The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-08-27

After a long silence, the State Depart
ment today received an important message
from Minister Conger, dealing with the
diplomatic situation in Pekin, Following
the course of secrecy which has been car
ried out during the past five days, the Off
eials refuse 10 make the contents of the
eablegram public, for, it is said, many rea-
sens, and il is even intimated that this
policy is compulsory, if amicable relations
are to be continued with the allied pow
ers now engaged in China. The only ad-
mission obtained as 10 the points covered
by the despatch is that reference was made
TO the action of the Russian officers in an
nouncing on their own authority that they
were at war with China.
No word came from any other source
in China. and. as the Conger message is
eight days old, the officials are much wor-
ried. II is believed that the wires must
be down between Pekin and Tientsin,
while it is feared by several War Depart
ment officials that large force Of Chi
nese troops is advancing on the Imperial
City, in the hope of retaking it :Iom the
allies, and that this body has completely
cut of all communication with the naval
forces at TaKh.
AS matters now stand, the officials be-
Iieve they have even more to fear than
previous TO the fall of Pekin, as the tol ee
Of 10000 wen-armed Imperial troops re-
ported to be advancing on tie capital
might possibly through sheer force of
numbers overwhelm and annihflate the al
lies before re-enforcements could be sent
10 their aid
These conditions have made the authori-
ties here uneasy and some word is eager
ly awaited from General Chaffee
Minister Wu's Injured Pride.
Minister WI was at the State Depart
fnent early this morning. for information
on the Chinese situation" he said. The
Chinese Minister had not been there since
last Wednesday when he sat in Acting
Secretary of State Adee's office for two
hours awaiting Mr.. Adee. whom he hoped
would hand him a reply to Ii Hung Changs
proposals for the appointment of a peace
commissioner and a cessation of hostiIi-
ties.
Minister Wu is a patient man, but that
wait seemed to rest heavily on his pride,
and he had not been 10 the State Depart
ment since until this morning. He has
been expected there for several days with
a reply from Earl Ii to the memorandum
OF acknowledgment forwarded through
Minister WI last Wednesday.
The United States answer to Lis over
lures for peace was of such a concfliating
and encouraging nature that it has been
thought by officials of this Government
that the willy Celestial would hasten to
thank the United States for the fairness of
its promises and assure this Government
that he had hastened to acquaint the pow
ers he spoke for OF what these promises
and conditions OF agreement for peace had
been.
Nothing OF the sort, apparently. has
been done, Earl Ii, so far as Minister
WI has informed the State Department I'D
to today, has not made the slightest ac-
acknowledgements of the receipt of this Gov
ernment's answer to his prayer.
Mr.. Adee was glad TO see Minister WI
this morning. apparently, ano he was
treated with the cordialty which has been
evident through the most trying times of
this Chinese difficulty. Explanations
were offered as TO the cause of Mr.. Adee's
absence from his Office during Minister
Wu's long wait last Wednesday which
were entirely satisfactory to Mr. WI,
who had received what he had waited for
one hour after he left the State Depart
ment on the 22d.
Minister WI represents a Government
from which he has been cut off in part by
the Army of the country to which he is
accredited. It has not been possible for
him to communicate with the Imperial
Government, he says. since the Empress
Dowager left Pekin some days before the
Go to Chesapeake Beach today and listen.