The Washington weekly post., 1900-11-27
:, n. A,.oe,.,.s pr,..

Corrssponasucs of The Associated Pres.
Tfenisin. China, oct lz-The proposal OF
France. contained in her reply 10 the Ger
ran note regarding the Chinese settle
ment. to level the fortihcatiOns from
Pekin 20 the sea and prohibit the smpor-
tati0n OF arms. has attracted much favor
able comment here. IN fact. the PROPOSE
ton 10 destroy the fortifcations IN the
north Is simply voicing formally matter
which has been freely discussed by mill
tary mea in this section. They have
openly advocated such a step as military
preeaution in the event that only lega-
tion guard Is left here.
Naturally the leveling OF the walls or
Pekln and Tientsln and the destruction Of
the forts at the mouth Of the rivers is not
10 be considered so long as the allies oc-
cupy this province. but IL seems to be the
general belief that such q step viii be a
necessity should the army OF occupation
withdraw.
~treneth Of Chinese PoFttheations.
The fortifcations at Pekin have beea
very fully described In the dispatches, and
their value from a military point of view,
as well as the moral effect they have on
the Chinese. Is well understood. Here In
Tientsin. the conditions are practically the
same. though on a smaller scale. Around
the native city is a brick wall some thirty
feet IN height, backed with banked dirt
OF almost the consistency OF adobe, vary
ing in thickness from ten to twenty feet
Its few gates are lowered. and OF great
thickness, and, as will be remembered,
made hard fighting for the allies.
To the southwest this brick wall pre-
sents a solid front. broken only by loop
holes and embrasures near the top, 10 the
plains and marshes which encircle the
city. Outside Of II cluster groups Of huts
Some OF the houses are built close TO the
brick wall. the wall itself forming the
rear partition. and beyond them lie pools,
stagnant and foul, and weedy marshes.
formed by seepage from the river. which
Is some feet above the level Of the coun-
try. An American officer Of high rank and
experience. dating from the civil war. and
who has closely observed the forti1cations
around Tientsin, said:
The Native View.
'"These walls and outlying huts, having
hundreds of people amid foul surround
ings, should be leveled before the present
occupation ends. II is both a military and
a sanitary necessity. From all / can
learn from European residents the Chinese
place a value in these ancient, but still
efficient works. far beyond their military
value. They regard them as a protection
in event of further trouble. and look upon
the fact that they are still intact as evi-
dence OF the foreigners weakness"
The sanitary phase of the matter has
also been discussed, but in the present dis
turbed and unsettled conditions. it has
not been able to crystallize itself into ac-
fa la
debris from the walls to fill in the marshy
pools and 10 reconstruct wide and straight
thoroughfares in place of the present mar
row, tortuous Chinese alleys. AS condi-
tions now are, however. there is no one
to take the initiative. The provisional gov
ernment Of the native city does not feel
warranted in taking any steps, particular
ly as the project contemplates heavy
expenditure OF funds.
There are several large forts on the
banks OF the Pei-Ho River between here
and Taku, and at Tientsin there is one
very strong work, which did most of the
damage during the bombardment That
they will eventually be destroyed is be-
heved TO be more than probable. The fine
forts at Taku also must be DESTROYED or
otherwise disposed Of
Importation Of Arms.
Inc FFencn proposal 10 prOnlDit the I'M
portation OF arms has also been COM
mended. China has been a rich field for
the sale OF arms and ammunition, and It
is impossible 10 even approximate the
number OF guns which have been sold
here in the past ten or fifteen years. In
addition TO these. immense quantities Of
arms and ammunition have been manu-
factured in the great arsenal east of Tien-
tsn. This is one of the largest and most
complete military plants In the world, and
its fine machinery has been matter OF
much interest to the officers Of the allied
forces. II is reported that the Russians,
who occupy the arsenal, are removing
much OF the machinery and shipping II TO
Port Arthur. This. however. while stated
on apparently reliable authority, cannot
be confirmed
The west arsenal, with which the mint
was taken and has been held by the Unit
ed States forces. is a military storeroom
and at the same time a military curiosity
shop. As relics and curios the weapons
il holds are probably worth more than an
equal number Of modern small arms.
though large quantity of comparatively
new pieces were found there.