A _coup d’état_ feared--Situation in Pekin grave--Messrs. Robinson
and Norman murdered--Chinese Christians in serious straits--An
interview with Prince Ching--Refusal of the Chinese Government to
deal firmly with the Boxers--Difficulties in obtaining an Imperial
audience--Hampering formalities--A conference on the flag-ship
_Centurion_--Sir Claude MacDonald’s discretion left unfettered by his
Government--Evil effects of the Chinese decree in the _Pekin Gazette_.
A _coup d’état_ being seriously feared, upon the flight of the
Empress-Dowager, the Russian and British Ministers were both instructed
by their respective Governments to support any form of reliable
authority which would maintain peace in China.
The situation in Pekin was getting extremely grave, and the French
Minister, who was kept well informed, notified his colleagues, and
urged them to take steps. Even then, on June 4, Sir Claude was
uncertain whether there was any gravity or not in the situation,
notwithstanding that another missionary, Mr. Robinson, had been
murdered in a most shocking manner, and yet another, Mr. Norman, was
captured and detained prisoner by Boxers. These things happened at
Lanfang, nearly half way up the line between Pekin and Tientsin, where
the Church of England Mission houses had been attacked by the mob.
[Sidenote: ROBINSON AND NORMAN]
The native Christians were in serious straits, as nothing short of
wholesale slaughter seemed to satisfy the Boxers. It is probable that
had Messrs. Robinson and Norman abandoned the Christians to their fate
at the beginning of the trouble, they--the two Englishmen--might have
escaped with their lives. But they were men of honour. They would not
leave their post of duty in moments of danger, and, although massacre
stared them in the face, they stood like men to protect those whom they
had brought up in the faith of Christ.
An escaped native convert conveyed the news that Mr. Robinson, with
five Christians, had been battered to death, and that Mr. Norman,
wounded, had been made a prisoner by a man called Li, who had once
suffered punishment for expounding anti-Christian ideas. Li was the
headman of a small town close by, and he had not got over the loss of a
beloved son killed in a fight between Boxers and native Christians. He
prayed for revenge, and he obtained it by the murder at his own hands
of the Rev. H. V. Norman.
Mr. Robinson was an intimate friend--in fact they had come to China
together--of Mr. Brooks, whose murder first called attention in Europe
to the seriousness of the Boxer movement.
Sir Claude, believing that Mr. Norman was still alive, called in person
at the Yamên to ascertain what steps the Chinese Government proposed
to take to punish the offenders and to obtain the immediate release
of the captive missionary. The responsibility of the whole affair, he
was impudently informed, fell on the Viceroy; a telegraphic message
had been sent bidding him take what steps were necessary, and no more
would be done. They did not express regret, or show the least anxiety
to effect the relief of the imprisoned man, and exhibited the greatest
indifference during the interview. This was probably because, as the
Yamên no doubt knew, Norman had already been murdered.
Sir Claude refused to discuss matters further with the Yamên, and
demanded an interview with Prince Ching, which was fixed for June 6.
The interview with Prince Ching and the Ministers of the Yamên was of a
more satisfactory character, deep regret being expressed by the Chinese
at what had happened. Prince Ching did not conceal the fact that the
Government were not prepared to deal firmly with the Boxer movement,
which, owing to its extreme anti-foreign character, was popular. He
gave Sir Claude to understand that he could not guarantee the safety
of foreigners in Pekin, nor anywhere in China, although he fully
understood that this failure on the part of the Chinese Government
to suppress the anti-foreign movement might bring about foreign
intervention. The Tientsin-Pekin railway was guarded by some six
thousand Imperial soldiers, of whom he doubted whether they would carry
out instructions to fire on the Boxers for the protection of foreigners.
Indirectly, Prince Ching explained how he had failed to impress the
Court with the danger of inaction on the part of the Government. The
Empress-Dowager was being ill advised, and he was powerless to remedy
the evil.
Sir Claude MacDonald fully explained to the Prince and Ministers that,
however much friendly Powers might regret intervention, it would become
necessary if the Government failed to suppress the Boxer movement, by
which the lives of foreigners in China were endangered.
Sir Claude MacDonald and the other Ministers of foreign Powers
certainly did not leave a stone unturned to impress upon the Chinese
the gravity of the situation, and to warn them of the consequences. Now
that all other means had practically failed, it was decided to demand
an audience at Court, in order to make direct representations to the
Empress-Dowager and the Emperor. This, however, involved some delay,
as none of the Ministers in Pekin had Ambassadors’ privileges, and the
audience would in all probability be at first refused.
[Sidenote: HAMPERING FORMALITIES]
Sir Claude rightly expressed his opinion that the demands for the
audience should be enforced, and Lord Salisbury concurred in his views.
It was agreed to represent strongly to the Throne that unless law and
order were immediately re-established, and the Boxers suppressed, the
foreign Powers would be obliged to take measures to suppress that
movement themselves, the present state of affairs in North China
being looked upon as one of grave danger to life and damaging to the
interests of foreigners.
Owing to the hampering formalities in diplomatic circles, there
was some delay in demanding the audience, but in the meantime Lord
Salisbury took all precautions to be ready for any emergency.
“The wire to Tientsin may be cut at any moment; please send immediate
instructions to the Admiral,” Sir Claude telegraphed on the 5th.
Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Seymour, judging the situation of extreme
gravity, had ordered the _Phœnix_ and _Aurora_ from Wei-Hai-Wei to Taku
and the _Humber_ to Shan-hai-Kuan. On June 6 the Senior Naval Officers
of the British, Russian, German, French, Italian, Austrian, American
and Japanese warships at Taku held a conference on H.M. flagship
_Centurion_, in order to prepare, if necessary, for a combined action.
The British Government left a wide discretion to the Commander-in-Chief
of the squadron as to the measures to be taken, and the Governments
of other Powers represented had adopted a similar course, so that
matters proceeded without a hitch, the greatest harmony reigning in the
relations of the officers of the several nations.
Lord Salisbury and the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
instructed Sir Claude that his discretion must be quite unfettered, and
that he could take what measures he thought expedient.
The Chinese Government was still wavering, and published a decree in
the _Pekin Gazette_ which was supposed to please everybody, Boxers and
foreigners alike, but which, not unlike previous edicts, had exactly
the opposite effect.