SITUATION AT PEKING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXII, Issue 179, 9 July 1900, Page 4

SITUATION AT PEKING.

Describing the situation at Peking in the middle of May, the Peking correspondent of the North China Daily News wrote to that paper as follows " I now come to one which should be seriously considered by the foreign readers of your paper, for it is a question which concerns all of them, and may happen at any moment. This is the avowed enmity of the Conservatives against aIL foreigners, except, perhaps, the Kussians. I write in all seriousness and sincfirity to inform you that there is a great secret scheme, having for its aim to crush all foreigners in China and wrest back the territories ' leased' to them. The chief leaders of this movement are the Empress Dowager, Prince OhiDg, Prince Tuan (the Heir Apparent's father), Kang Yi, Chao Shuchliao, and LI Ping-heng. The forces to be used to achieve this end are all Manchus, viz.:—The Peking Field Force (50,000 men), under Prince Ching; the Hunsheng Corps or 'Glorified Tigers' (10,000 strong), under Prince Tuan; and various Banner Corps of the Imperial Guards (aggregating 12,000 strong), under Kang Yi and others. These 72,000 men are to form the nucleus of ' Army of Avengers,' whilst the Boxers are to be counted upon as auxiliaries to the great fight that is more imminent than foreigners in Peking or elsewhere dream. All Chinese of the upper classes know this, and those who count foreigners amongst their friends have warned them, but have to my own knowledge been rather laughed at for their pains than thanked for feeling anxiety on their Western friends' behalf. May I be more fortunate in warning you! The foreign Ministers, I know, have protested to the Tsung-li-Yamen about the increase of the Boxer organisations in the the northern provinces, but dust has as usual been thrown in these foreigners' eyes. Not only have the Boxers increased tenfold in numbers since the beginning of the year in Shantung and Chih-li, but even . the Imperial Prefecture of Shuntien (Pelfing) and the three north-eastern provinces (Manchuria) are now filled with the ramifications of this dangerous society. I will give this time only two instances to show the high favor in which the Boxers stand in the eyes of the powers that be in Peking. In the first place a Censor named Wang, a native of Chih-li, had recently an audience of the Empress Dowager, and the subject of the Boxers having come up the Empress Dowager said to the Censor, ' You are a native of this province and so ought to know. What do you think of the Boxers in Chih-li ? Do you really think that when the time comes for action they will really join the troops in fighting the "foreign devils"?' 'I am certain of it, your Majesty. Moreover the tenets taught the members of the society are " Protect to the death the heavenly i dynasty (T'len Ch'ao) and death to the' devils '(" Kueirttze "), -For your servant's family are now practising the ini antations of the Boxers, every one of us having joined the society to " Protect the heavenly dynasty " and drive the " devils " into the sea. Had I the power given me I would willingly lead the Boxers in the van of the avenging army when the time comes, and before that time do all I can to assist them in organising and arming them.' The Empress Dowager nodded her head in approval, and after ruminating her mind cried ' Aye, it is a grand society. But lam afraid that, having no experienced men at their head just now, these Boxers will act rashly and get the government int# trouble with these " Yang-kuei-tze " before everything is ready,' Then after another pause, SThat's it. These must have some responsible men in Chih-li and Shantung to guide their conduct,' and the audience now ended. The next morning a decree naming this Censor, Wang, Governor of Peking. That is to say, a sixth-grade official was by a stroke of the pen raised to a fourthgrade metropolitan post—a sub-prefect to a provincial Judgeship. Wang will therefore have the opportunity he wishes, namely, to organise, advise, and arm his friends the Boxers.