The sun., 1900-08-07

IGencralissimo OF imperial Chinese troops.1
ment, it is generally assumed at the war
department that ut least part of Gen
eral Chaffee's small army was on hand
and took an active and aggressive part
in the affair.
The first of these dispatches is from
Commander Taussg of the United States
gunboat Yorktown and is dated Chefll,
Aug. 6. 1t says:
"British warship Fame reports unofti
cial engagement pcitsang Sunday, 3 TO
1890. Allied loss, killed, wounded, 1,200,
chiefly Russian, japanese. Chinese re-
treating"
The second dispatch. filed lit Chefu on
the same date, is from Rear Admiral
Remey and says:
"Unollicial report; believed reliable.
About 10000 allies heavily engaged Chi
nese at Pctsang daylight 9TH"
According to the information in pos
session Of the war department, the town
of peitsang is at the head OIL tide water
on the Pei-Ho, between II and II miles
by road beyond Tien-tsin. 1t is village
Of mud hnts, of considerable size, but
not walled. The river at this point is
not nayigable by anything larger than a
good sized steam launch, and it is
thought that the troops probably reached
there in small boats towed by the naval
launches. The country all along the riv-
er between Peking and Tien-tsin is a low,
aIluyial plain, almost impossible for
wheeled vehicles in the wet season, and
/ under quite Il high state of cultivation.
1t presents no natural defensive features,
| and the war department knows no stra-
tegic reason why the Chinese should have
made a stand there rather than at any
other Of the dozen villages east of the
walled town of Tung Chow, where is
stored an immense amount of provisions,
upon which the city of Peking would
have to depend in case of siege.
Apparently n Great Horde.
From the fact that the engagement
lasted ~ hours it is argued in the de-
partment that either the Chinese must
have been heavily intrenched or that
there was an immense horde of them to
so stubbornly contest the advance of the
! 10000 international troops. 1t is figured
by military experts that a loss of ,20C
! killed and wounded on the part of the al
lies probably means loss of from three
! to six times as many by the Chinese. II
! is possible that blow of this magnitude
! may break the resistance of the Chinese
4 to the advance of the foreign column
but, on the other hand, it is possible thai
this may be one of large number q
places on the road that have been in
l trenched with view to falling back ant
9 contesting the foreign advance so as t.
$ delay as long as possible the arrival o
t the foreigners at Peking.
/; Unless the opposition suddenly break
v down, the military experts look for des
d perate engagement when the troops reacl
|. the walled city of Tung Chow, which j
said to be even more favorably located
for purposes of defense than was Tien
a tsin.
= The position of the United States diplo
:, matically remains unchanged. This gov
: ernment will not consent to the remova
. of the ministers and foreigners from PC
= king until there is free communication b
: the powers with their ministers, nor wi
this government consent to communica
ton in plain language alone, but insist
80 that cipher messages must pass freel
(, between Minister Conger and our stat
! department. 1t is emphatically state
. that unless such messages are exchange
~ the United States cannot know beyoD
~ question that the messages were nc
~ garbled and both the United States go'
ernment and the ministers misled.
m There seems to be no doubt about tn
Ii safety of the ministers at Peking fe
Ir the present and that they will RENAL
where they will be able to protect then
selves and will not be indncad TO acrs'