The Hawaiian gazette., 1900-07-03
CRITICAL sITrArlnN.

i've fnTlEiltNt anu NNINNNAE fllltNa VI w
foreigners were maHsacrcd etihlu two
miles Of the Imperial palace
CRITICAL SITUATION.
SHANGHAI June 1G-OBy cable to the
London Times).-"I ne situation Is cr.ti-
cal and without parallel since the indian
mutiny. At the Yang.Tsc ports there
has been no outbreak; but placards have
been posted In kin-Kiang, Ugas-Skin ana
wu-IIu, calling on tho people to Kill and
burn body OF rioters. 5000 strong,
are at Kwei-Hs!en in the prefecture OF
Canton, and troops have gone to suppress
them. The Powers, unprepared, are help
less TO prevent disaster, but barring tri-
fling local friction, toy are working ami
cably"
COMMANDMENT or TAKU.
LONDON. June ., $3.50 a. m.--China de-
clared war against the world when the
Taku forts opened fire upon the internn-
tonal fleet. The accounts OF what took
place are still unsatisfactory, the best
semi-ofic,al Information being the dis
patch received at Berlin from Che Foo.
which says n Japanese torpedo boat from
Taku has brought the following:
"The Chinese laid torpedocs in the Taku
river and collected troops from Shan llei
Kwan. The foreign commanders assem-
bled on the Russian flagship and address
ed an ultimatum to the commanders oil
the Taku forts, summoning them to Win
draw their troops before o'clock June
nth. At / n. m. June 18th the guns of
the forts opened fire, TO which the Rus
sian, British, French and Japanese war
ships replied. The bombnrdment lasted
seven hours. Two British ships in the
river between the forts are reported TO
have been sunk. 1he telegraph line and
railroad between Tien-Tsin and Taku
were destroyed. Communication by wa
ter Is also threatened"
The unofficial narratives coming by
way of Shanghai vary and bear evidence
of supplementIug the main facts with
gucsswork. one dispatch says the York
town participated in the bombardment.
Another asserts that American marines
formed part of the storn!ng force OF
1000.
An Associated Press dispatch from Che
Foo says:
",rhe forts on both sides of Taku are
now occupied. The Chinese opened fire
unexpectedly. The casualties to the mix
cd force were rs follows:
"Kllled-British, /; German, j. Russian,
t. and French, /. Misunderstanding, 1;
German, 7; Russian. IS, and French, !.
Chinese torpedo boats were seized.
The Shanghai correspondent of the
Daily Mail says:
NN'NA
orders from Picking. conveyed in the per-
aonal edct of the Empress Dowager, by
advice of hang VI, President of the Min
istry of War. Several warships We're
struck by shells from the Finch guns oil
the forts. The heavy Russian losses We're
due to the blowing up of the magazines
of Mandshur.
-Four hundred Chinese are reported
killed The Chinese, when retreatng. fell
into la hands of The Russian land
forces"
The Daily News has the following from
Che Foo: 1.-TWO of the forts We're blown
up The thirty-two warships at Taku ag-
gregated 100000 tons and carried more
than 800 guns"
ST. PETERSBURG, June 2O.-Nice Adj
miral Alexejefr. cabling from Port Arthur,
reporting the capture of the Taku forts,
says the bombarding fleet was com
manded by the Russian Captain Dubro-
wolski. as the senior officer present The
Russian losses We're two Lieutenants XII
ed, one severely and one slightly wounded,
and sixteen men killed and siXty-seNen
wounded.
The gunboat GilJak was seriously dam
aged by shell below the water line, ana
must be locked for repairs. The gun
boat Koreiez was leaking in six places,
and had her cabin destroyed. The gun
boat Bober was damaged.
Besides the above and the British gum
boat Algerine and the German gunboat
Hits, Alexejeff says the French warship
Lion participated in the engagement
BOXERS BURN CHAPEIS.
SHANGHAI, June 20.-Telegrams from
Tien-Tsin, dated June 18th and forwarded
by post, say: 1.-THE foreign missionaries
at Pao Ting Flu are safe. being guardeu
by the troops of General N!eh. Twenty
Ave Americans, with Calling gun, have
arrived there.
I'm the foreign settlement the chapels
have been burned and the mission sta
lions of the American Board of Foreign
Missions of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, and of the London Missionary
Society, are practically in the hands OF
the Boxers. The local authorities are
paralyzed. Sympathetic mandarins are
ordered out in sedan chairs and compel
ed to 'kow-tow' to the Boxers in the
streets. All foreign servants are desert
ing their masters
An American transport from Manila is
due at Taku today. Countless rumors
emanating from native sources add to the
local tension, and the wealthy native mer-
chants are panic-strickcn.
RUMoRs OF SEYMOUR.
LONDON, June 2o.-A news agency dis
patch from Shanghai, dated June 10Th,
says:
After an arduous march and frequent
fighting with the Chinese, Vice Admiral
Seymour arrived at Picking Sunday after
noon. on five occasions the Chinese at
tackled the column in great force. There
were many mounted men among the Chi
nese. but most of the natives were badly
armed. At times they fought with ad-
mirable courage and bravery. 1he losses
of the Chinese during the march are esti
mated at 800 killed. The losses of the for
oieners were trifling.
The exact state of affairs inside Picking
IL Is impossible to describe, in view of
the many conflicting reports, nothing
having been received from the legations
or foreigners there. Surprise is expressed
Mt the fact that n large force of Indian
troops has not been ordered here.
TIEN-TsIN BoMBARDED.
CHE FOO. June 2.-Tien-Tsin was bonn
harded on Friday night. 1t is reported
that the attack lasted two days. \ con-
siderable portion of the native settlement