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CHINA [history come, and Russian forces overran the whole province, occupying the murder of Baron von Ketteler and of M. Sugiyama was to be made in a specified form, and expiatory monuments were to be even the treaty port of New-chwang. The Russian Government erected in cemeteries where foreign tombs had been desecrated. officially repudiated all responsibility for the proclamations issued “The most severe punishment befitting their crimes” was to by General Gribsky and others, foreshadowing, if not actually be inflicted on the personages designated by the decree of 21st proclaiming, the annexation of Chinese territory to the Russian September, and also upon others to be designated later by the empire. But Russia was clearly bent on seizing the opportunity foreign ministers, and the official examinations were to be for securing a permanent hold upon Manchuria. In December suspended in the cities where foreigners had been murdered or 1900 a preliminary agreement was made between M. Korostovetz, ill-treated. An equitable indemnity, guaranteed by financial the Russian administrator-general, and Tseng; the Tartar general measures acceptable to the Powers, was to be paid to states, at Mukden, by which the civil and military administration of the societies, and individuals, including Chinese who had suffered whole province was virtually placed under Russian control. In because of their employment by foreigners, but not including February 1901 negotiations were opened between the Russian Chinese Christians who had suffered only on account of their Government and the Chinese minister at St Petersburg for the faith. The importation or manufacture of arms or materiel was conclusion of a formal convention of a still more comprehensive to be forbidden ; permanent legation guards were to be maintained character. The Russian Government refused to disclose its terms, at Peking, and the diplomatic quarter was to be fortified, while but the draft prepared by the Russian Foreign Office was informcommunication with the sea was to be secured by a foreign military ally communicated through Chinese channels to the British and occupation of the strategic points and by the demolition of the other friendly governments. In return for the restoration to Chinese forts, including the Taku forts, between the capital and China of a certain measure of civil authority in Manchuria, the coast. Proclamations were to be posted throughout China for Russia was to be confirmed in the possession of exclusive military, two years, threatening death to the members of anti-foreign civil, and commercial rights, constituting in all but name a prosocieties, and recording the punishment of the ringleaders in the tectorate, and she was also to acquire preferential rights over all late outrages ; and the viceroys, governors, and provincial officials the outlying provinces of the Chinese empire bordering on the were to be declared by imperial edict responsible, on pain of imme- Russian dominions in Asia. The clauses relating to Chinese diate dismissal and perpetual disability to hold office, for anti- Turkestan, Kashgar, Yarkand, Khotan, and Mongolia were subforeign outbreaks or violations of treaty within their j urisdictions. sequently stated to have been dropped, but the convention neverChina was to facilitate commercial relations by negotiating a re- theless provoked considerable opposition both in foreign countries vision of the commercial treaties. The Tsung-Li-Yamen was to be and amongst the Chinese themselves. Most of the Powers, reformed, and the ceremonial for the reception of foreign ministers including Germany, who, however, denied that the Anglomodified as the Powers should demand. Compliance with these German agreement of 16th October 1900 applied to Manchuria, terms was declared to be a condition precedent to the arrangement advised the Chinese Government not to pursue separate negoof a time limit to the occupation of Peking and of the provinces tiations with one Power whilst collective negotiations were in progress at Peking, and both Japan and Great Britain pressed for by foreign troops. Under instructions from the court, the Chinese plenipotentiaries definite information at St Petersburg with regard to the precise affixed their signatures on 14th January 1901 to a protocol, by tenour of the proposed convention. At the same time the two which China pledged herself to accept these terms in principle, viceroys of the lower Yangtse memorialized the Throne in the and the conference of ministers then proceeded to discuss the strongest terms against the convention, and these protests were definite form in which compliance with them was to be exacted. endorsed not only by the great majority of Chinese officials of This further stage of the negotiations proved even more laborious high rank throughout the provinces, but by popular meetings and protracted than the preliminary proceedings. No attempt and influential guilds and associations. Ultimately the two was made to raise the question of the dowager-empress’s respon- viceroys, Chang Chih-tung and Liu Kun-yi, took the extreme sibility for the anti-foreign movement, as Russia had from the step of warning the Throne that they would be unable to recogfirst set her face against the introduction of what she euphemisti- nize the convention, even if it were ratified, and notwithstanding cally termed “ the dynastic question.” But even with regard to the pressure exercised in favour of Russia by Li Hung-Chang, the the punishment of officials whose guilt was beyond dispute, grave court finally instructed the Chinese minister at St Petersburg to divergences arose between the Powers. The death penalty was decline his signature. The attitude of Japan, where public ultimately waived in the case even of such conspicuous offenders feeling ran high, was equally significant, and on 3rd April the as Prince Tuan and Tung-fu-hsiang, but the notorious Yii Hsien Russian Government issued a circular note to the Powers, stating and two others were decapitated by the Chinese, and three other that, as the generous intentions of Russia had been misconstrued, metropolitan officials were ordered to commit suicide, whilst upon she withdrew the proposed convention. The work of the conference at Peking, which had been temporothers sentences of banishment, imprisonment, and degradation were passed, in accordance with a list drawn up by the foreign arily disturbed by these complications, was then resumed, and representatives. The question of the punishment of provincial soon reached a stage which brought the possibility of The ace officials, responsible for the massacre of scores of defenceless men, an early evacuation within the range of discussion. pDrotocoI women, and children, was unfortunately reserved for separate It was generally felt that the prolonged occupation treatment, and, when it came up for discussion, it became impos- and the inaction to which the majority of the foreign troops were sible to preserve even the semblance of unanimity, the Russian necessarily condemned were detrimental to the maintenance of minister at once taking issue with his colleagues, although he discipline, and the friction which led to such unpleasant incidents had originally pledged himself as formally as the others to the as those which occurred in March and April at Tientsin, where principle. Count Lamsdorff frankly told the British ambassador conflicts between British troops and French, Germans, and at St Petersburg that Russia took no interest in missionaries, and Russians were with difficulty averted, gave additional cause for as the foreigners massacred in the provinces belonged mostly to anxiety. The Anglo-Russian dispute over the construction of that class, she declined to join in the action of the other Powers. certain roads and railway sidings at Tientsin also showed that, Fortunately the rest of the Powers, including even Japan, who, as although the Russians had been induced to hand over the Pekinga non-Christian state, might have been excused for adopting the Shan-hai-kwan railway (18th January) to the German military same attitude as Russia, preserved a united front, and though authorities, who in their turn surrendered it (21st February) to the satisfaction ultimately obtained was not altogether adequate, the British, an international occupation was still fraught with the list of punishments proposed by the British minister, Sir manifold dangers. Early in April Count von Waldersee invited Ernest Satow, was presented to the Chinese plenipotentiaries with all the foreign commanders to meet him and discuss the feasibility the signatures of all the foreign representatives except the of a partial withdrawal of troops. The discussion led to no immediate results, but it helped to stimulate the proceedings of the Russian. The real explanation of Russia’s cynical secession from the diplomatists. The question of indemnities, however, gave rise to concert of Powers on this important issue must be sought in her renewed friction. Each Power drew up its own claim, and whilst anxiety to conciliate the Chinese in view of the Great Britain, the United States, and Japan displayed great moderother Powers, especially Germany and Italy, put in claims If h urrian yseparate in which she was the same ation, Maac geq with China in respect of at Manchuria. in0 enganegotiations which were strangely out of proportion to the services rendered by con When the Boxer movement was at its height at the their military and naval forces. Not only the amount of the indemven" on. enq 0f June 1900, the Chinese authorities in Mannity, but the mode of payment and the ear-marking of revenues churia had wantonly “declared war” against Russia, and for a out of which China was to meet it, gave rise to great differences moment a great wave of panic seems to have swept over the of opinion. Germany proposed an immediate 10 per cent, increase Russian administration, civil and military, in the adjoining of the Chinese customs tariff on foreign imports, but this proposal provinces. The reprisals exercised by the Russians were propor- met with determined opposition from other commercial Powers, tionately fierce. The massacre at Blagovestchensk, where 5000 and especially from Great Britain, whose trade would have to bear Chinese—men, women, and children—were flung into the Amur the chief part of the burden. It was at last settled that China by the Cossacks, was only one incident in the reign of terror by should pay altogether an indemnity of 450 million taels, to be which the Russians sought to restore their power and their secured (1) on the unhypothecated balance of the customs revenue prestige. The resistance of the Chinese troops was soon over- administered by the imperial maritime customs, the import duties
