The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-06-15
GREAT BRIT4IN'S POSITION.
Statement in the House of Commons
 by MT. BruNerick

| London, June 1.-The house of com
 mons reassembled this afternoon. Noth- 1 ing of interest took place until the sub ject of the crisis in China was raised.
 The parliamentary secretary of the for
 eign office, William St. John Briderick, then made a statement in regard to the
 position of affairs in the Chinese em-
 pire.
 "Her najesty's minister at Pekin, '
 said he, 'has been in constant commu-
 nication with the Chinese government
 since the attack of Boxers on peaceful
 converts and the destruction of three
 villages about ninety miles from Pekin
 on May 12.
 "On May IS, Sir Claude Macdonald
 reminded the Tsung Yamen of his
 unceasing warnings during the last six
 months of the danger of not taking adequate measures to suppress the Box CTS and an imperial decree was subse
 quently issued. On May 20 a meeting of the diplomatic corps was held at which a resolution was unanimously adopted calling on the Tsung Lii Yamen to take more stringent measures. It was not then considered necessary to bring the international guards to Pekin, but the British marine guard at Tien Tsn, which had been under orders to leave, was detained there, and two Brit ish ships were sent to Taku
 "As no specific measures were taken [ Vo ha 1i,,Io ;o corps met again on May 26, and decid- ed failing the receipt of satisfactory reply from the Tsung- Lii -Yamen, to summon guards. This course was adopt ed on May 28 and the British detach- ment of seventy eight men, with a ma chine gun, was forthwith sent to Pekin and 104 men were sent to Tien Tsin, while four more British ships were brought to Taku.
 News was then received of the mur- der of MT Robinson and the capture of MT Norman, who was subsequently murdered Sir Claude Macdonald con tinued until June urgently to impress the Tsung-Li-Ya Yamen with the necessity for taking instant and effective steps to punish the murderers and restore or IGI, IIlDIltll litIIl that iicl llidJcSty S held the Chinese govern ment responsible for the criminal apathy which had brought about this disgrace ful state of affairs. These remonstran- ces having no effect and the situation both at Pekin and in it's neighborhOod | becoming more threatening, her maies- | tvs government June 6, telegraphed in- | structfons to Sir Claude Macdonald and | to Admiral Seymour to take in concert | with the other powers, any steps in | heir discretion, which was left unfet- | cred, which they might consider advis- ] able for the protection of the foreign | egations at Pekin and British subjects | here at Tien Tsin, or in the neighbor- hood
 Sir Claude Macdonald, after a con- terence with the Russian representative 1t Pellin, was empowered to support l thy Chinese authority capable of main- aiming law and order, or any measure o this end, the Russian minister being
 similarly authorized.
 "In consequence of further depreda- ions of the Boxers Admiral Seymour i alled up three more ships, and on June 1 !, after consultation with the foreign decided to land force nd march on Pekin. On June 10 he marched with 1O7S men of which $50 were British. This force has since been to 2300 men, containing de- achments from the ships of seven of he powers. The admiral had advanced hirty miles, June il, when he encoun- cred the Boxers and killed thirty-five f them. The railway was much brok- n, and only three miles were covered T the next twenty-four hours, About 30 troops are being embarked at Hong long, and the Terrible is going to
 lContinued on Sixth Page.) l.