CHINA AND THE POWERS

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4137, 27 August 1900, Page 5

CHINA AND THE POWERS

POSITION OF AFFAIRS AT PEKIN. MILITARY ADMINISTRATION. SEIZURE OF TREASURE. (Received August 25, 4.30 p.m.) LONDON, August 24. An international military Administration lias been established at Pekin. Each ally is represented by one member. The Japanese have seized a hoard ot silver at Pekin valued at 1,500(000 taels (about £500,000). ■ • French and Russian flags are flying over the best portion of the. Imperial Domain, , where it is believed the Imperial treasure has been burned. '' , The, allies respect the Forbidden City, but consider that unless it is occupied the punishment .will be ineffective. _ ■ Count von . Bulow, the German Minis-, ter for Foreign Affairs, says that the Legations' have recommended the' capture of the Imperial City at any price. Sentries ■ have been posted, at the Imperial Palace. ", Looting in the city has been system-' atic.. FLIGHT OF THE COURT. (Received August 20, 4.50 p.uh) ' LONDON, August 25. The ~correspondent' of-TThei Time's" at Pekin states that, the- EmpressDowager, the Emperor and Prince Tuan arc at Tai-Vuen-fu, the capital of the province of Shan-si, 250 miles southwest of Pekin. HEROIC DEFENCE OF A : CATHEDRAL.' ' ' HONtrEONG. August 24. The . Japanese, British and French contingents of the relief ■ force on Saturday relieved the Roman Catholic Cathedral, in the eastern quarter of the Northern or Tartar City. Here the priests and their converts had been'isolated throughout the siege, their defence being heroically maintained by thirty French and ton Italian bluejackets. ; NEWS FROM THE YANG-TSE.. LONDON. August 24.The landing of the allied, forces at Shanghai has favourably impressed the natives. . Chang-Chi-Tung,Viceroy at Wuchang, beheaded two reformers for restraining attacks' on the foreigners. The so-called reformers beheaded at Wu-chaiig were really anti-dynastic agitators. The Viceroy is maintaining or-! der in the province. , . , ■; ■ > ‘‘ THE MAILED FIST.” , , FIFTY THOUSAND MEN FROM"'-' GERMANY., cent. WASHINGTON, August 24. The diplomatists here understand that Germany’s contingent in China will number 60,000 men. Supplies for the Germans are being forwarded via San Francisco. FIGHTING NEAR TIENTSIN! y DEFEAT OF A BODY OF BOXERS. (Received August 26; 5.10' p.m;)d .-■ ■■ LONDON. August <•

Colonel Dorward, t commanding 250 British'infantry, 200 Japanese. infantry:, 600 Americans: and twenty-five, 'Bengal cavalry; defeated a hirge. body, of,"Bosh ers six miles south-east of Tientsin on the 19th. ■' , ;; .! Three hundred .of. the ' enemy were killed and sixty-four captured,' Tim village was burned ; ■ and' hundreds - of" hags, spears and swords were taken. The only casualties were six Japanese and five Americans wounded. HINDRANCE TO NEGOTIATIONS. ! (Received August 26, 8.20-p.m.) ; ■ LONDON. August 24. Li Hung Chang has cables to the Chinese Minister at St. Petersburg explaining his. inability- to. negotiate witn the Powers owing to the absence ot the Sovereign power and regular Government from Pekin; ( . SAFETY OF A CHINESE PRO GIIESSI VIST. (Received August 26, 6.20 p.m.) SYDNEY, August 25. A Chinese merchant here has received a cable from Kang-yu-wei, the celebrated Chinese reformer (on whoso head a high price has been put by the EmpressDowager), denying the report that ho had been seriously wounded by two Japanese. The, message states that the sender is .safe and! in excellent health. RIOTS IN THE SOUTH. (Received August 26, 5 p.m.) LONDOiN, August 25. The American and 1 British Missions, near Amoy, one of the southern treaty ports, have been looted and burned, together with a; Chinese temple. A party of bluejackets has been landed to maintain order. ARRIVAL OF COLONIALS. I (Received August 27, 0.30 a.m.) SYDNEY, August 26. The steamer. Salamis, .with-, the New South . Wales contingent on board, has arrived at Hongkong. 1 o THE CHINESE ARMY.

The grand staff of the Russian army in St. Petersburg (says “The Times”, corres- ; pondent) estimates .the totAl number of wmneso troops, on the strength of information fromtheir military agents- in China,, at ,1,752,000 men. : This-grand total is made up ot 205,000 field troops, composed of 50,0v0 Manchurian / regular and 20,000 irregular troops. 125,000< active and 10,000 disciplined troops; 689,000- reserves, ' composed of . 13,000 field troops of Pekin, 76,000 called by the name of the Eight, Flag troops in Pekin, 95,000 of the Eight Flag troops in the provinces, and 506,000 of the Lu-m or Green Flags, and 858,000 troops of, various other denominations, including guards, reserves, gendarmes, Manchurian hiiilitia—lo3,ooo —river and ■ canalguards,' transport, convoys and ■ troops formed of men of different alien races. It is admitted that these figures cannot be accepted as absolutely accurate owing to the difficulty of obtaining correct information from Chinese sources- On paper there are 60,000 cavalry and- 850,000 infantry and artillery. Many of the socalled cavalry have no horses, and only a few detachments are armed with carbines and rifles. The great, majority Still carry lances and bows and arrowsA very small nortiou of the artillery hag received any special training. The batteries stationed in Chi-li and Turkestan ■are considered to bo the best. Most ,of the Green Flag troops and the reserves [kro totally untrained. ■ The best drilled 1 troops, who have been under foreign inIstruotors, are the detachments;of Gene-

rral Ni-slu-chen—ls,ooo men—and Gcnc>fal Yiiah Shih-kai—l7,ooo men—-the latter. being employed for the dofenws of The coast of the Gulf of Pe-chi-li, Betana and Taku; ' These-''detachments are chiefly armed with Mauser, rifles, of which, about 900,000, it is stated, have been imported into, China by German, and English firms daring the last three‘years.'.; ;