158
THE ENTRY INTO PEKING.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
[September 1, 1900.
FINANCIAL AND COMMERCIAL | sale of warships and material, etc., belong.
insist on
REFORM FOR CHINA.
ing to the Imperial or Provincial govern- (Daily Press, 25th August.)
ments goes; the chief difficulty would be At last, after having to content ourselves Referring to the capture of Peking by the with the people, the great bulk of whom, as best we could for a whole week with the Allies the Hoppo of Canton a few days ago and more especially in the southern pro- news that the Allies had succeeded in enter- telegraphed to some of his subordinates vinces, possess arms. But even that could ing Peking and rescuing the survivors at that the embankments between Tientsin and be effected if sufficient firmness were shown. the Legations, we have received a few Peking had been cut, the country flooded, The greatest delinquents in respect to the details of the arrival of the combined troops the greater number of the allied troops trade in the arms are the various guilds or at the Chinese capital. The actual date of drowned, but that 1,000 or 2,000 (it does societies who, under the pretence of arming the arrival outside the walls of Peking is, by not matter which) Americans had been per-
"trained bands" for local protection, obtain the telegram of our Shanghai correspondent, mitted to go to Peking and escort the Minis- large numbers of rifles and ammunition appearing in our issue of Friday, put back ters out of that city, as China was anxious | under official sanction, and from their hands from the 15th to the 13th instant, but the to treat all nations with equity! The in- these filter through to the various bands of Imperial City was not entered until the later ference is, and it is understood in that villagers who, quite content at ordinary date. The Legation garrison, however, was
way by the recipients of the telegram, that times to be such, are, when the occasion reached on the 14th instant, after an early America having in the past had no trouble serves, also quite ready to take part in the attack made by the Russian troops had with China, she is consequently the least pirating of a vessel, the looting of a mission failed. The British and Americans, it objectionable of the "foreign devils," and station or the murder of a foreigner. These appears, had the honour of being the first so her troops were permitted access to the guilds could be called upon by the various to fight their way throngh. It is clear that, sacred city. This story is as gravely ac- Viceroys to collect arms in their neighbour- though a certain amount of resistance was cepted as it is told, and the task of attempt- hood and deliver them up within a certain offered to the entry of the Allies, full ing to bring home the actual situation to time. The Powers would have to be ready advantage was not taken of the strength of such cast-iron ignorance and conceit short to insist on this by force if necessary, and the city.
The heart of the defenders must of knocking each individual man's house the penalty for carrying arms should be have failed them, before the Allies got about his ears-is well nigh hopeless. made an extremely heavy one, with the within touch of Peking, at the time when There is one way, and one way only, in which certainty of its infliction not only on the the Empress Dowager and Court decided to
the Chinese officials can be made to feel individual but also on the whole town or desert the city. This they did on the 11th that the day has come when civilised powers village concerned. We are inclined to think (the day on which the Allies reached Matou), will decide the policy of the Empire which the chances of, and, perhaps, the results dragging with them, it seems, the Emperor they have so misgoverned, and that is-to from, a general uprising throughout China as an unwilling companion. It is to be come to the point bluntly-by stopping their have been over-estimated, due largely to the feared that no dependence can be put in the pay. Slaughter their wretched soldiers, somewhat unexpected resistance offered by reports that the Japanese succeeded in cap-knock their cities about their ears,
the Chinese foreign-drilled troops to the turing the Empress Dowager, and we must Peking degrading them from office, and yet, advance of the Allies on Peking: but, as wait confirmation for last night's rumour as experience has shown in the past, they Admiral LANG lately pointed out, these about the Emperor. It is curious that so far will continue to act as if nothing had hap- foreign-drilled troops are, at the most, not the authorities up north have carefully kept pened. Cut off or rather regulate their cash in any great numbers; the backbone of their from the public knowledge the names of the supplies and you touch them in their vital resistance has been broken and the mere survivors, which all the world is anxiously spot and bring home to their minds with rabble which constitute the balance of the waiting to hear. We have the figures, in- irresistable force the fact that they have got soldiery of China are not capable of deed, from our correspondent's telegram, to change their ways. Up to date, the only opposing for any length of time the force which give the dead as 67 and the wounded nation that appears to have grasped this which the Allies would be prepared to bring at 120. From this it appears that since the elementary fact are the Russians, who as re- against them. An order then from the 16th of July only five deaths have occurred, ported from Newchwang have arranged for Central Government of China, backed by for Sir CLAUDE MACDONALD on that date re-
the Imperial Maritime Customs to collect the Allied fleet, would easily secure the ported that.62 in all had been killed since revenue there as before, but that the sums dismantling of the defences such as the the attack on the Legations commenced. of money so collected are to be retained un-Bogue, the Woosung and Kiang Tin forts, Since the so-called armistice on the 16th ult.
til such time as a settlement is arrived at. and that completed a force of from fifteen it will probably be found that the fierceness It is a drastic way of doing it, but the re- to twenty thousand men prepared to move of the attacks considerably abated; although sult of military occupation generally does to any part of China to insist on the this armistice was never properly observed partake of that nature, and there is not the Central Authority being obeyed would be by the Chinese, any more than were the slightest doubt that every official and yamen sufficient to bring about a general disarm- other engagements made to the Ministers. hanger-on who depended for his liveli.ament amongst the people. The nation at But the policy of uniform treachery failed hood on the contribution made from the re- large once disarmed, the introduction of equally with the most vigorous assaults to venue collected by the Customs will fully financial reform would be less opposed by reduce the garrison, and the precipitate appreciate, now that his supplies are cut off, the scarcely veiled threats of the officials flight of the rulers left the besiegers with-
the fact that the Russians are in actual pos- that riots are sure to result from the in- out any plan of action, so that when they session of that part of China. It is not im- troduction of any such measures. But even were threatened in their turn with siege and possible that the fear of a similar control of without disarmament the introduction of assault they were practically powerless to the Shanghai funds has induced the Yang financial reform is not such a difficult ques- devise any means of resistance. It may turn tze Viceroys to maintain the attitude of tion as it is commonly represented to he, out that the Allies met with more difficulties neutrality which up to date they have wisely provided the Powers will take the matter in the final stage of their journey than we adopted. But such action as that of Russia up in earnest. England might during the have yet been told; but it looks at present at Newchwang can at the best only be a past twenty years have accomplished a great as if the march, begun in circumstances of temporary measure called into existence by deal in this way had her efforts been inspired great difficulty and danger, ended in a most the exigences of the times; with the re-intro- by a settled and fixed policy; but to day it successful rush toward the goal.
duction of settled government the problem of it is too late for her to think of acting alone, an honest fiscal administration will call for notwithstanding the fact that her interests prompt treatment. In a word, financial vastly preponderate over those of all other reorganization of the Empire is the task nationalities. She can, however, still take the Powers must face. Given that, all else the lead, and combining with those other will follow. Importation of the vast quan- Powers whose policy is based on lines par tities of arms which have served to encour- allel to her own, secure the introduction of age lawlessness, not repress it, would cense the principles of free trade as against those for the want of funds, and because under an of protection; and not the least important honest Customs administration their im- aid to the introduction of those principles is portation would be well nigh impossible. the right already granted by the Chinese In this connection it is a question well Government to vessels of all nationalities to worth the consideration of the Powers navigate the internal waters on a footing whether, in the first place, a general dis- of equality. In this right the British Gov- armament throughout China should not be ernment possessed a lever capable of rais- insisted on; and, secondly, whether the ing the weight of official obstruction and importation of munitions of war of all kinds corruption which strangles the trade of the should notbe prohibited entirely hencefor country, but, as unfortunately has always ward? The former would not be a difficult been the case in the past, our Government task as far as the dismantling of forts, the utterly failed to grasp the importance of the
It seems that Major Dobell, Royal Welsh Fusiliers, had some difficulty in catching the Antillian which he at last overtook at Singapore on its way to Hongkong. He hurried from Port Elizabeth to Durban, just in time to hear that the Antillian had gone. There was another steamer in quarantine about to leave for Ceylon, sotually starting. He borrowed a boat, aband oned most of his baggage, and started in pursuit. After a row of about three miles, the steamer stopped and wanted to know what the trouble was. Major Dobell said he had to go to China and he meant to go. On his arrival at Singapore by the German mail yesterday, the Antillian was just on the point of leaving the wharf. Major Dobell was informed of this, packed in a brace of shakes and got on board by the skin of his teeth, glad to be amongst the detachment of his regiment bound for this port.