SUMMARY OF EVENTS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXI, Issue 196, 18 August 1900, Page 5

SUMMARY OF EVENTS.

The Legations at Pekin, which have now been happily relieved, have been besieged for over two months past. It was during Muy that the. first serious 1 rouble, began in China, the first sign being a rising' of the organisation known as .Boxers. \\\ May the Boxers destroyed some railway workshops near Pekin and attacked some foreigners (Belgians) there, the Europeans being1 however rescued. As the result of the unrest, in the country the Powers intimated at the end of May that a force of bluejackets would be sent to [Vkin to guard the Legations against a rebel outbreak. A cable from .Hong Kong- under date of .Tune I slated that a force of. marines and bluejackets,' with live quick-tiring guns, had been sent by a special train lo l'ekin from Tientsin to guard the British, Russian and other Legations. The Tsimg-li-Yamen reluctantly ildtnilecl KR) marines from each Power to guard the Legations. At this lime there, were lil! warships at Taku, and a large European force, was landed at Tientsin. On June <> Sir Claude \ineDonald, the British Minister at l'ekin, telegraphed for tin additional 75 marines. Fears for the safety of the Legations increased, and the Powers took' joint action to relieve them. On June'll a large relief force of 2300 sailors and marines, with guns, started off from Tientsin for Pekin., the force including- 000 British marines, under Commander Freemantle, and several hundreds of Germans, French, Knssians and Americans. The. trains were attacked unsuccessfully by- Boxers. The relief force sent out for Pete In was under the command of. Admiral Seymour, who was confronted by very large numbers of Boxers and Chinese troops. About June 13 the Boxers attacked the Foreign Legations at Pekin, and were repulsed with the aid of a Maxim gun. At this time afl the Tientsin wires to Peldn were cut. Barricades were erected at the foreign Legations. On Sunday, June 17, the warships of the Power's bombarded and destroyed the Chinese forts at Taku. Hundreds of Chinese* were bayoneted, and some very fierce fighting- took place. By this time the"Legations at Pekin were isolated, and great anxiety was felt for their safety. On June 20 severe fightingl began-round Tientsin, where the European forces were hemmed in by a horde of Chinese, and were relieved by a column from Taku on June 23. About the same time Admiral Seymour's force of ,230.6 Allies- returned to Tientsin, having been 'unsuccessful in the attempt to relieve the Legations. A force of-50,000 Chinese" opposed him, and his force was for n time in grave danger. From this date, up to to-day the gravest fears were entertained for the, Legations. On June 18th the German.Minister (Tvettler)'at Pekin was murdered by the mob, and most of the foreign Legations were destroyed. Most of the European^ gathered'in the shelter of the British Legation, which was defended heroically for weeks.1 The British and other foreign forces bombarded the Chinese, and at''last ran short of ammunition. On July 5 it was reported that the Legations were overpowered, and one thousand foreigners, including all the Ministers, massacred. This, happily, proved to be incorrect, but the mass of contradictory reports which came through* .aroused great ..anxiety until to-day's cable news arrived.