The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-06-19

tional men for storming the forts were
sent ashore from the ships the previous
afternoon. f.
The British ships up the river en-
Fame (torpedo boat destroyer), and
Whiting (torpedo destroyer). The two
latter captured four Chinese torpedo
boat destroyers. The casualties OF the
Algerine were slight. Those OF the
storming party and others are un-
known.
A Chinese second class cruiser flying
an admirars flag, Is detained outside
Taku by the allied sdmirals.
No information of Commander-in-
Chief Seymour's return to Tien-Tsin
has been received up 10 two in the af-
ternoon OF June ~. am sailing forth
with for Taku.
Ii HUNG CHANG SUMMONED.
Paris. June l9.--At a cabinet council
to-day the minister OF foreign Affairs.
NJ. Del Casse. announced that the tele-
graph line between Pekin and TEN
Tsin was still interrupted.
A dispatch received here from Shan
ehai says Ii Hung Chang has been
summoned to Pekin from Canton.
cHINAs FIGHTING FORCES.
New York. June 1sa-From carefully
reau OF Military Information at the
war department. the Chinese army.
called THE Eight Banners" nominally
contains about three hundred thousand
descendants OF the Manchu conquerors
and their allies, says the Trbune's
washington correspondent. The num-
Der maintained on "A war footing is
from eighty thousand TO one hundred
Thousand. The whole force is subdivid-
ed into three groups. consisting re-
spectively OF Manchus. Mongols and
Chinese, and forms sort OF hereditary
profession within which ter-marriage
Is compulsory. About thirty-seven
thousand are stationed In garrIsons In
Manchuria; the Imperial Guard at
Pekin contains from 5000 to 1000 and
these are the troops that were expected
TO defend the foreign legations and pro-
tect foreign interests from the mobs.
Ihe fing Ping, or national army, Is
also called THE Green Flags andl The
Five Camps" This army consists OF
1s corps, one for each province. under
the governor or governor general. The
nominal strength Is from $40, 900 to &C.,
900 men. OF whom about 100000 are
available for war, never more than one
third being called out. The most i'm
portant contingent is the Tien Tsin
army corps. nominally 100000 strong.
really about $1,000 with modern organ
ization, drill and arms. employed Ia
garrison duty at Tien Tsin and at Taku
and other forts. Besides these forces
there are mercenary troops raised n
emergencies and Mongolian and other
irregular cavalry. nominally 100000
strong. really about 10000. but or no
military value. The total army on
peace footing is put at 100000 men. ana
on war footing at about 100000, but
the army az whole has no unity or
cohesion: there Is no proper discipline. 4
the drill is mere physical exercise, the
weapons are long since obsolete and
there Is no transport commissariat or
medical service.
REVOLT SPREADING.
London, June 1.-THE revolt Is
spreading in Western China. The rep
resentative OF Mr.. Pritchard Morgan.
M. p. at Chang Tu wires that he and
his party have been detaiped there ow-
ing to news that the revolution has
broken out in Szechuan. which adjoins
the province OF Yunnan, also i'm re-
volt. and official news comes today
that the London missionary society's
premises at Tsaoshihi, Central China.
west northwest of Hankow, have been
destroyed by mob.
The rising seems 10 be spreading with
rapidity and shows unexpected organ
ization among the anti-forelgn ele-
ments. The missionaries at Tsaoshihi
escaped and reached Hankow in safe
ty.
CHINESE CRUISERS A MENACE.
Gable dispatches from Shanghai re-
port that number OF Chinese cruisers
are anchored in sight of the foreign
which are only guarded by
a small Japanese gunboat. A thousand
Chinese troops, with two 49-ton gdns,
still hold the forts outside the town.
The viceroy of Woo-Sung Is reported
to have assured the consuls that the
foreign settlements at Shanghai will
not be attacked.
The British admiralty draws atten-
tion to the fact that the Endymion's re-
confirm the Japanese report of Admiral
Seymours return TO Tien Tsin.
DOwAGER EMPRESS IN A STATE
OF MIND.
London. June 19.--An agency dispatch
from Shanghai, dated June 10, says the
latest news from Pekin is that the Dow
aver Empress is greatly concerned at
the capture OF the Taku forts and that
wholesale degradations OF the Chinese
army, including Generals Sung-Chin
and Fung Su, the governor OF Pekin.
and other high officials who promised
in the Tsung-Li-Ya to accomplish
the expulsion OF the foreigners. have
taken place.
Three of the Taku forts, IL is added.
were completely destroyed and most OF
the garrisons were killed or wounded by
a charge of the sailors of the allied
fleets.
RUSSIAN TROOPS DISPATCHED.
Washington. June 19.--Secretary Of
State Hay has been notified by the Rus
sian embassy here that four thousand
Russian troops have been dispatched
from Port Arthur to Taku.
STARTLING RUMoRs AFLoAT.
Shanghai. June 1s.--The consulates
have received no communications from
the legations at Pekin since June IL.
and the greatest anxiety prevails as to
their safety. There are innumerable ru-
mors but there is nothing OF an authen-
tic nature.
The stories purporting To describe the
at Pekin, June IL, merely reit-
crate previous accounts The viceroy
of Mankln has taken vigorous meas
ures TO prevent rising In HIS dfstrict.
Sensational native rumors are current
that Tien Tsin has been burned by the