Evening star., 1900-07-16

blegram Mr.. Wu regarded as of sufficient
Importance to carry in person to Secretary
HAY, who was waiting at his home for
news. Aside from the gloomy forecast
given of the end of the terrible struggle
of the legationers against the inevitable,
the significant feature of the message is
the coupling of the fate of the imperial
government with that of the foreign min
listers.
Officials here derive some satisfaction
| from this position of the dispatch as 1t
s,lstains them in the position they have
held from the first, that the Chinese gov
ernment Is not at war with ChriStendom
but is confronting a formidable insurrec-
ton There still remains a suspicion that
while Mr.. WI is undoubtedly acting with
sincerity, that Sheng, who is represented to
| be a clever and adroit man. may know
more of the actual happening at Pekin
than he is willing to reveal at once 1t
| is feared that he is trying to prepare the
way for the disclosure Of terrible news
| hoping that by letting it come out gradual
| ly the blow will not fall with such severity
| and perhaps with such disastrous results to
| mis- own people, as might be the cause II
| the whole sad story were impaired to the
! world at once.
| 1t is now twenty-five days since a word
| has come directly from any of the unfor-
| tunates tesieged in the legations at Pekin
The last message from there was from Sir
| Robert Hart. the Englshman in charge of
| the Chinese customs service, and was of
undOubted authenticity. 1t represented the
| ,
and implored help.
| Inst Word From COnger.
The last word from Minister Conger came
| to the State Department from Pekin under
| date of June IL. At that time he asked
| that Seymours international relief column
which was even then doomed to fail should
| signal its approach when near Pekin That
was just one month and four days ago.
| and it would be an unprecedented defense
| lnAGpnnlfe lift cd nd
provisioned force was at the command
| of the foreign ministers to hold out for
that length of time.
| Dispatches to Secretary Long.
Secretary Long had two cablegrams from
| China yesterday, but he was inclined to set
| a negative value upon them because they
| made no mention OF a massacre of the lega-
| TONERS in Pekin Admiral Remey stated that
he had ordered the Buffalo to Taku. She was
coming out to the orient by way of Suez
| and was TO report for orders at Singapore,
| where she was to be directed to proceed to
| Manila or be DETECTED to north China She
| Is carrying out a cargo of coal and a num-
| ber OF sailors to recruit the American fleet
| The second dispatch came from Captain
| bowman of the gunboat Castine, which is
| stationed at Shanghai, and said:
Rodgers sends word Oregon passed Che
| foo 12lh. Nashville conveying"
| 1t Is supposed at the Navy Department
| that Capt Rodgers of the Nashville sig
| nailed this information from his ship as he
passed Chefoo. The distance from Chefoo
/ to the kure docks. where the Oregon Is
| bound. is about seven hundred miles, and,
| as Chefoo was passed last Thursday 1t is
| estimated here that the crippled battleship
| Is now nearing the straits of Shimontseki.
| through which she must pass to get UP to
| the docks.
Safety of DIR. w. II. DObson.
| DR.. II. A. Dobson has written to The
Star the following note in regard to the
safety Of his son, who is a missionary In
| China:
| Il have had so many inquiries concern
| ing the safety Of my son. DIR. w. H Dob
SON. missionary, station at Yeung Kong,
China, from his many friends in this city,
| that l beg space to say that l have no
| doubt of the safety Of himself and wife.
as 1t was their intention to spend the sum-
mer months at Macau, the Portuguese col
| ony on the coast. about one hundred miles
| west Of Hong Kong. At the time of writ
| Ing, May 10. they were about to go to Cam
ton. where he would have charge Of the
| Presbyterian hospital during June, then
go to the summer home. AS there has been
no trouble at Canton, have no fears for
their safety