39 CHINA history] Peking after its capture by the international forces was scarcely been maintained by the energy of the viceroys of Nanking and less terrible. Looting was for some days almost universal. But Wu-chang, who had acted throughout the critical period in loyal it would have been well, for the credit of Western civilization and co-operation with the British consuls and naval commanders, and Christianity, had the reprisals exercised by some of the foreign had courageously disregarded the imperial edicts issued during contingents been confined to looting. The whole city was divided the ascendancy of the Boxers. After some hesitation, an Indian up into separate areas of occupation between the contingents of brigade, followed by French, German, and Japanese contingents, different nationalities, and in the Russian and French quarters had been landed at Shanghai for the protection of the settlements, unbridled license prevailed for some time. It should be added and though the viceroy, Liu Kun-yi, had welcomed British supthat the French force at that period consisted chiefly of colonial port, and even invited the joint occupation of the Yangtse forts troops from Tongking and Annam. Order was, however, gradu- by British and Chinese troops, the appearance of other European ally restored, first in the Japanese and then in the British and forces in the Yangtse valley was viewed with great suspicion. In American quarters, though several months elapsed before there the south there were serious symptoms of unrest, especially after Li Hung-Chang had left Canton for the north, in obedience, as he was any real revival of native confidence. So unexpected had been the rapid and victorious advance of the alleged at the time, to an imperial edict which, there is reason to allies, that the dowager-empress with the emperor and the rest believe, he invented for the occasion. The Chinese court, after one the court did not actually leave Peking until the or two intermediate halts, had retired to Si-nghan-fu, one of the The flight of day after the legations had been relieved. But the ancient capitals of the empire, situated in the inaccessible province of the northern and western portions of the Tartar city had of Shen-si, over 600 miles south-west of Peking. The influence of Chinese not yet been occupied, and the fugitives made good the ultra-reactionaries, headed by Prince Tuan and General Tungcourt. their escape on the afternoon of the 15th in the fu-hsiang, still dominated its councils, although edicts, illusory direction of the Western Hills. When the allies some days later if genuine, were from time to time stated to have been issued for marched through the Forbidden City, they only found a few the punishment of some of the leading officials concerned in the eunuchs and subordinate officials in charge of the imperial apart- anti-foreign outrages, and credentials were sent to Prince Ching ments. At the end of September, Field - Marshal Count von and to Li Hung-Chang, who, after waiting for some weeks upon Waldersee, with a German expeditionary force of over 20,000 men, events at Shanghai, had proceeded to Peking, authorizing them arrived to assume the supreme command conferred upon him with to treat with the Powers for the re - establishment of friendly the more or less willing assent of the other Powers. As a matter relations. On 16th October the Anglo - German agreement, to which of fact, his authority was never practically recognized by either the French or the American commanders, and was only effectively reference has already been made, was signed in London, jq_ exercised over the British and the small Italian and Austrian and its publication immediately upon signature contingents. A large portion of the Japanese troops was shipped created some excitement at the time. The nego- Gerinajf back to Japan soon after the relief of the legations, and the bulk tiations which had led up to it had been con- a„reemenf of the Russian forces was withdrawn into Manchuria. There ducted with great celerity and secrecy, and it would were indeed no longer any important military operations to be appear, from a despatch which was subsequently published carried out. After a few punitive expeditions had been sent to from Lord Salisbury to the British representative in St PetersPaoting-fu and other districts in the neighbourhood of Peking, burg, that the British negotiator was in no small degree influenced where exceptionally brutal outrages had been committed during by the aggressive features of Russia’s action at the time in the summer, the duties of the foreign troops were henceforth northern China. Germany, on the other hand, would seem to chiefly in the nature of police work. The Germans, however, have been chiefly actuated by the desire to forestall any isolated having arrived too late to take any part in the relief of Peking, action on the part of Great Britain in the Yangtse valley. The often showed a mischievous anxiety to extend the sphere of agreement certainly had no immediate effect upon the political operations. Their discipline, especially in their treatment of the situation. It did not modify Germany’s attitude with regard to defenceless Chinese population, fell lamentably short of the high Russia, for Count von Waldersee continued to lend his support as standard expected from a great military nation, and their pre- far as possible to the Russian military authorities in northern datory raids in search of Boxers resulted only in increasing the China whenever differences of opinion arose between them and the confusion and misery which prevailed in the zone of foreign occu- British, and the German Government a few months later openly pation. The removal by the Germans of the ancient astronomical denied that the agreement applied to Manchuria, in spite of the instruments from Peking was condemned even in the German contrary opinion entertained by the British Government. But it press as an act of unjustifiable vandalism. Towards the end of has given Germany a claim to a footing in the Yangtse valley February 1900 preparations were made at the German head- which it is difficult to reconcile with the policy propounded by quarters for an extensive forward movement in the direction of British ministers when they published the Yangtse “assurance,” Si-nghan-fu, but it was ultimately abandoned, owing to the obtained in 1898 from the Tsung-Li-Yamen. In one of his staterefusal of the other Powers, and more especially of Great Britain ments to the Reichstag, the imperial chancellor referred to the and Japan, to countenance such an adventurous enterprise. Anglo-German agreement as “the Yangtse agreement,” and that Strangely enough, the German contingent, which saw less actual designation has ever since been universally adopted in Germany. The harmony of the Powers, which had been maintained with fighting than any other foreign force, suffered the two most conspicuous losses during the whole campaign. Count York, a some difficulty up to the relief of the legations, was subjected to staff officer of the greatest promise, died of asphyxia in a Chinese a severe strain as soon as the basis of negotiations Thenevoinn during a winter march, and General von Schwarzhoff, chief of with the Chinese Government came to be discussed. tiations ' the staff to Count von Waldersee, lost his life in the fire which The eleven Powers having diplomatic represendestroyed the apartments in the Winter Palace occupied by the tatives in Peking, including, therefore, such minor Powers as Spain, Holland, and Belgium, claimed to have an equal voice in German headquarters (17th April). The political task which confronted the Powers after the occu- these discussions, and the conferences held between the foreign pation of Peking was far more arduous than the military one. ministers in the Chinese capital had constantly to be supplemented The action of the Russians in Manchuria, even in a by references to their governments and by prolonged corretreaty port like FT ew-chwang, the seizure of the railway spondence between the different cabinets. While for various political iine not only to the north of the Great Wall, but also reasons Russia, Japan, and the United States were inclined to situation. ^rom shan-hai-kwan to Peking, bythe Russian military treat China with great indulgence, Germany insisted upon the authorities, and the appropriation of an extensive line of river signal punishment of the guilty officials as a conditio sine qud frontage at Tientsin as a Russian “settlement,” were difficult to non, and in this she had the support not only of the other reconcile with the pacific assurances of disinterestedness which members of the Triple Alliance, whose interests in China were Russia, like the rest of the Powers, had officially given. Great only of secondary importance, but also of Great Britain, and to anxiety prevailed as to the effect of the flight of the Chinese court some extent even of France, who, as protector of the Roman in other parts of the empire. The anti-foreign movement had not Catholic Church in Eastern countries, could not allow the authors spread much beyond the northern provinces, in which it had had of the atrocities committed upon its followers to escape effectual the open support of the throne and of the highest provincial punishment. It was not until after months of laborious negoofficials. But amongst British and Americans alone, over 200 tiations that an agreement was finally arrived at with regard defenceless foreigners, men, women, and children, chiefly mission- to the general tenour of the demands to be formally made aries, had fallen victims to the treachery of high-placed mandarins upon the Chinese Government. They were embodied in a joint like Yii Hsien, and hundreds of others had had to fly for their note signed by all the foreign ministers on 20th and 21st December lives, many of them owing their escape to the courageous protec- 1900. The preamble recited the chief crimes committed by tion of petty officials and of the local gentry and peasantry. The the Chinese, denounced the treachery of the Chinese Government Roman Catholic missionaries and communities throughout the in declaring, through its representatives abroad, that it was pronorth had met, or been threatened, with the same fate, and tecting the legations while it was actually besieging them, and sporadic outbreaks such as that which had occurred at Su-chan, announced that the allied Powers consented to accede to China’s south of the Yangtse, showed that there were explosive materials petition for peace on “irrevocable conditions” therein stated. scattered all over the empire. In the Yangtse valley order had These were substantially as follows :—Honourable reparation for
