The Portland daily press., 1900-07-11
Imperial Troops Fight
ing With Them.
Prince Tuan Assumes Authority
Of Emperor.

London, July 11.-415 a. m.-''No au-
thentic news from Pelin, is still the
burden of dispatches from the far east,
and although the disposition is to believe
the optimisJ reports from Chinese sources
no real confidence is possible until the
legations, ii they are still IN existence,
are permitted to communicate with their
governments. If, as IS alleged, the BOX
ers'' movement Is losing ground in Pekin
it might have been supposed that the
Boxers would have endeavored to send up
reinforcements from Tien Tsin; but in
stead OF that, they are still IN great force
In the neighborhood of the latter place
and are assisted by the Imperial Chinese
troops, with ample, efficient artillery.
According to a special Che Foo despatch,
the lighting around Tien Tsin on the
third and fourth was the severest yet ex-
perienoed. The British losses alone were
thirty killed or wounded. The Chinese
had 10000 men attacking simultaneously
from west, north and east and made ex-
cellent practice with over 100 guns.
The defenders numbered 1900, with
scant supplies and it was only the pres
ence of ths newly arrived Japanese and
Russian guns that prevented a disaster.
One Russian company of infantry, num-
bering 120 men, had 115 killed or
wounded. The German contingent also
suffered heavily. By the evening of the
fourth the situation was very critical.
The allies IA rrowly escaped total defeat
Providentially when things were at their
worst, torrential rainfall compelled the
Chinese to retire.
On July 6, the rain having abaUed, the
Chinese renewed the attack, opening fire
on Tien Tsin with two batteries of four
inch guns; but the allies, aided by two
of H. NJ. S. Terrible's AZ guns, succeeded
in siIencing the Chinese artillery after
eight hours of fighting. At Shanghai it
seems. now to be the general belief that
the date of the despatch of July B, assert
ing that two legations were still stand
ing, was an error, either accidental or in
tenGi0nal.
According to the Shanghai correspond
cnt 81 the Express. it is war to the knife
between the DOwager Empress and Prince
Tuan. In recent edict, the latter boldly
discards his mask and signs himself as
Emperor. He warmly cOmmends the
proWess of ''his faithful Boxers aud in
1ioWery language appeals to their cupidity
and fanaticism In the same decree
Prince Taun appoints Prince Ysuan the
Iron Capped, ,; Prince Tsaisham, his
imperial clansman and Kang VI, to COM
mand the three chief wings of the Boxer
army. Three hundred European refugees
from Tien Tsin have arrived at Shanghai
in q state OF restitution after terrible
suffer ing. The Chinese version Of the
origin of the outbreak as published In
Shanghai is that Baron Won Ketteler was
hated by the Pekinese, who, taking adj
vantage of the disturbed condition of
affairs, shot him out Of revenge, thereby
causing a conflict between the Chinese
troops and the Germans, the latter of
whom destroyed the Tsung Ii Yamen.
The infurtated soldiers under Prince
Suan then gained complete control over
the Dowager Empress.
The Daily News Iien Tsin correspond
ent says the allies have decided to bonn
bard the native city which they have
hitherto hesitated to attack, owing to the
heavy commercial interests involved.
The London daily papers comment favor
ably upon Secretary of State Hay IS circu-
lar The Times says:
"It viii meet with general appreciation
and welcome ia Great Britain. While it
is manifestly dictated by regard for
American interests, it comedies closely in
almost all important respects with Eng
lands avOwed policy. The reason is
simple In China, the interests of both
countries are primarily commercial and
it is from their commercial interests that
their political interests are derived. Sec
retary Hay bears this fundann entail fact
steadily in mind. "