Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-08-17
LONDON IS SLOW
ARE DAYS BEHIND NEW YORK IN
CHINESE NEWS.
RATHER DOUBT THAN BELIEVE.
The Shanghai Mudddle - Ministers
Have Taken to me Woods
for a Vacation.

New 4Ork, Aug. ia QlSpatch TO the
Tribune from London says:
The news of the rapid progress made
by the Pekin relief force received on
Wednesday evening increased the ten
sion with which intelligence from China
was awaited yesterday. There was a
general expectation that decisive infor-
nation might be received in the course
of the day., and at an early hour many
pressmen n others called at the war
office and the Chinese embassy to make
inquiries, only to learn that no news had
been received up to evening. The for
eign office was also visited in vain, moth
ing having been heard there since the
last cipher dispatch from Sir Claude
Macdonald was handed in two days g
The Chinese minister received cable dis
patches from China in the course of the
afternoon and promptly drove down to
the foreign office, but it was understood
that he had no definite announcement to
make with reference to the absorbing
topic of the moment.
Little value was attached to state
ments that the allies had reached Pekin
on Monday. This is quite likely to pe
true, as it is known from Admiral Re-
mey that the allies We're at Tung Chow
on the 18th, and the officers commanding
the British lines of communication rele-
p on Monday that General Case
lee vas probably in Pekin that day. but
the newspaper report referred to does
not make much impression.
by calculating the proba bilities." as
one of the evening journals caustieally
remarks. "Che Foo and Shanghai cor
respondents would find that the allied
army might, could. would or should
have reached Pekin by Monday. In this
way they also calculated that the Pekin
Europeans were massacred on July g."
The proposed landing of Indian troops
at Shanghai has turned out, as was an
clpat for some days past "a sad bun
gle. In the first instance. Liu Kun vi,
who is the most moderate and progress
slVe or the vlceroys. made no objection
TO a proposal that a few thousand Brit
1sh Indian troops should be embarked
for the defense of the settlements, and
the transports were accordingly ordered
up from Hongkong. Before they could
be relieved of their passengers the
French and Russian consuls intimate
thta If British troops landed they would
be followed by other foreign conting-
ents. Thereupon Liu took alarm, and
last Friday telegraphed, asking that the
Indians should be sent away. The Brit
ism consul demonstrated, and subsequent
ly Liu said he would admit British, but
would not consent to International occu-
patton. Admiral Seymour was ordered
to keep the men on the transports pend
ing further developments, and there they
have remained, sweltering in the steam
ing river, while the diplomatists endeav-
or to settle their differences. If, after
all, the ships should be ordered north
without discharging the troops, the blow
to British prestige would be as bad as
when Russia was permitted to occupy
Port Arthur.
But as it happens, the whole foreign
community is really alarmed by the
erect this withdrawal might have on the
Chinese mind, and all the foreign con-
suls at Shanghai have agreed to a joint
resolution to their respective govern
ments representing the dangerous con-
sequences of now removing the Indians
from Woo Sung. They suggest that they
should be followed by the other foreign
c~ontinsents. This solution is very un-
palatable to the British government
winch claims a paramount interest in
the Yang Use region. But it will prob
aply' nave to be accepted to avoid the
alternatives of a humiliatinc retreat or
a serious friction with France and Rus
STA. The Chinese minister in London
says that the landing of a large foreign
force might p~recipitate a rising in South
ern China, but no harm will result if
only small detachments are employed
to secure the safety Of the Shanghai
settlements. Japan is understood to be
supporting Great Britain in this mat
ter. owing to the extreme
felt in the island empire at tae conduct
OF Russia in taking advantage Of the
general confusion to appropriate New
Chwang.
The japanese, who have done the
hardest and most brilliant work in the
Pek1n relief operations. are naturally
tlneensed at finding Russia already be-
ginning the annexation of Chinese terri
tory. One consequence is likely to be the
dispatch of a powerful Japanese army
to Corea at an early day.
Ihe mnHdla over the SHANGHAI n,,ae+irr
would perhaps have been avoided if
Lord Salisbury and his influential oil
leagues were now in consultation, but
the prime minister is now buried with
his doctors at a remote watering place
in the Vosges, and the other ministers
are scattered about or the moors or in
various English and Scotch country