CHINA AND THE POWERS.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4082, 21 June 1900, Page 4

CHINA AND THE POWERS.

The- gravity ’of - 1 1 ic -position' -in-- China,’ so far from being’a 1 , diminishing quantity, is daily-increasing, arid , the fanatical ,'outbreak against the, Europeans is 'spreading with ' alarming! rapidity, and necessitating the most drastic measures on the part of the Powers,, Once-again ,have, the famous Taku forts Been bombarded by European warships,with the result that two were , blown to pieces, -and : others captured. The bombardment was the work of a curi-ously-composed . naval squadron—ilritish, French; German, Russian and .lapanese vessels, oeing engaged, whilst on shore a strong •• Russian ■ force rendered effectual assistance, carrying some' of the forts,by storm, and’killing hundreds of their’ Chinese’ defenders. It is gratifying :tO' notice that no. small: share of credit, ’ in the naval engagements, • attaches to the British, our - torpedo-boat destroyers' proving extremely useful. With regard, to .the, combined . action which was to follow the reduction of. the Takir forts; it would seem to be , the. intention of the Powers to" send an overwhelming force to Pekin, which,, by the way,-is. only some eighty miles from Tientsin.’ The’ joint expedition: of British, Russian and other marines which, under the comma,ndof • Vice-Admiral Seymour; - made; certain progress ' towards the capital, has had to return, the commissariat arrangements being inadequate;- hut’ within • a few- days j there, will be fully 45,000 foreign troops in Northern China, jn binding 10,000 Japanese, and a new movement on Pekin will then commence.' There is assuredly no time to be lost, if the report be correct that the foreign Legations at Pekin had been captured by the Chi T nese ; but up to Tuesday night no ,confirmation of. this , report,. had! ;been-. re-ceived-in London.- .There is no saying, however, to' -what r ’ degree of madness the .Chinese, hatred! of foreigners may not he .’ pushed, ’ ail’d I .’ until .the JPowers are • able . to. occupy .the., capital , with .a strong'force-,; considerable; anxiety- will be felt as to ’the safety of the l Euro'peah officials/-traders and missionaries. The'fact that the. anti-foreign spirit is , .exhibiting--itself -in. thesouthern and : south-western' provinces, and that Bri- : tish gunboats have - been sent to the > Yang tse-Kiang ! river,: apparently in view , of probable. outbreaks in the . central Tjrovinces,-.plainly,proves that the antiSuropean- movement is by no .means confined, as it' was at first hoped would 'be the' cdseV to 'the' "district 'im- " mediately adjoining the seat of Government. Such an increase in the area of i

|t}ispi’dpr.' , nriist<'' entajl r almost’-/ endless trouble; * it brings with- it, also increased possibilities .of 1 future 1 complications between; thejTqtterkAindertaking the work of ’restoring : order. • The attitude of Russia will be watched' mostVkeenly," and with- , very, natural suspicion, by; both the British and the Japaneses Already there- is a- sinister irnniour, emanating'from Chinese sonr'ces," r tlM,.Rtlssia’is,. for' her "own .ends, helping If he,ipoters; but, as against this, there is the fact that the - Russian troops-and warships‘took an active part in fhe r capture of the Taku forts, and up tb the present there is no evidence "of • any double-dealing on the part ‘of <the‘ Northern' Colossus. That Russia intends to-take.,advantage ot the position -'.nti’.Pekiii ‘in • order to press, later- qh, '’.lier’ claims to ' ah extension of / heiC . present Siberian boundary, ’, may he., taken for granted. A ibreemf 40,000i-iussian troops is now. according to the 'tpndon; “ Standard, massed at KiakhJtaj a town to flic south of Irkutsk, on -Lake .Baikal: .Some few .years ago the.-Russians claimed- certain territory to ' the south-east of Kiakhta, and If is how fepbftecl' : that they not only intend, to! occupy' Maimatchin, a Chinese, ;toivu' just ,• across the ' border, but that'they also mean, to seize-Urga, some 200 miles', further to the, .south,. and a ;plac,e pf considerable 'importance, it. Being tlie., religious .capital ot, Mongolia; .apd of.’, the Lama :of the Urga-isUhe starting point cjaravhns cross. Iho, great deserC’of’ 6b ! f or' Shamo-to.the dliicjilypopulatss;; coastal/provinces .of the east. Other towns situated -along the southern Siberian/Boundary have been claimed by finssia within the last few,.years, and v|t r is.;;,h9f ..jjiijpro'ba.ble ' that...these claims null now lie renewed.’ In taking such , action;') Russia..’. would not lie greatly clashing -with Japan, whose' interests lip.mainly in ,Korea,' 3i) the. Lia-. otung r Eehinsula, -,amf oh the littoral of-, the, .dtilf., of Pe.-chf-li; • but .-any <attemptejij^iinexfltion- of territory by Rns--sia • would'/Tn'ot be.'-palatable 1 to , the Powers, 'whose present and,.primary object .is to .restore order,, -and to .secure a, sound,..and. permanent-administration at Pekin.-:. This-'is a-;task the.comnle•tlbn - of .wliicli -■ is not'likely' to' be very ; speedily; or ■y.ei'y easily effected,, but it is a task’,also,- Which, mutt, precede, any-thing-'in,'. i jiey.shapp . p.fr apiieyafion,,. on whatever .plea ; si)cjiannexation .might afterwards;bei ihade -and justified. -The ; taking-'of r 'the>’ Takit- fofts . wks‘t'ho first step tpjth*e-Bht m rich' yemains to v

be’done, fliia 'for'some,'time we expect this.-news, frqm- ’the northern of the -Yellow i Sea > will be' of .a" sensational .charabtcr'. , ,