CHINA. 



113 



up their union, although their situation was be- 

 coming desperate. On Aug. 5 shots were ex- 

 changed anew. In the incessant fighting for a 

 month, 60 of the marines were killed and 110 

 wounded. The Americans, who held a strong and 

 important position on the outer wall, had done 

 valiant service and lost 16 men. The French and 

 Austrians defended heroically the French legation, 

 which was the key to the position and the post of 

 danger, and they lost heavily, the Austrians half 

 their number. When the Chinese forces retreated 

 upon Pekin and the allies began their assault on 

 the city, the legations were attacked fiercely, and 

 were shelled even after the foreign troops entered 

 the city. While the troops were bombarding the 

 gates, guns in the imperial city were turned on the 

 legations; and although Prince Ching ordered hia 

 officers to cease firing on pain of death, the fire 

 was continued all day with artillery and musketry. 

 The losses in the last days of the siege raised the 

 total to 67 killed and 160 wounded. The losses 

 that the legation guards inflicted on the Chinese 

 from first to last were more than 3,000. 



The Roman Catholics shut up in the north cathe- 

 dral were attacked fiercely and incessantly from 

 the time when the Boxers first entered Pekin. 

 Bishop Favier and his priests, with 42 guards and 

 2,000 converts, were prepared for a long siege, hav- 

 ing bought rifles and ammunition for some of the 

 converts and an abundance of supplies. The Chi- 

 nese attacked them day and night and battered 

 the east face of the cathedral with shell fire. Once 

 they exploded a mine, which killed both of the 

 French officers and 3 of the guards, besides nearly 

 300 converts. The defenders still held out, and 

 kept the Chinese out of the great breach they had 

 made until it was repaired. 



Intervention of the Powers. The ministers 

 at Pekin made the first formal demand for the 

 arrest of members of the Boxer society who organ- 

 ized street disturbances and seditious meetings or 

 circulated manifestoes against foreigners in a col- 

 lective note delivered to the Tsung-li-Yamen on 

 May 21. The Russian representative went alone 

 to the Tsung-li-Yamen and endeavored to con- 

 vince the Chinese ministers of the necessity of 

 prompt and stringent measures for the suppression 

 of the Boxer revolt. The Tsung-li-Yamen replied 

 to the collective note on May 24, saying that the 

 Government on May 17 issued a decree in accord- 

 ance with which the provincial officials of Pechili 

 had drawn up measures for dealing with the revolt 

 which corresponded in their main features with 

 the ones demanded, and would suffice for the de- 

 struction of the society and prevent further dis- 

 turbances. The foreign ministers, considering this 

 reply evasive and unsatisfactory, came together to 

 discuss the landing of forces. 



The secretary of the Tsung-li-Y T amen went to 

 the Russian minister to inform him that severe 

 measures had been taken to suppress the Boxers. 

 A detachment of troops had in fact been sent 

 against them. A few days later the Boxers de- 

 feated this force, killing the commander and 60 

 soldiers. At this stage the Chinese Government, 

 in its edicts and actions, showed remarkable vacil- 

 lation and infirmity of purpose. The appointment 

 of Li-Hung-Chang who had already been exiled 

 from the capital to Nankin to the viceroyalty of 

 Canton, where he was entirely out of touch with 

 the capital, betrayed the desire of the dominant 

 party to thrust aside every restraining influence. 



When the admirals demanded the surrender of 

 the Taku forts, Admiral Kempf refused to join in 

 the ultimatum or in the bombardment, for he 

 thought it was against the policy and wishes of 

 the United States Government to be entangled 

 VOL. XL. 8 A 



GENERAL ADN'A 



with other foreign powers in such a step, and, 

 moreover, that it endangered the lives of people 

 in the interior in advance of absolute necessity 

 for such drastic action. The act of the Chinese 

 in opening fire without warning and in firing on 

 the Monocacy he considered an act of opon hos- 

 tility that justified him in making common cause 

 with the foreign forces for the protection of na- 

 tional honor and the preservation of American 

 lives and property, and in this resolution he was 

 confirmed later by the knowledge that the Chinese 

 Government was paralyzed and in secret edicts 

 showed sympathy with the Boxers. 



When Admiral Seymour's force started from 

 Tientsin, Boxers and a large part of the Kansu 

 soldiery advanced from Pekin to tear up the rail- 

 road and meet the foreign invaders. They had 

 first to deal with 

 Nieh's troops that 

 had been stationed 

 along both the 

 Tientsin and the 

 Lu-Han lines to 

 guard the tracks 

 and stations. On 

 June 5 they had 

 a severe encounter 

 with these troops 

 near Tientsin, some 

 of whom ran away, 

 but some held their 

 ground, and killed 

 500 Boxers. No 

 further attempt 

 was made by Nieh 

 to protect the line, 

 for his troops were 

 ordered to retire, 

 and he was cen- 

 sured for killing patriotic subjects. The Kansu 

 soldiers and the Boxers then tore up the railroads 

 very effectively, bending the rails by main 

 strength, throwing bolts and fishplates away, and 

 destroying the grade in the vicinity of Pekin. 

 Tientsin was then besieged and Admiral Sey- 

 mour's retreat intercepted. The United States 

 Government decided on concurrent action with the 

 European powers, while disclaiming an alliance, 

 and Russia abandoned her independent attitude 

 and joined in the accord. The admirals decided 

 on an international blockade at Taku, and the oc- 

 cupation of a strip of territory where foreigners 

 could take refuge under the guns of the fleets. 

 This course was approved by all the foreign min- 

 isters at Pekin, who also discussed the advisa- 

 bility of demanding an audience with the Em- 

 press Regent. 



The proposal of the foreign representatives at 

 Pekin that a naval demonstration should be made 

 by the powers in the Gulf of Pechili was not at 

 first well received by the European cabinets. Rus- 

 sia in particular and France following the lead 

 of Russia was very reluctant to intervene or even 

 to exert pressure on the Chinese Government at 

 a juncture when such action would excite to a 

 higher pitch the anti-foreign sentiment in China 

 and render it more difficult for the Empress Dow- 

 ager to become emancipated from the influence of 

 her European-hating advisers and listen OIK e more 

 to the rational statesmen of China. This led the 

 Russian minister in Pekin to hold aloof from the 

 earlier representations of his eol leagues. Count 

 Muravieff, down to the time of the Boxer irruption 

 into Pekin, would not join in menaces or pressure, 

 believing that the real state of things had been 

 concealed from the Empress Do\vai;er. and that if 

 the Chinese Government were left alone, better 



