting
of the dispositions made by the Chinese mill
tary commanders to repel or retard the expe-
dition and how many troops they have available
for that purpose. press dispatch dated at
Tien-Tsin, July &c says that the Japanese were
hurrying their preparations to advance, and
would be ready soon. and would probably move
as soon as troops scouting in the north should
return and make a report.
FASTENING ALLIES MOVEMENTS.
The movements of the international troops
have probably been hastened by the information
that the Chinese forces were concentrating and
intrenching at Yang-Tsung, twenty miles north
Of Tien-Tsin and sixty miles from Picking The
international commanders may also have been
influenced somewhat by messages received from
Peking expressing a fear that the situation of
the foreigners would be made more desperate If
not altogether hopeless, if the Chinese troops
which We're driven out of Tien-Tsin should re-
treat to and enter the imperial capital. speedy
advance from Tien-Tsin would keep the Chinese
too busy to carry out that sort of programme.
The troops reported at Yang-Tsung are probably
what is left of the defeated garrison of Tten-
Tsin, reinforced from the Chinese forces in the
vicinity of Peking. which appears TO be the only
quarter from which reinforcenents could be
quickly obtained. If twenty thousand of the
Tien-Tsin Army Corps, which is considered the
flower of the Chinese army, could not hold a
strongly fortified position like Ten-Tsin against
a force only seven thousand strong, inadequately
supplied with artillery, the same or even larger
force, demoTalized by a crushing defeat, cannot
stand against an international force of ten thou
sand in the open in hastily and poorly
constructed defences. When the Chinese lost
Tien-Tsin they lost fifty pieces of artillery and
two arsenals which contained large stores of
ordnance and ammunition, which they cannot
quickly replace for the nearest arsenal is at
Peking, eighty miles away
AN ARMIsTICE IN PEKING.
According to a press dispatch dated at Tien-
Tsin July 81 the armistice of July Is was pro-
posed by the Chinese commander in Peking and
agreed to by the foreign Ministers. and Lon
don press dispatches published to-day that
there is nothing to explain why the at
he 4har 1otn