The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-06-19
THE SITUATION IN CHINA GROWING
MORE CRITICAL DAILY
A HUNDRED THOUSAND TROOPS
Assembled at Pekfn Z Resist the En-.
trance OF h Advancing Allied
Column-The Foreign Legations in n
State OF Siege-The Streets Seething
With Angry Mob Russia Really
Siding With the Chinese To Seize
the Taku Forts.

~OAHe 10 the Sldle department rom
United States Minister Conger at Pc
Kin since last Tuesday evening, and
the officials have settled down to the
belief that not until the foreign relief
column reaches the Chinese capital
VIII Mr.. Conger be able to resume the
use of the cable. Nothing has been
heard from the United States consul at
Chin kiang since his last appeal for
the sending OF a warship to thu point.
and 1t may me that he, too, has been
isolated. The consul at Che Flu is in bet
ter position, for a cable received at the
navy department today the
arrival of the gunboat Yorktown at
that port.
Admiral Remey cabled the navy de.
partment this morning as follows:
Cavite, June 15.-At Kempff's re-
quest l shall Send the Iris about the
2Oth with coal and stores for 900 men
for three months
'REMEY."
The Iris is a big collier and distilling
ship.
The 900 men mentioned make up the
personnel of the flagship Newark, the
Monacacy, now on Their way to Taku,
and the Yorktown at Che Foo, with
the marine contingent ashore in China.
TO SEIZE TAKU FORTS.
lien Tsin, June 15.-The mixed
forces, it is reported, will attempt to
seize the Taku forts tonight.
General Mich is moving $500 troops
from Iu Tai to Chun Liza Cheng. Cen
eral lungs Shanghai troops are NOV
ing to Pekin.
MEMBERS OF FOREIGN LEGA-
TONS VIRTUALLY
PRISONERS.
London, June 16.-This is the situa-
ton in China as it appears to the
Shanghai correspondent of The Daily
express, cabling last evening.
1t is really a state of yelled war.
The members of the foreign legations
in e are virtually prisoners; and
the Chinese troops are only restrained
from attacking them by fear of the le-
cation guards.
Meanwhile the ministers are alto
gether unable to communicate with the
officers commanding the relief column,
which is making an enforced and iso-
lated halt between Tien Tsin and Pc
kin. The walls of the capital are
guarded by 100, 900 imperial troops.
The gates are heavily defended with
modern guns. General Tung, acting
under orders from the empress dowa-
ger, says h a no more foreign troops
shall enter the sacred city.
ION Monday the ministers sent a
demand to the Tsung Ii Yamen that
the gates be opened, declaring that
otherwise the foreign troops would
enter forcibly. To this no reply was
given. A second message went unan-
swered or had not been answered
when the latest news left Pekin.
"Sir Claude MacDonald's latest mes
sage avs that the legations are capa-
BILE of sustaining an effective defense,
unless attacked in force"
RUSSIA SIDES WITH CHINA.
Russia, this correspondent asserts,
Notwithstanding assurances to the
contrary, sides with China. Some for
eign troops are already reported to be
in the envirOnS of Pekin, n the at
titude of the Chinese troops is increas-
fngly menacing.
THE streets of Pekin," continues
the correspondent of The Daily Ex-
press, "are reported to be seething with
anti-foreign mObs, clamoring for the
destruction of the legations and the
death of the foreign ministers. wen
were the Tsung Ii Yamen disposed to
reStain the violence of the reactiona-
ries, it is considered highly improba-
BILE that they will be able to hold them
in check. For the foreign ministers
the crisis will arise when the relief
column comes in sight of Pekin.
ut is still felt here that the foreign
force is wholly inadequate to battle
with the hordes of Chinese troops
massed outside the gates, which now
include the imperial troops from Shan
Kai Kakwan.
A DISQUIETING CIRCUMSTANCE.
"A disquieting situation is the fact
that although the sso-Chinese tele-
graph line from Pekin via Kiakhta
eastern Siberia) is working again, the
transmission of English messages is
rigidly refused"
From Tien Tsin it is reported that
the foreign forces in the harbor will
attack the Taku forts, and, if neces-
sary lombard them.
The international column appears to
be still at Lang Fang, engaged in slow
ly repairing the railway, which, &C
cording to a dispatch from Tien Tsin
to The Daily Mail dated June 14th,
cannot be effected for weeks. The
force is short of provisions, and, as it
is without field transport, it must stick
to the railway.
The report that the mixed forces will
seize the Taku forts is taken to mean
that the foreign commanders expect
no aid from the Chinese government
in depressing the disorders and are
determined to make Taku secure as a
base from which to operate.
NEWS FROM THE ADVANCING
COLUMN.
Washington, June 15.-Three official
dispatches were received in diplomatic
quarters today giving the latest di-
rect information from the information
al expedition now seeking to reach
Pekin.
In the main the dispatches were con-
frmatory of the press advices. One OF
the official dispatches said h a grea'
difficulty was being experienced in Sc
curing sufficient water for the press
ing needs Of the international party
On the whole, the official advices re.
ceived by foreign governments, and
forwarded to their representatives
! here. are far from r~eassuring as TO the
| progress Of the expeditionary forces
RUSSIA'S ATTITUDE.
LONDON, June 16., 4:42 a. 1.-The 81
Petersburg correspondent OF Tnf
Times telegraphing Thursday says:
I'm competent political circles tnert
is no wish or trace of intention TO ac'
in China other than with the grea
nnu-1rS Ar tho Sona fir1a there Is NJ