New-York tribune., 1900-06-13
BRITISH MARINES IN ACTION.
TWO THOUSAND BOXERS PUT TO FLIGHT
HOME OF BRITISH MINISTER BURNED.

HOME OF BRITISH MINISTER BURNED.
London, June 13.-Sixteen British marines. in
advance of the international column marching
to PeIing, fought and chased two thousand
Boxers on Monday. killing twenty or thirty The
correspondent accompanying the column. in
dispatch dated Tien-Tsin. June II, by way of
Shanghai, June 13, says:
While the working parties accompanied by a
patrol Of sixteen British marines, commanded by
Major Johnson, were repairing the line on Mon
day afternoon eight miles beyond Lola, they
encountered small parties of Boxers who were
destroying the line. The Boxers moved away
from the advanced marines and apparently dis
persed into the country. leaving the rails moved
and the SleeperS burning.
The marines. when two miles in advance of
the first train, near Lang Fang, suddenly per-
ceived Boxers streaming from village on their
thousand some of them being mounted, and
they were trying to get between the marines
and the train. Most of them Were armed with
spears and swords. few had firearms, which
they handled awkwardly.
The marines retreated, keeping up a running
fight for over mile and killing between twenty
and thirty.
The Boxers pursued the British for some dis
tance. Seeing marines from the train
coming TO their assistance Major Johnson's six
teen halted and poured heavy, continuous
fire into the crowd. driving them across the
front of the reinforcing biuejaekets. who pun
ished the Boxers severely with Maxims.
The Boxers fled. and the Europeans. following
up their success, cleared out two villages The
total loss of the Boxers is estimated at forty
killed and wounded. Seven of their wounded
were attended by British surgeons. The Brit
ish loss nothing.
Unless their loss causes the Boxers to lose
heart, the International column will have much
trouble before it reaches Peking. The railway
is so much damaged that the column only COW
cred thirty-four miles on Sunday and Monday,
and there is reason to fear that the road beyond
is more badly damaged.
Evidence Of General Nieh's operations were
found in headless bodies. The whole country
presents desolate aspect, entire villages having
been deserted.
The expedition numbers 2O44 men, as follows:
British 915: German. $50; Russian. 300 French,
12S; Americans, 104; japanese, 50; Italian, 40.
and Austrian. %.
The Shanghai correspondent of The Times"
telegra phing on Tuesday, says:
The japanese Minister is pressing for recog-
milton of a Japanese sphere of influence to in
clude the provinces of Che-Kiang. Fo-Kien and
Kiang-Si.
The Hong Kong correspondent OF THE Times
saws:
The Admiralty has engaged a transport to
take nine hundred troops to Tang-Ku. The
sailing date has not been fixed.
The only bit of information which the British
War Office has made public regarding the situa-
tion since it became important, the admis-
sion yesterday that the summer residence of the
British Minister IN Feking, Sir Claude Macdon-
Large contracts for the Chinese have been
placed with the Birmingham arms factories.
though whether for the Chinese Government or
for the Boxers is not disclosed.
RUSSIAN ACTIVITY IN THE FAR EAST.
ENORMOUS MOVEMENT OF MUNITIONS OF WAR
BIG GUNS AT PORT ARTHUR.
San Francisco, June u (SpeciaD.-Yokohama
newspapers received by steamer to-day give
some interesting details of the enormous move
ment of munitions of war arms and men by the
Russian Government 10 its possessions in the
Far East. The japanese who publish news
paper at Port Arthur recently interviewed the
captain of the big Norwegian steamer Norman
MIA. which landed arms at that port The cap
tain said the Normannia was only one of many
ships engaged by the Russian Government TO
bring over arms and men. She landed at Port
Arthur ten big guns and an enormous quantity
of iron materials for fortiication. AT Vladivos-
took she also discharged stores and provisions.
Port Arthur is now completely fortified. but
many other places along the coast are being put
In condition for an emergency. Russian troops
were being poured into Eastern China at the
rate of eleven hundred men weekly. The captain
OF the Normanna also said the Russian War
Office is carrying troops and military stores 70
Persia and the Far East, which bears out re-
ports recently sent to THE London Times" by
its Odessa correspondent