THE CHINESE QUESTION.

Otago Witness, Issue 2497, 22 January 1902, Page 34

THE CHINESE QUESTION.

LONDON, January 13.

M. Beau, who succeeded M. Pichofl as French Minister to Peking, has taken occasion to emphasise the French claim! to a protectorate over the Roman Cathai lie missions in China. M. Beau with* holds his credentials until the murderers of two missionaries are punished and the status of the missionaries in Mart* churia is settled. Seven thousand .of the Dowager-Em« press's bodyguard and the attaches to the Foreign Legations have returned to Peking. January 15. Chinese soldiers in the Tungchaif Channel, West River, fired a volley upon the British steamer Harming, wounding the chaplain of the warship Glory, who was a passenger, in the leg. January 16. A Chinese Imperial edict issued enjoins protection and respect to missionaries and converts. It degrades the former Boxer Civil Governor of Peking,and dismisses the officials and accom* pliccs on the ground that they exaggerated the Boxers' occult power and misled the Throne. January 20. The Standard states that trustworthy reports have been received in Pekin that Tung-fuh-Siang has been executed* The British Commissioner at Shanghai is amicably negotiating for a revision of a commercial treaty with Sheng, appointed some time ago by the Imperial Court to uegotiate treaties. He shows a reasonable, favourable spirit. ST. PETERSBURG, January 14. Prince Fkhtomsky has characterised Dr Uluar's recent revelations in regard to Russia's understanding with the Em-press-Dowager of China as a lie. Dv Ulnar reasserts his previous statement^ and challenges a reference of the mattetf to arbiter?.