Evening star., 1901-06-12
The Chinese Archives.

An interesting story comes by caDle from
! Pekin to the effect that Commissioner
Rockhill has found evidence that the
library of the Forbidden City, which re-
Gently came near to destruction by fire,
was not ignited by stroke of lightning, as
at first reported, but by an incendiary, in
response to an imperial command. 1t is
surmised that the Chinese government de-
| sired the destruction of the archives and
! took this means of accomplishment. The
.ater dispatches have declared that the
loss was considerably smaller than at first
| indicated, although it is not yet certain
whether the library was destroyed or was
saved by the international troops. In any
| case Mr.. RockhilTs claim is worthy of
| serious investigation, las bearing upon the
pr esent attitude of China toward the pow
| ers- There is a strong probability that the
/ library at Pekin contained among other
| official documents, papers positively con-
Meeting the government with the Boxer
movement.
| Experience elsewhere than at Pekin am
| ply suggests that a thorough search Of the
library at the capital would have disclosed
much historical matter of prime value and
perhaps with Immediate bearing upon
the present adjustments. At Tientsin, for
| instance as related by Mr.. Henry Savage
Landor in his new work China and the
Allies fragments of official correspondence
were found in the viceroy's yamen which
indubitably proved that the government
was In direct relations with the anti-for-
| eign organizations. Mr.. Landor bitterly
complains of the negligence of the allied
officers on the occasion of the capture Of
Tientsin native city in regard to the official
residence of he viceroy. 1t was found to
/ =
an order was at once given by the then
commanding officer to have the place
cleaned for occupancy. Coolies were set at
work sweeping into the canal the rubbish
in the rooms. without any precaution being
taken to preserve the official archives. Mr.
Landor took the liberty to pick out of the
unconsidered mass few specimen sheets,
| which proved to be receipts for the pay
| ment of money to Cinnamon and women
for the slaughter of foreigners. 1t ap-
peared from these receipts that the women
had formed an organization for the killing
of westerners and high prices were paid to
them for their murderous work.
| There Is no means of knowing what pa
pers of great historical and political value
| were destroyed through the thoughtless-
ness of the allies The imperial court left
Pekin in even greater haste than the vice
roy at Tientsin abandoned his yamen and
probably neglected to carry away or to de-
stroy some important archives Hence it
is easy to believe, in view of the Tientsin
| affair, that the court, upon later recollect-
! ing the oversight, took steps to prevent
these interesting papers from becoming the
property of the international ministers. If
| the damage has been done no remedy Is Of
course to be found. However, history is
presumably the chief sufferer, for the fact
| of the Chinese governments completely in
| the Boxer movement is already generally
| recognized and the documents DESTROYED
| would have merely clinched the fact be-
| yond future questioning.