The Times on Wednesday published a long telegram from its
correspondent in Pekin intended to give a bird's-eye view of the situation. Dr. Morrison, who has often shown himself specially well informed, and who shared in the hardships suffered by the Legations, declares that the attacks on them were ordered by the Empress-Regent, that no supplies were allowed to enter them, that treacherous attacks were made during an armistice, and that two different attempts were made to explode mines beneath them. He is indignant at the honours paid to the Chinese Ministers in Washington and London, who, he says, delayed relief by their "shameless lies " and bogus telegrams. He adds that the missionaries in Pao-ting-fn were murdered with horrible atrocity, and that when the German Minister was killed the Empress-Regent had planned the murder of all the Foreign Ministers. He appears to be especially wroth because Russia is taking a predominant position at Pekin, and he desires that the Empress shall be deposed and her Ministers executed. We have never had any doubt that the Empress was responsible for all that occurred, or that she deserved deposition, but will Dr. Morrison point out how she is to be forced to depose herself ? He is wrong, too, about Russia. If Europe occupied Paris the Germans would occupy the first place, just because their dominions march with those of France.
Previous page
