NEWS FROM CHINA.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4138, 28 August 1900, Page 2

NEWS FROM CHINA.

-MASSACRE OF CATHOLIC CLERGY.

THE RISING AT CANTON.

A REVOLTING SPECTACLE. Tiie following' intelligence 'concerning affairs in China is gleaned from newspaper files down to July Ist : ■ MURDER OF PRIESTS. Two Roman Catholic priests, named Ispre and Andlauer,. have been massacred by the Boxers near Hienhsien, in the south-east of Chih-li. The Roman Catholic residents there are in gieat danger. . There is every evidence that serious trouble is brewing near the West river. Missionaries in the- interior navo become greatly alarmed, and are flocking into Wucbow, the capital ot,. .the province of Kwang-si. The civilians at .Macao arc being organised _ in. preparation to resist an attack. They are being 'armbd by - the Portuguese authorities. • The manager of 'the FrancoBelgian’ railway from Pokih to Hankow states that seven of the company’s staff .'.mostly Frenchmen, have been killed since the beginning of the rebellion. The protestant mission at Wci-Hsien was burnt down ■by the rebels . on Monday. 25th June. NATIVE RISING AT CANTON. A scene, of, bloodshed and anarchy in the Wo Quahgs is feared, only paralleled in life .history of the Tailing re- , hellion, :n Signs ;of ’ a •murderous;-upris- ; ing of "Boxers, piratps and other bloodthirsty wretches,, with.nothing but. thouworthless lives to lose and everything to. gain by. 1 .assassination- and pillage, have become .so,manifest, (hat the wealthy Chinese are hurrying away Horn Canton: and its vicinity, . taking with Can their .wives, families and, valuables. The Viceroy, Li Hung Chang, has again been peremptorily mdcied to ■ g 0... to Pekin, and-his enemies declare that they will - murder*him before he can reach there. It,is :his presence alone which restrains the revolutionary e.cmcuts, and . his departure Will let loose tue Black Flags and Red Girdles. Li Iluug Chang’s trusted officers aro despatching their wives and families to Hongkong, which .ought to be well garrisoned and fortifred. ■ /The Viceroy . trusts the Americans in tjiip. crisis, r and says they alone want no accession of territory, and he places himself largely, and almost undeservedly, in then* hands. At, ~, a most,. ; important. - conference he / Expressed his determination to secure the most friendly relations with England, America and the other foreign nations. ' • Almost all the missionaries hare been notified- of the imminent pent in which they stand through the. medium of confidential runners and, spies, and they are leaving Canton hurriedly, lew now' remaining there. Commander McLean, of the United States gunboat Don Juan do Austria, was the hrst to protect the foreign interests. He is a .capable and. energetic officer, and. his ship has been reinforced by the arrival of the British . warship Bedpqle, under Commander Corbet. The foreign icsider.ts of Sliameen, near Canton, number/about 200, They are armed, and are resolved to defy any attack. Canton has native population of over AUUU,000 exclusive of over 250,000 people who live in. sampans and junks, and the majority are disaffected. The jncondiiiiy proclamations are increasing in numbers and virulence. . A VAST CAMP AT TAKU. A despatch from. Take -says a vast, military camp is forming there. Russian and Japanese troops land daily. the ■■ British contingent is steadily growing. , v One thousand French troops from Annum landed on Sunday, 21th June. ... MESSAGE FROM THE QUEEN. /The Queen on Tuesday sent a telegram to Lady Maud TVarrenxlcr, sister ,of Lord Shaftesbury, 'informing her that her husband,- who /is an : officer in the navy, had entered Tientsin. Tin’s, was tiie first intimation that Lady Maud had that her husband had left his skip. The Telegram ran as ■ follows: —“I d° n know where Lady Maud ■ TVarrcnder is, but I thought she would be glad to know that, her husband luid helped to relievo Tientsin.” ■ GERMANS AND ENGLISHMEN. A very interesting communication showing the good fooling that prevails between Germans and Englishmen in Hongkong; has been published by the Berlin Foreign Office. The German colony at Hongkong telegraphed to ask the Kaiser’s permission to allow them to place' themselves at the disposal of., the. British Government authorities at that place, inyview of. the. situation now existing, in order to co-operate in maintaining order. His Majesty _ immediately telegraphed, his permission that they should do so. The German colony asked to be allowed to form themselves into a special German volunteer corps, and to-offer tfleir services as such to .. the British Authorities. The Jvaiscr gave his permission at once.

WHOLESALE EXECUTIONS AT CANTON. A revolting spectacle was witnessed in Canton oil ;,26th June on, the, street which runs parallel; with the Shameen. On a spot nearly opposite the Shameen Church nine, men were strangled to death.; This is the second time within a few- days that criminals have been put to' death within sight of the foreign settlement. It may have been done with the idea of exercising a salutary influence on- the people. If so,- if is questionable if the effect will be as desired: • Seventy executions have taken place this week on the execution ground.