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Vol. 66

The Outlook

The Situation in Peking

Published Weekly

September 1, 1900

The cable despatches from China the past week have been unsatisfactory reading to one who wishes to get a clear view of actual conditions, not so much because they have been meager as because they have been contradictory and often obviously the merest rumor-as, for instance, the absurd despatch from Chifu on Saturday stating that Germany, Russia, and Japan were about to unite in declaring war against China and in requesting England and the United States to withdraw their troops. It is certain that the assault on Peking was precipitated a day earlier than intended by the renewal of attacks on the legations by the Chinese, with the severest firing of the whole siege, although, with habitual duplicity, the Tsungli-Yamen had on that very day sent word to the Foreign Ministers that they had strictly forbidden such firing and would court-martial any who disobeyed. Admiral Remey cabled that the American troops were the first to enter the Imperial City. The Japanese set a guard about three of the gates to this inner or forbidden city, and it is doubtful whether that part of Peking has been actually occupied by the allies, or whether, the resistance inside having been quelled, the allies are holding the inner city guarded for future action. Dr. Morison, the London "Times's" correspondent, who was the first to get through an intelligible account of the siege of the legations, last week cabled, "Peking is now entirely under foreign control," adding, "Looting is proceeding systematically." This may possibly refer to looting by the Chinese themselves, which other despatches have mentioned; it is fervently hoped that the soldiers of the Powers have been kept under restraint, and that such demoralizing scenes as marked the destruction of the Summer Palace in 1860 by the English and

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French have not been permitted. The whereabouts of the Empress Dowager and Emperor are not absolutely known, but opinion is gaining strength that they have fled to Hsianfu in Shensi. The American loss in the fighting of August 14 and 15, when Peking was carried, was only six killed (including Captain Reilly, of the Fifth Artillery) and about thirty wounded. The first despatch from Minister Conger began: "Saved. Relief arrived to-day [despatch undated]. Entered city with little trouble." Another significant sentence in a despatch (August 19) from Mr. Conger is: "No representatives of the Chinese Government in sight in Peking; conditions chaotic." Even more significant are his statements that "the whole movement is purely a governmental one; the Boxers are only a pretense."

The capture of PeMore Fighting Probable king by no means implies that the Powers have no more fighting before them. The Chinese in this war have constantly done the unexpected thing. The resistance offered to Admiral Seymour surprised those who thought the Chinese were cowardly and ill-armed; at Peitsang the allies found a Chinese army with better guns than their own, who fought bravely and desperately, and killed and wounded twelve hundred of their enemies. By this time the world began to expect effective fighting on the part of the Chinese; the surprise was equally great, then, at the feeble resistance and apparent panic of the Chinese forces all the way from Peitsang to Peking. But now that Peking is captured and the Manchu Government has fled, the cable despatches tell us that large bodies of the best Chinese troops are again invading the country south and west of Peking, and Japanese officers

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