Evening star., 1900-06-30
THE CHINESE CRISIS
Now the Topic of Absorbing Interest
in London.
0VERSHADOWS The War IN AFRICA
Motive for the Destruction of a
Missionary House.
MRS. GLADsToNE's FUNERAL
pecial Correspondence of The Evening Star.

| Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
LONDON, June 20 1900.
The news from China has entirely
dw,arfed the interest in the South African
war, which was waning of itself without
| the influence of a stronger motive.
| War news which loomed so large only q
| week ago has in nearly every paper been
| relegated to columns and pages of second
AIRY interest, while the Chinese crisis, "
with a fanfare of scare heads. occupies the
proud position of chief interest.
Most of the London newspapers are re-
| calling their correspondents from South
Africa, and either sending them on to China
| Or have them home after their hard work
OF "a campaign, and send others to deal
with the sensations the yellow PERIL is
expected to yield.
Happy are those papers with men already
on the spot. Most London papers of any
standing nave resident correspondents at
Hong Kong and few have men at Shang-
hal
places for rumors and sensational report S
from the interior, and unless Il correSpon-
dent has long been in residence there ana
knows his China he may mislead his paper.
The best known authority on China VINO
is on the spot is MIR. Morrison of the Times.
and he is shut up in Pckin with the lexa-
ton officials. Mr.. Morrison, who Is ss!i
under forty, is an Australian, VINO STUDIED
medicine in Melbourne and nburgh, but
who prefers life of travel and adventure
to medical practice. When only twenty ne
traversed Australia on foot, from north 70
south and he has Travelled right through
Burmah, China and M;-nchurla. ~ .a, .to
bnen a Times special correspondent IN the
far east for five or six ,ears, ana mas pup,
Hshed TWO books "An Australian in emma
and Journey Across China to Burmah'
News From China.
The difficulty is not only to get news OF
the actual facts at Pekin and Tien Isln, ont
any news at all. Chinese at Shanghai ana
other coast towns are said to be receiving
Information from these places. but western
ers get nothing at present but rumors, most
of which filter through Chinese. Ihss IS d
condition of affairs peculiar to emma or III
arv country not wholly civilized ana dense
ly populated Wireless telegraphy pIeNal's
in its highest sense. NowS passes with ~
credible speed from one part OF the country
to another without the means OF nloaern t III l,i-
ven nffon Ncwhere has this feature OF SEMI
civilization been Brought out more prom
inentiy than among the kafirs our f'nS 1 .ne
South African war. Frequently the ftiilIs rs
know Of events which had happened IN
p,accs fairly distant from them long before
British generals did
This situation itself is sufficiently critlca'
ard I; is difficult TO see the outcome I ne
question OF Wnat is 10 De uoHe "l'i Nii'tie.
will ycy the powers for a long time.
AS ] indicated last week. many politicians
urge the deposition of the dcwaser empress
v-hns. hand is recognized In the present dls-
t,rhences The british government, am
informed. Is averse to this because it would
| lead to anarchy throughout China. and an
aral7y would mean the slicing up of the en-
p:ra among tn" European powers ana
Japan. Japan would insist at the outset on
getting Corea and, as Russia would stoutiy
resist th+s. war would be almost unaro:da-
bic England's policy, for commercial rea-
sons. is to keep China intact but should a
shifting up he unavoidable. / understand
the various spheres of interest have long
been agreed upon between England ana
Pussia. The Yang-tse valley is, of course
the region over which Britain proposes to
throw her influence. Trouble is, however
l,keIy TO arise with France respecting yum
nan province. which is a mountainous des-
olate region in the southwest. not worm
having in itself but it lies between British
Rurn,ah and the Yang-tse valley and ne
tween French Tonquin and the rich pr vince
| of Sztchuen at the upper end of the Yang
tse. which the French have long had the1r
| eyes upon.
RetaIi0t1On.