NEWS BY THE MAIL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CIV, Issue 12258, 30 July 1900, Page 6

NEWS BY THE MAIL.

THE'FIGHTING AT TIENTSIN. - '- PORT DARWIN, July 29. - Hots by the mail steamer states that refngew from' Tientsin had arrived at Shanghß|,b»fore she left. Prior to the attack on Tientsin, 'great fires raged in the native quarter of thfei city. On June 16, hordes' of Boxers attempted to rush the European defences,'but were* repulsed witin 'great gallantry, by the American marines. The same: wghVihe Chinese troops joined the rebels end kept up a fire till daylight, when a pitched battle ensued., all the allies taking part.. After six hours'" fighting, the issue was left in doubt. Colonel Assimoff held * consultation with Captain Bailey, the British commandant, who had placed himself under Colonel Assimoff's command. They decided, on a bayonet charge, though the enemy were in overwhelming numbers. This charge saved every foreigner in Tient■in, ■though it was only effected at great cost to the troops. Subsequently a conference of the Consuls, »iZrfcajy",and. naval authorities was ( held, ■with reference to the advisability of seizing twelve large guns which threatened the ■■' iietjiemsnt".' - ,The British Consul: objected, "• W'Sft® Powers, were; not fighting the Chinese ,i]B^pto,/who;flflraied [ the.; weapons.-. .The American .Consul urged capture, but tihe British Consul's 'bpinuob prevailed. ' A few -fears 'later these same guns poured' a-Hueavy titeW fire' 'ih'to'the city-.- : The' Allied troops *h«TC©pon ;capifcure'd .them, infliotinig; heavy alamghter on the ; Chinese.; . , y June, 19 tike • Allies., barricaded, tihe

•wrests and erected entanglements across the "the Chinese jpeaaswihillß continuing a" heavy-/fire <Srbxnt otter" guns -which were .brought) into position, scarcely a building in the European tpawfcir- escaping damage. Three 'hiindlred women and children took refuge in Gordon Hall, -where the Allies decided! to imlaiko a final stand in tie event of defeat .and in,rasxm. The Tomen' and children behaved ■with great courage., On June 21 distant firing could be heard, audi it was thought tflrafc Admiral Seymour «h fighting his way hack. Nest afternoon e> rocket was seen and was believed to be from; Seymour's oolumn, irequiring help, which Tientsini could not render. On the morning (of Jane 23, the relief column of Allied troops marched into Tientsin. ■ The ocfonm had lost heavily.. It had! -two dfcysV incessant fighting,, and many of the, wounded had been butchered 1 by the Ghdnwe. The American troops werewitibin few miles of Tientsin, on the day before,. Taut fell.into an ambush, and were beaten back to the main body. On June 24, -the relief column moved out to aid'Seymour's column, which was fonnd •sadly reduced and unable !to move, "owing to sick and wounded. ,• Admiral Seymour entered Tientsin next day. He [had lost 61 killed and 240 wounded. He was, blocked on bis advance on Pekin by tihe destruction of the railway in front and rear, and continuoufily fought until Jhe iwas relieved. NOTES ON THE WAR. Two separate centres.of interest have developed in the China affair, and both will be watched with some anxiety. First, of course, come the general operations including the progiess.of the war and the position 'of'the foreigners at Pekin. The other 'point to be considered is the maintenance of tihe concert of the Powers.' Probably for tihe.moment public interest is keener in the question, because on the-' unanimity of the Admirals must, depend in ■great measure the success of the movement jww commencing. ] From recent cablegrams it would appear that tikero is a Franco-Russian untjensfcandjing, which does not tend in the direction 'of harmony at Tientsin. Unfortunately no [information has been cabled concerning the iconstitntion of the Council of Admirals iwhich is directing operations. Among the Jtsoops forming che column of allies are [British, Russians, Japanese, Germans,' ilPrenoh, Americans and Italians. Provided #ll, these nations were represnted' in' the """"'Council, the French and Russian leaders would certainly- work together, and in thei event of international jealousy, the British and American leaders would with equal certainty be animated by the same motives. It is not conceivable that Japan would tolerate anything approaching Russian aggres- ' iiion, and the Italian leader would very probably support Admiral Seymour. The aiti- • tude of Germany is always doubtful,' because whatever may be the official policy of the Kaiser, the common impression is that -Germans have an eye to the interest of only ■ «w> country, and thau tlheir own. ;, Even iiugpc6ing,tb,at France and Russia haye German support in the present crisis, Italy and Japan would still he-with;/Brfe- ■' feon and America,- and it is therefore diffictut to understand how a majority of the 1 Iflfteraational Council would give control ai the means of transport from Tientsin and Pekin to France and Russia. ..

One can hardly suppose that Rmaaia lhas. actually been granted a permanent hold "..over the railway. lb has already been ex- ' plained that this Pekin-Shan-hiai-kwan Vftilway was.built,by British engineers, empjoy- ■ ing Chinese labour with British capital, for , ' the' Chinese Government. It is a Chinese possession, protected and' worked by Chinese, sdthouglh, Mr Kinder, the general mana</jgei> is a.British.subject*., .Apart froip ta« : fiirtj that interest on British capital has to jbe paid from the railway receipts, the line ik practically mortgaged to Britain as security for another undertaking, namely, the Sban-bai-kwari-Newchwang extension, and Bnasia, therefore, can have absolutely no in- • terest in the line. She.opposed theconces(fton'in the first place, and still more"bitterly obstructed the second'scheme, for the MfteiMrion, which-mil ultimately tap Mancwtria, must seriously affect the earnings of •the Klrin-Port Arthur .Russian line..' There is this to be said, however, that'Russia is professedly at war with China, while-the

otiher Powers are hot; and Justf as Lord' Roberts would commandeer the, Netherlands cailway in,,the; Transvaal,."." so .Russia may ■claim the right to seize , ; the Chinese ways, even though British .subjects are principally interested: in them. ■• The whole matter -of the Concert cannob be discussed now. It is not to be expected that the expedition can be managea without friction, though a man like Adimirai Noel; who. saved the credit of .dur-, ing the Cretan crisis, would be placed invirtual command simply because of his iorce of character. Commenting, on. this subject, Baron von Wahlbom, the Austrian Mims,ter at Pekin, who is now on leave in Vienna, warned an.interviewer to expect complicacations. " The spheres of interest of Britain and Russia," he said, "are distinctly marked, .while that of France comes less into question -A certain rivalry would .immediately spring up should <any' .Power: show ,a tendency: to.grasp any larger territory «'»«• nSasurcs' to extend :hef influence, 3.** Powers are"keeping watchful-eyes. on. eacn other's dcinirs'on .this-acKioHint'."-•-Apparentlv, 'However,. 1 the ,trowbl?s,.:tha«;hav# axiseri'.ke: not suffi(?ehtly;sOTic-us to interfere with' the advance on pekm,; wniea is fixed to commence, it will be remembered, about August 15. Li Hung pangs little scheme has proved abortive, for no Power will -have • anything, to say to Jus promise that the Ministers will be. sen,* to Tientsin on condition that the advance is abandoned; ~kOf. k Of course, there are, many things'to" bo'considered. In the'first place, proof that the Ministers are still alive has yet to be provided, and it will seen . * hat the Powers* refuse to hold any communication with China until that proof is forthcoming. Even then it is open to question whether the Powers would be justified in withdrawing their troops, simply to secure the possible safety of the Europeans ,m Pekin. Such a move would be construed as weakness, and the task of the Allies would be doubled and trebled in a moment Every foreigner in China would be murdered and the whole country would assuredly; rise against the, forces.of - civilisation. „.There is nodoubt? tfiat :or. the .higher authority for whom he is sneaking, has this ivery prospect in .view*:possibility of so vast a calamity„..the Allies must '.renlain"fir:the countrv and must press forward-on the capiiaL,: Thfespirit' of their intervention is hardly that expressed in the bloodthirsty words of the Kaiser, though their object should be to prepare the way for civilisation. " ' " The leader of the'Triad Society has at last been The* workings*of -this-im-mense secret "organisation have already been described, "and there have been ample evidences of its.activity during the presfent trouble." A correspondent of .the "China Mail," .writing from Hoihowon June -7, says Triad Society has been very active*for the last month-and-a half near the market-town of/Nodoa,- Tamchow district, on,the island of Hainan.' Those who joined the' Society two-years ago, and who later * renounced ;it at; the border \of the officials have again gone'into, it, and the numbers of the Triads are now swelled far beyond what they-were then. .They haVe worked very, quietly ;this. year in contrast to -the continued boastings of two years ago, but it is evident that a. raid of some sort is in the wind unless headed off by the officials. It is said that large numbers have entered the Society, also, in other, parts of the island. The region near Canton would seem, therefore, not to-be the" only part of the province that shows decided signs of unrest. Yen will remember that in Autmst, 1898, the Triads near Nodoa to rise, but were put down by the .officials after one of. the latter had' be«a.attaoked-a.t the premises of the American Presbyterian '-■",■ ~, ~,', ,' -