THE EUROPEANS IN PEKIN.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 10738, 18 August 1900, Page 7

THE EUROPEANS IN PEKIN.

. EN HUNDRED LIVES INVOLVED.

LADIES AT THE LEGATIONS

The "Daily News" of sth July says, with reference to the Europeans in Pekin: —It is to be feared that the lives of at least seven hundred foreigners are involved. On the 27th ult. we published some particulars of the British and other Outlanders in Pekin, computing their number at about 250, mostly made up of members of the Legations, the staff of the Maritime Customs Establishment, under Sir Robert Hart, the lecturers and others engaged at the Imperial College, and the Mis-ionary body. To these must ba added some 450 men of the Marine Guards sent up by the various x-owers when the situation in the Chinese capital began to ba threatening. On June tlie Ist detachments arrived, representing Great Britain (75 men)— Franca, Russia, Japan and Italy. They numbered in all 340 men, and..were followed two days later by other small bodies, landed from the German and AustrbHi—garian warships, bringing the total up to the figure stated. Among them the international detachments have, it is estimated, twenty-eight or thirty ofiicers. We have already given a list of the staff of the British Legation. To that list should be added the name of Mr Bax-Iron-side, who is, however, happily away from Pekin. and Lieut.-Colonel G. F. Browne, about whom some uncertainty exists, but' who is believed to be at his The physician mentioned in previous reports is Dr. Wordsworth Poole, who was principal medical orKcer in tlie Niger Expedition last year, and is a personal friend of Sir Claude Mao Donald, the British Minister.. Of the student interpreters attached to the British Legation, of whom the Foreign Office List gives the names of more than twenty, Messrs Sydney Barton, W. P. Thomas, Tebbitt, Pratt, Graham, Pearjcn, and Pbillips.are believed to have left Pekin.

The painful anxiety felt with regard to the foreign residents generally becomes sickening at the thought of the women and children among them. It is exceedingly difficult to ascertain their numbers, and there As more than a ray of hope that some of-them ftt least may have been got away before the railway was destroyed. On the 6th of XT-no it was'reported that the members of tlie Legations were e_n__ng their families down to Tien-tsin, but no particulars were given, and as the statement itself came from Shanghai, perhaps not too much importance should be attached to it. Oh Riis point it may not be too much to hope that tihe Government will be able shortly to obtain information from the Consul at Tientsin. As fai * as is known, at present, however, Lady Mac Donald is still with her husband, and down to the time of the outbreak of the troubles her young daughters were with her. Another lady who is known to have been at the British Legation some weeks ago is Miss Armstrong. Lady Mac Donald is a daughter of Major W. Cairns Armstrong, of the 15th Regiment.

The Powers a* present diplomatically represented in Pekin —umber eleven. No successor appears to have yet been appointed to Senhor Galb&rdo, the Portuguese Ministar, who. was lately seat as Governor to Portuguese India.. The interests of Danish subjects are looked after by Russia. Several of the diplomatists and other members of the Legations are known to have had with them recently their wives and other relatives. Among the ladies mentioned iv a letter from Tekim at the end of April were:—Mdme and Mdlle de Giers of the Russian Legation; Madame Pichon and Baronies- Anthouard, of the French; Marchioness Salvago Raggi and Madame Knobel, wives of the Itahai. and Dutch Ministers respectively; Mrs Denby, daughter-in-law of the former A__erican Minister; and Mesdames Yon Hani—ken and Yon Rosthorn, and Mdlles Detrioz, Drew, and De Triantrin, of tha Austrian Legation. Of other Hadies in Pekin there is little knowledge. Two—Mrs H. E. King and Miss Alice TeiTcll—figure on the list of the staff of the University, and the remainder are probably for the most part missionaries. Fortunately they are few in number.