118 



CHINA. 



question of indemnities might be referred to the 

 International Court of Arbitration at The Hague. 



On Oct. 4 the French Government suggested as 

 the demands to be put forward by the powers as 

 a basis for negotiation, that' the Chinese Govern- 

 ment should punish the guilty parties who might 

 be designated by the representatives of the powers 

 at Pekin; the continuance of the interdiction 

 against the importation of arms into China; equi- 

 table indemnities for the governments, companies, 

 and individuals; the organization in Pekin of a 

 permanent legation guard ; the dismantling of the 

 forts at Taku ; and the military occupation of two 

 or three points on the road from Tientsin to Pekin. 

 Kussia accepted these propositions with some 

 reservations; Austria and Italy approved them as 

 a whole; Germany desired to have the German 

 point of view taken into consideration, and to in- 

 sure a thorough investigation and the condign 

 punishment of all guilty persons; Great Britain 

 was unwilling to agree to the permanent interdic- 

 tion of the importation of war munitions. The 

 Tinted States Government in its reply assumed 

 that the interdiction was not intended to be per- 

 manent. On constitutional grounds the President 

 could not undertake to maintain military guards 

 in Pekin or on the road from Tientsin. In the 

 course of further correspondence, objections to the 

 razing of Chinese forts, the establishment of inter- 

 national military posts in China, and the prohibi- 

 tion of the trade in war munitions were plainly 

 intimated, and a similar view was taken by Japan 

 and Great Britain. 



On Oct. 16 Germany and Great Britain signed 

 a mutual agreement to uphold for all China, so 

 far as they can exercise their influence, that the 

 rivers and" littoral shall remain open and free to 

 trade and to every form of economic activity for 

 the peoples of all countries without distinction. 

 Both governments agreed that they would not 

 make use of the present complications to obtain 

 for themselves any territorial advantage in Chinese 

 dominion, and that they would direct their policy 

 toward maintaining undiminished the territorial 

 condition of the Chinese Empire; but in case of 

 another power making use of the complications in 

 China to obtain territorial advantages under any 

 form whatever, the two contracting parties re- 

 served for themselves the right to come to a pre- 

 liminary understanding regarding the eventual 

 steps to be taken for the protection of their own 

 interests. The other governments were invited to 

 accept the principles recorded in this agreement, 

 and all assented to the declarations for the pres- 

 ervation of the territorial integrity of the Chinese 

 Empire and the open door. 



Count von Waldersee, German field marshal, 

 was appointed commander in chief of the allied 

 forces, the Czar having suggested or expressed 

 approval of his selection in a preliminary corre- 

 spondence with Kaiser Wilhelm, and all the cabi- 

 nets having later accepted him at the proposal of 

 the German Government. He did not arrive in 

 China till after the occupation of Pekin, and the 

 large German military expedition came later. He 

 sent Hying columns through the districts adjacent 

 to IVkin and the railroads, but did not come into 

 contact with the principal Chinese forces. The 

 Chinese court did not arrive in Singan-Fu until 

 <M. 14. Meanwhile negotiations were opened at 

 Pekin between the ministers of the powers and the 

 Chinese commissioners who had been suggested by 

 them, namely, Li-Hung-Chang and Prince Ching, 

 with whom were associated the Viceroys Liu and 

 Chang. The French proposals, so far as they 

 were accepted by the powers, were the bases o'f 

 negotiation. 



The German Government, in a circular note on 

 Sept. 18, had demanded as a preliminary condition 

 of entering upon diplomatic dealings with the 

 Chinese Government that the persons whom the 

 powers should designate as the instigators of the 

 crimes against the law of nations should be de- 

 livered over and punished. The ministers at Pekin, 

 on Oct. 10, informally approved the following de- 

 mands to be put forward as a basis of negotiations : 

 (1) Punishment of the officials implicated; (2) 

 payment of an indemnity; (3) dismantling of the 

 Taku and other forts between Tientsin and the 

 sea; (4) prohibition of importation of firearms; 



(5) establishment of permanent legation guards; 



(6) abolition of the Tsung-li-Yamen and appoint- 

 ment of one minister for foreign affairs; (7) sus- 

 pension for five years of the provincial examina- 

 tions in those districts where foreigners have been 

 murdered; (8) provision for rational intercourse 

 with the Emperor. All these provisions would be 

 required to be promulgated by imperial decrees. 

 Prince Ching and Li-Hung-Chang, on Oct. 16, in 

 a circular note ascribing the disturbances to the 

 Boxers, admitting that these had received support 

 from princes and ministers, and stating that the 

 punishment of the latter according to Chinese law 

 had been ordered by imperial decree, proposed a 

 preliminary convention containing the following 

 bases of peace negotiations: (1) China expresses 

 regret for the recent occurrences, and promises 

 that they shall never recur; (2) China admits her 

 liability to pay an indemnity; (3) regarding com- 

 mercial treaties, China is willing to reaffirm or 

 modify the old treaties or to make new ones; 

 (4) the general principles having been approved, 

 China asks that the Tsung-li-Yamen may be per- 

 mitted to resume its functions, and that the foreign 

 troops may be withdrawn as soon as the various 

 items of the indemnities have been arranged; (5) 

 negotiations having been begun, the foreign powers 

 should declare an armistice and cease military ac- 

 tion. The Chinese plenipotentiaries proposed to 

 begin negotiations on Oct. 20. M. Pichon de- 

 manded the execution of Prince Tuan, Kang-Yi, 

 and Tung-Fuhsiang, as the principal guilty parties, 

 and declared that hostilities could not cease until 

 their heads had fallen. The foreign governments, 

 at the suggestion of M. Delcasse, had given in- 

 structions to their representatives in Pekin to be- 

 gin negotiations at once with Li-Hung-Chang, who 

 was provided with authentic powers the reality 

 of which had been verified. Great Britain, the 

 United States, and Japan maintained their reserva- 

 tions regarding the original French propositions. 

 The court arrived at Singan-Fu, the ancient cap- 

 ital, and was under the domination of Prince Tuan 

 and Gen. Tung-Fuhsiang, whose decapitation was 

 demanded by some of the powers, and was entirely 

 in the power of Tung-Fuhsiang's Kansu soldiery. 

 Meanwhile the allied troops, re-enforced by the 

 German division and under the general command 

 of Field-Marshal von Waldersee, scoured the whole 

 province of Pechili. destroying villages that har- 

 bored Boxers and executing all who were identi- 

 fied as Boxers or accused of molesting native 

 Christians. After Pao-Ting-Fu was occupied, the 

 principal officials who were responsible for the 

 massacre at that place were executed after an in- 

 vestigation by an international commission. 



On Nov. 11 the ministers, having presented the 

 names of 11 high officials and princes whose death 

 was demanded, agreed on the terms to be presented 

 as the basis for a preliminary treaty, subject to 

 the approval of their governments. These terms, 

 which they intended to press upon China in a 

 conjoint note, were the following: (1) An ex- 

 traordinary mission headed by an imperial prince 



