THE WAR IN CHINA.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11795, 26 July 1900, Page 2

THE WAR IN CHINA.

INTERVIEW WITH LI HUNG CHANG.

The Hongkong Daily Press of Juno 23 states that on Tuesday, June 19, the Canton correspondent reported: — Li Hung Chang, the Viceroy of the two ■Kwangs, had been ordered by her Majesty vie impress Dowager to vacate his post and proceed at once to Fekin. The impression conveyed by this was that the aged Viceroy, who, m the. opinion of many competent to judge, had been sent from the north to tie out of the way of the Empress Dowager and her plans, was found once again to be the only man i n China able to extricate his country from the difficulties into which it had been plunged. He was the man to save the situation and his Emperor's "face." I therefore determined to interview him. I arrived m Canton on Thursday morning. In ihe afternoon his Excellency granted an .™llefe, which lasted exactly two hours. His Excellency was asked if the report was correct that he had been summoned to Pekin by the Empress Dowager. He said it wa3 correct. Conversation continued as follows:— Will your Excellency go with the intention of mediating?"--"! shall, go to Pekin for two purposes—one to suppress .the BoxWs, the other as mediator to try and make peace." " What is you opinion as to this Boxer outbreak?"—"l believe the Boxers'are only a rabble of stupid, ignorant people, led astray by fanaticism and anti-Christian feelings into attacking native Christians and then their foreign teachers, the missionaries: I do not regard them as having political motives or class them in the same category as secret societies in China, whose object is rebellion and the overthrowing of the dynasty. The Boxers are but common people—peasantry. Their origin is, I think, due to the fact that continuous trouble with native Christians has engendered illfeeling among the peasantry, and as Christians in law cases invariably get the better of them, they thought they must practise physical exercises to be equal to the Christians. They commenced an attack on the native converts, and then on the missionaries. The reason is therefore partly due to anti-Christianism and fanaticism."

Do you think that the native Christians in these instances are -to blame for ■ this spirit of opposition?"—" Yes, both Roman Catholics and Protestants, and the missionaries often themselves give trouble. The Roman Catholics are the most troublesome. I am certain that the Dowager Empress hns been misled and misinformed. I believe that the Dowager Empress has not been informed of tlie true state of affairs. Her Majesty has summoned me to go to Pekin to know exactly what has happened. I firmly believe it was not her intention that these things should have taken place." "But it is reported that Tv Lv has been handed over to the Board of Punishments, apparently for his non-success against the allied forces. He acted under Imperial orders."—" Can you confirm that? Because I do not think it can'be true; but even if it •were true his disgrace for not defeating an enemy would be merely in accordance with Chinese law. which formally requires the punishment of a defeated general. Of course it is eaid generally that the forts at Talcu suddenly opened fire on the allied fleet without warnings but then I am iii receipt of an official telegram about this. It appears that either Yu Loh, Viceroyof Ohih-li, or the commander of the forts, 1 am not certain which, received an ultimatum that ho was to disperse the Chinese soldiers, send away the torpedo boats, and render useless the submarine mines at Taku, so that foreign gunboats could get near the shore and go up the river. It. was not strange lhat our people should take this to mean war. to be asked to clear off as they were. Perhaps these ignorant people did not quite understand things, therefore, they began to open fire; but whether they really commenced firing first I do not know."

"Then this act of war, your Excellency?— does it mean that the Empire is at war with the allied Powers, or only the forces in Ohihli in the vicinity of Pekin? Have you made

any preparations?"—" Ido not think that ihis is a declaration of war, so I liave made no jireparation for war. lam receiving you and the foreign Consuls here, so we are quite friendly. Then if this trouble up north meant a declaration of war I should have been notified by telegram by the Central Government." " But in any case you could not get a telegram through from Pekin, as thfe wires are cut."—" Well, I got a telegram about Lv Li and the forts.' The wires were cut then." "Are Viceroys, expected to. follow thp example set in Chih-li, and commence aggressive operations?"—" Speaking for myself, my first duty is to protect life and property, and to maintain order within my jurisdiction. I shall do .nothing aggressive unless ordered, but keep quiet and ?try. to. protect foreigners and foreign property." His Excellency then asked. what was the general, opinion with regard to China in the present crisis. The interviewer replied that according to Ministerial statements made in Europe the first object of the Powers was to restore order in China. Certainly Great Britain and America desired nothing more than adequate protection for their subjects and freedom to trade. They sought no territory. • "' . ■ His Excellency said he believed that. Neither did he think Russia wanted territory, " though as an Englishman it might be natural for me to imply it." "What is the remedy for the present state of affairs, your Excellency?" continued the interviewer.—" I cannot say exactly what will be done until I see the Dowager Empress. My opinion is that first we must try to suppress these Boxers. That will be done by beheading their leaders and dispersing their followers, who are ignorant people, and know nothing. Secondly, I believe I can make peace with the foreign Powers in a friendly way." "Do you think that by your leaving Canton a rebellion far more serious than the trouble in the North is likely to break out (here?" —"I cannot guarantee to say that there will cot be a rebellion. I cannot be sure' what may happen. I do not believe that there will be perfect peace. Though there may not be a great deal of trouble, and no serious rebellion before I take my departure, I will give orders to all my officers to do their best to crush the secret societies in these two provinces ; but I regret to say that some leaders have run away. Most of them hide themselves in Hongkong and Singapore, where they keep quiet. After my departure, perhaps, many of. these men will return and cause trouble." Li Hung Chang then discussed several things. The impression of his interviewer was that Li was confident he could restore order in the North and successfully settle the matter with the foreign Powers. It is believed that he was also fairly confident of order being maintained in the two Kwangs, for he goes j away in greater power than ever. He leaves J his own generals and other officers behind I him, and, as ho is irreatly feared by the peo- j pie, his shadow will remain. That may not ; be so mighty as his presence, but it will have ■ the memory of many executions since his present Vice-royalty—some say 2000—to support it. Reports by the China mail show that rein- \ forcements were being anxiously looked for 1 by the British and other foreign residents of ] Shanghai and the Yang-tse Vnlley. The Vice- \ roy. Liv had received instructions from Pc- ] king to be prepared to resist by force British warships entering the Yang-toe-kiang River, . as it was feared that Great Britain inteuded to seize the Yangtse Valleyl. A force of 10,000 men had also been requisitioned from Viceroy Liv to proceed overland to the north, . the Viceroy of Wuchang being instructed to j act in conjunction with Viceroy Liv for the \ defence of the Yang-tse. Tt is, of course, dif- i ficult to foresee how far the anti-foreign spirit i which is prevalent in the north will spread, but it appears to be generally feared that trouble will extend to Shanghai. There are reported to be numbers of rowdies and desperadoes in the neighbourhood, to whom the looting of Shanghai would be a great temptation, and whose imagination has been worked j upon by distorted reports of victories gained ' by the Boxers in the north. When the mail steamer left there was not a sintrle British man-of-war in port at Shanghai, all the fleet having massed at Taku, and the probability is , that the three vessels which have left Aus- . tralia will be employed for the protection of the Yangtse Valley, where British interests largely predominate. Meanwhile the British merchants at Shanghai look upon the actual situation with grave anxiety. One of them j recently pointed out in a letter to the news- I papers that the absence of reasonable precautions was greatly to be deplored.