102 



CHINA. 



case of war, and the Russians collected ammu- 

 nition and stores in the district of Amoor. 



A semi-official statement of the situation as 

 viewed by Eussia was published by Professor 

 Martens in April, which, after reviewing the 

 facts that led up to the difficulty, declared that 

 Russia would now restore Kulja, if only ap- 

 proached in a friendly spirit, and would never 

 yield to threats offeree. The present conflict 

 was attributed to the predominance of the anti- 

 European party at the court of Peking, headed 

 by the elder Bogdokan, and by the General Tso- 

 Tsung-t'ang. The document suggested that, in 

 the event of a war, the European residents in 

 the foreign settlements in China would be in 

 danger of a massacre, and declared "on good 

 authority " that the representatives of all the 

 European powers at the court of Peking recog- 

 nized the common danger threatening all for- 

 eigners and the solidarity of their interests, and 

 were opposing the anti-European party by sup- 

 porting the just claims of Russia. Professor 

 Martens also rebutted the accusation which had 

 been brought in some quarters that England 

 had intrigued to foment a conflict between Rus- 

 sia and China, and stated that the British rep- 

 resentative at Peking was making energetic ef- 

 forts to avert the danger, and was lending his 

 hearty support to the Russian charge d'affaires. 

 The " Agence Russe " at about the same time an- 

 nounced that it would be premature to appre- 

 hend serious complications, as nothing was yet 

 known of the nature of the Chinese proposals ; 

 Russia, however, it added, u is not accustomed 

 to regard a treaty which has been concluded as 

 non-existent, and if new negotiations become 

 necessary they will be carried on under condi- 

 tions better calculated to secure the execution 

 of the treaty." A letter was published through 

 the same office relating an interview with the 

 Marquis Tseng, the Chinese ambassador at 

 Paris, in which his Excellency was represented 

 as saying that the Chinese Government greatly 

 desired to avoid a war with Russia, and to main- 

 tain friendly relations with that country. A 

 letter in the "Moscow Gazette" gave an ad- 

 ditional and more definite statement of the 

 reasons for the refusal of the Chinese to ratify 

 the treaty. They were, first, that the mountain- 

 passes would, according to the provisions of the 

 treaty, remain in the possession of Russia ; and, 

 secondly, that the sum of five million rubles, 

 which it was stipulated should be paid to the 

 Russian Government, would be better expended 

 by China in military preparations. In order to 

 be prepared to meet any contingency without 

 embarrassment, the Chinese Government made 

 an amicable arrangement with Japan respecting 

 the Loochoo Islands, the sovereignty of which 

 had been in dispute between the two powers. 

 It also endeavored to form an alliance with that 

 nation, but without success. 



It was announced early in April that the 

 Chinese Government had entirely rejected the 

 treaty, and claimed the unconditional cession of 

 Hi, and had intimated that it would invade and 



occupy the district if its demands were not com- 

 plied with. The Russian Government was de- 

 termined not to yield, and its military officers 

 began discussing plans for a campaign. Ar- 

 rangements were begun for sending a large force 

 toward the frontier ; seven vessels were dis- 

 patched from Cronstadt during June to reen- 

 force the Russian fleet in the Eastern waters, 

 and were to be followed by fifteen hundred sol- 

 diers sent to the same destination. The Chinese 

 were also preparing, and were putting them- 

 selves in a condition to make an effective con- 

 test. They had bought from Germany one 

 hundred and fifty pieces of heavy breech-load- 

 ing ordnance of modern design, and had native 

 officers in their service who had been instructed 

 in Prussian regiments and knew how to use the 

 guns. The forts at the mouth of the Peiho 

 were partly armed with Krupp guns, and fifteen 

 gunboats were stationed in the river for the 

 protection of the capital. The Chinese am- 

 bassador at Berlin denied, however, all knowl- 

 edge that any preparations for war were going 

 on in China, and the Chinese charge d'affaires 

 at St. Petersburg in July again assured the 

 Russian Minister that his country did not wish 

 to go to war with any European power. It is 

 certain that the reports of hostile acts and ag- 

 gressions by the Chinese, and of battles, which 

 were numerous during the summer, were un- 

 founded. A Russian vessel sailed on the 2d of 

 July, for Chinese waters, having on board four 

 thousand troops of various arms, with two tor- 

 pedo-boats and a large supply of cartridges and 

 torpedoes ; other vessels and more torpedo-boats 

 followed. Work was actively prosecuted at 

 the dock-yards during the month, and in its lat- 

 ter days the last contingent of the Pacific squad- 

 ron left Cronstadt under instructions not to 

 proceed to the Pacific Ocean at once, but to \\ait 

 in the Mediterranean for further orders. 



The Chinese Government had in the mean 

 time gradually modified its policy till it assumed 

 a more pacific shape. Chung How was sen- 

 tenced by the Board of Princes and High Offi- 

 cers, by whom he was tried in April, to be con- 

 fined in prison till fall and then executed. A 

 milder sentence was advised by the party of 

 Prince Kung, but they were overruled. The 

 case of the envoy was then taken up by the 

 foreign ambassadors and Ministers, and by the 

 Marquis Tseng, the Chinese ambassador to Lon- 

 don and Paris, and was urged with success, 

 so that on the 2d of July it was announced 

 from Peking that Chung How had been re- 

 prieved, in order to show that China did not 

 wish to hurt the feelings of Russia, and de- 

 sired the continuance of friendly relations. 

 The Marquis Tseng was instructed in March 

 to go to St. Petersburg. A month later, it 

 was reported that the Chinese Government 

 had expressed a desire to resume negotia- 

 tions, and had authorized the Marquis Tseng to 

 conduct them at the Russian capital. The 

 Marquis arrived at St. Petersburg on the 3Cth 

 of July, and was received by the Czar on the 



