There is evidently great reluctance on the part of the
Powers recently engaged in China to restore the city of Tientsin to the Government of Pekin. They waut to keep the means of coercing, the Empress-Regent should she prays refractory. As, however, Russia has withdrawn from the jOint occupation and America does not wish it to continue, the city must be surrendered after the delay necessary to soothe the irritated pride of some of the Allies. There is also great reluctance to concede the Chinese demand.that the indemnity shall be paid in silver; but as America has formally conceded the point and Great Britain is indifferent, there is no donbt that on this subject also China will win. Indeed she has wen, for she has paid the instalment due upon the silver basis, and the Powers have.takennosteps.towards coercion. As Europe.
will not again enter Chine with a composite army, as she 1,171 -
trust no mandatory, and astbe people of China consider-the exaction of the indemnity a violent oppression, we should not be surprised if it were by degrees whittled away until only a moderate annuity remained to be paid. Only Germany is in earnest in exacting the money, and even she would hesitate to drive the Court a second time from Pekin. The rumours of attacks on missionaries do not seem for the present to mean much, but there is a certain revival of the " Boxer " organisa- tion, how extensive no one seems to know.
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