The sun., 1901-11-24
Was the siege OF the Pekin Legations
Trivial Thing?


According to the Rev. DIR. r. j. NEvIN.
rector Of the American Church at Rome,
who lately returned from a visit to
Pekin. the siege Of the legations was
comparatively trivial affair" He
even asserts that, as matter OF fact
admitted by the foreign Ministers,
the legation buildings were not fired
on at all by the Chinese. This state
ment is by no means confirmed by the
Rev. ARTHUR H. SMITH an eyewitness
of the siege, whose recently published
book, China in Convulsion," is now,
and is likely long to remain, an authority
on the subject.
DR.. SMITH himself, indeed, directs
attention to the extraordinary inaptitude
for siege operations exhibited by the
| Chinese at Pekin There was more
than one occasion, he says, when it
would have been easy, by strong,
swift movement on the part OF the
numerous Chinese troops, to have an
initiated the small body Of foreigners,
and without serious risk to the attackers.
These opportunities, however, were not
seized. For several days the Chinese
controlled the city wall behind the lega-
tions for nearly the whole Of it's length,
and could have massed there all their
artillery in night, thus rendering it
impossible for the foreigners to escape
determination. This was what those
persons In Europe and the United States
who were familiar with the local con-
ditions, expected the Chinese 10 do,
There was ground for the expectation.
At Tientsin the Chinese had astonished
all who had gauged their military talents
by the experience Of the war with Japan.
They had fought 30 savagely that the
allied troops suffered severely before
Tientsin city was captured. There
was nothing OF the sort ut Pekin. for
there the Chinese soldiers were reluctant
to expose themselves. Had they been
ready to make a sacrifice Of few hun
dred lives. they could have extinguishcd
the defence In an hour. In the end,
nevertheless, they lost five or ten times
an many men by sharpshooting as they
would have done in a rush.
In q word, DR.. SMITH comedies that
the Chinese assailants Of the legations
might have been more daring and more
efficient: had they been so, the siege
would have been quickly over. He also
recalls that, when the relieving columns
arrived, some Of the rescuers evinced
by their bearing and remarks a certain
amount Of disappointment. The specific
ground Of the disillusion felt and ex-
pressed seems 10 have been that the
besieged did not look sufficiently pinched
with hunger, and that some Of them, es-
pecially the ladies, were too well
dressed and met the relieving soldiers
with smiles and cheers instead Of sobs
A. one Of the young women put II, they
seem TO have expected 10 find Us lying
gasping on the ground.
II, however. the rescuers had taken
the trouble To examine the record ui
casualties a detail which Dr NEvIS
seems To have omitted they might
easily have convinced themselves that
their arrival Ia Pekin was not suT,er-
fuuus or premature We learn from
Dr SMITH that up 20 june 20, when the
struggle for the wall behind the Vega
tldns Wa proceeding elghl"su for
eignsrs had lot their lives at "a. hands
81 the thinrss 4 census taken about
the date nAned II all tho iOrelgn'ns ~
p.kiu. Including souen aud 'hldr"n
~ srl az men shows that ~ thr Bltlsh
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