circular letter proceeds as follows:—
“We realise that it was because of his outspoken courage in
resisting the evil tendencies of the times that our parent met
his untimely death, and we now submit the following report of
the circumstances for the information of our relatives and
friends.
“When, in the 5th Moon of this year, the Boxer madness
commenced, our late father, in his capacity as a Minister
of the Foreign Office, felt extremely anxious in regard to
the situation, and his anxiety was shared by his colleague,
Hsü Ching-ch’eng. On three occasions when the Princes and
Ministers were received in audience, my father expressed his
opinion to the Throne that the Boxers were utterly unreliable.
‘I have been in person,’ he said, ‘to Legation Street, and
have seen the corpses of Boxers lying on all sides. They had
most certainly been shot, proving that their unholy rites
availed them nothing. They should be exterminated and not used
as Government forces.’ On hearing this advice, the Emperor,
turning to Hsü Ching-ch’eng, enquired whether China is strong
enough to resist the foreigners or not, and other questions
bearing on the position of the Foreign Powers abroad. Hsü
replied without hesitation that China was far too weak to think
of fighting the whole world. His Majesty was so much impressed
by what he had heard that he caught hold of Hsü by the sleeve
and seemed much distressed. Hsü sorrowfully left the presence,
and proceeded with our father to draft the first of their joint
Memorials.
“Later on, when the bombardment of the Legations was in full
swing, our father observed to Hsü, ‘This slaughtering of Envoys
is a grave breach of all international law. If the Legations
are destroyed and the Powers then send an expedition to avenge
them, what will become of our country? We must oppose this
folly, you and I, even at the risk of our lives.’ So they put
in their second Memorial, which never appeared in the Gazette,
but which so frightened the Boxer princes and Ministers that
they slackened for a while in their attacks on the foreigners.
The preservation of the Legations on this occasion was really
due to this Memorial, and from this moment the enemies of Hsü
and our father became more than ever bent on revenge.
“In the last few days of the 6th Moon (July 15th to 25th) the
foreign armies were massing for their march on Peking, and
our father said to Hsü, ‘We are only waiting for death. Why
should we delay it any longer?’ So they handed in their third
Memorial. In this document they declared that the situation
was becoming desperate, that even the Princes of the Blood and
the Ministers of the Grand Council had come to applaud these
Boxers, and to assist in deceiving their Majesties. There was
only one way left to avoid dire peril and hold back the foreign
armies, and that was to put an end to these Boxers, and to do
this it was necessary to begin by beheading their leaders among
the Princes and Ministers. Having sent in this Memorial, our
father said to our mother ‘Things have now come to such a pass
that, whether I speak out or keep silence, my death is certain.
Rather than be murdered by these treacherous Ministers, I
prefer to die at the hands of the public executioner. If only
by my death I can convince the Throne of the peril of the
situation, I shall die gladly.’
“We all crowded round our father and wept. Calmly he spake to
us, saying, ‘I am giving my life for the State. What other
thought have I now? You must decide for yourselves whether you
will remain in Peking or return to our home in the south.’ He
then gave us a solemn admonition in regard to our duties of
loyalty and patriotism.
“On the second day of the 7th Moon, (July 27th) he was arrested
and taken to the Board of Punishments. Next day, at 1 P.M.,
‘his duty was finally consummated.’ The execution ground was
crowded with a mob of Boxers. Angrily some of them asked
him why he had borne a grudge, and spoken evil, against the
‘Patriotic Harmony Militia.’ Our father mockingly answered
‘A statesman speaks out in obedience to a sense of duty. How
should such as you understand?’
“We were informed by the gaolers that our father and Hsü had
chatted quietly and contentedly in prison. They had asked for
paper and ink, and had written over twenty sheets, but this
document was found by the Boxers and burned. Was it, we wonder,
a valedictory Memorial to the Throne, or a last mandate to
their families? We cannot say, and we shall never know. Alas,
alas, that we, undutiful sons as we are, should have to bear
this crowning sorrow! We have failed in our duty both as sons
and as men. Our mother still survives, and our father’s burial
remains to be attended to, so that we feel bound to go on,
drawing the breath of pain, so as to perform our duty to our
lamented sire. On the 8th of this Moon we propose to carry
his remains to a place of temporary sepulture in the Garden
of ‘Wide Friendship’ at Hangchow, and shall escort our mother
to her home. We shall set up the tablet of our father in a
building adjoining his temporary grave, and there weep and
lament.”
If to meet an undeserved doom with high courage is heroism, then these
men were indeed heroes. In reading their Memorials—and especially the
last of them—one is inevitably and forcibly reminded of the best examples
in Greek and Roman history. In their high-minded philosophy, their
instinctive morality and calm contemplation of death, there breathes
the spirit of Socrates, Seneca and Pliny, the spirit which has given
European civilisation its classical models of noble fortitude and many
of its finest inspirations, the spirit which, shorn of its quality of
individualism, has been the foundation of Japan’s greatness. In the last
of these three Memorials, their swan-song, there rings the true heroic
note, clear-seeing, earnest and fearless. The first, though forwarded in
the name of Yüan alone, was drafted conjointly with Hsü Ching-ch’eng.
Hsü, well-known in diplomatic circles by his having been Minister in St.
Petersburg and Berlin, had not the same high reputation for personal
integrity and disinterested patriotism as his friend, but whatever his
former failings, he made full amends by the unflinching nobility of
purpose that led to his death.
_Yüan Ch’ang’s First Memorial against the Boxers, Dated 20th June, 1900._
“Ever since the 16th day of the Moon (June 12th), when the
Boxers first burst into Peking, your Majesties have been
giving audience daily to all the Princes and Ministers of
State. The weight of the nation’s sorrow has afflicted your
Sacred Persons, and you have sought the advice of us, your
humble servants, in your anxious desire that a policy may be
devised whereby peace should be restored to the shrines of your
ancestors and to the Chinese people. But we have failed so far
to avert calamity, and thus to bring comfort to our sorrowing
Sovereigns; grievous indeed are our shortcomings, which fill us
with shame and dismay.
“Humbly I recall to your Majesties’ memories a Decree which was
issued in the 7th Moon of the 13th year of Chia-Ch’ing. Therein
it is recorded that, in the provinces of Shantung and Honan, a
dangerous conspiracy had been organised by evil-doers under the
name of the ‘Eight Diagram’ Society. These latter day Boxers
are, in fact, merely the descendants of the ‘White Lily’ sect,
and your Majesties have already decreed their extermination. It
was only last year that the District Magistrate of Wu Chiao, in
Shantung, drew up a memorandum giving a very full account of
this sect, and two months ago the Governor of Shantung (Yüan
Shih-k’ai), replying to your Majesties’ enquiries, reported
that these Boxers were in no way deserving of Imperial favour,
and could never be enrolled as Government troops. No statement
could be more explicit. Furthermore, the ex-Governor, Yü Hsien,
reporting in connection with the case of a leader of this sect
named Chu Hung-teng, or ‘Chu of the Red Lamp,’ stated that this
impostor claimed to be a descendant of the Ming Dynasty; he
had so worked upon the ignorant people that the whole district
was in a state of unrest, and these treasonable proceedings
increased and spread until the Imperial forces arrested and
executed the ringleaders. Their purely mythical claims to
invulnerability were clearly disproved by the fact that their
execution presented no difficulties.
“When seeking information on this subject last year, I was
informed by General Ch’eng Wen-ping that five years ago (in
1895) he was stationed at a post on the Chihli frontier,
infested by robbers, who there went by the name of the ‘Golden
Bell’ Society, and were brothers of the ‘Golden Lamp.’ On
one occasion some fifty of these men desired to join General
Ch’eng’s forces, but upon his putting their alleged powers to
the test, by firing bullets at them and stabbing them with
swords, blood flowed in the most natural manner, so that these
magic workers died. I mention the fact to show the absurdity of
this superstition; it proves, beyond doubt, that the organisers
of these Societies are dangerous and treasonable rogues,
harbouring evil designs against the Dynasty, especially when
they claim to be descendants of the Mings. They have, however,
collected an enormous following, and should be dealt with as
rebels, which they undoubtedly are.
“Last year, in the 11th Moon, 13th day, your Majesties granted
me audience, and I reported the above facts, adding that the
alleged anti-Christian propaganda of these Boxers was merely
a pretext, and that their treasonable aims justified their
immediate extermination. Subsequently Yüan Shih-k’ai, then
newly appointed Governor, did his duty in suppressing the
movement, so that several Boxer societies were broken up or
destroyed. Once more peace reigned, so that the gentry and
_literati_ of the province, who for a time had believed in the
Boxers and had accused the Governor of ruthless methods, were
forced to admit that he had acted rightly and that they had
been misled. Who could have supposed that the suppression of
the movement in Shantung would be followed by its spreading
and increasing in Chihli? The Viceroy (Yü Lu) must undoubtedly
be blamed for this; he has allowed the canker to grow without
check, playing the part of an indifferent spectator. Latterly,
after these Boxers had murdered the Magistrate of Lai Shui,
the Viceroy appeared to realise, for the first time, that
their professed campaign against the Christians was merely a
cloak for rebellion. He telegraphed, therefore, recommending
their suppression. But there were differences of opinion at
Court, and nothing was decided. Other districts became speedily
affected with the evil, and for no other reason than that the
rebels of Lai Shui had escaped without punishment. They grew
bolder and bolder, until finally they tore up the railway
lines and destroyed the telegraphs throughout the province,
although both are Government property, upon which vast sums of
the public money have been spent. Deplorable, indeed, that one
morning’s work of rebels should witness the loss of millions of
taels! They have also destroyed many Christian churches, for
which the State will have to pay heavily hereafter.
“I humbly submit that this fierce outbreak of the Boxers
against Christians is a matter of deadly peril to the Empire.
By our laws, Magistrates are expected to administer justice
without fear or favour; there is no distinction to be made
between Christians and non-Christians, and it should certainly
not be permitted that evil-doers should pursue their ends on
any plea of religious zeal. And now, within the last few days,
these rebels have even dared to invade our Capital, and their
armed mob profanes the very chariot wheels of the Throne. Arson
and murder are their work; they have burned the churches and
attacked the Legations. Your Majesties’ Palace is shaking to
its foundations, as by an earthquake. For such deeds there is
no penalty but death; clemency in such a case were folly.
“On the 20th day of this Moon they set fire to more than a
thousand shops outside the Main Gate, so that the wealthiest
quarter of the city is now a hideous desert. Nine out of
every ten inhabitants are fleeing from the city, and hardly
a shop remains open. There is no money forthcoming from the
provinces wherewith to pay our troops. Words cannot describe
the utter desolation prevailing on all sides. In allowing these
rioters to stalk through the land, breathing slaughter and
plunder, we were making ourselves a byeword and an object of
derision throughout the civilised world. The ministers of the
foreign Powers, alarmed by the Boxers’ wild threats, have been
compelled, by the necessities of their situation, to bring up
Legation guards, but these only amount to four hundred and ten
men altogether, and the object of their coming is clearly not
offensive, but defensive only.
“On the 16th day (June 12th) Ch’i Hsiu and other members of
the Grand Council were instructed by your Majesty (the Empress
Dowager) to have compliments and expressions of sympathy
sent to the foreign Ministers and their wives. This act of
benevolent courtesy was gratefully recognised. They were fully
alive to the bountiful measure of protection thus extended to
them in your Majesty’s clemency; it penetrated to their very
marrow. The Ministers then informed your Majesty that their
Legation guards have been brought up solely as a precaution,
and they have no thought of interfering in the domestic
affairs of our country. They give the most solemn assurances,
invoking the sun as witness and pointing to heaven, that, so
soon as these disturbances are at an end, their troops will
immediately be withdrawn. There is no reason to suspect them
of any treachery or evil purpose. It should be our immediate
aim to rid the Tartar city of the presence of these rebels, in
order not only to reassure the minds of our own people, but to
relieve the anxiety of the foreigners. If we do this, there
will be no further talk of the foreign Powers sending more
troops; if we crush the rebellion ourselves, there would be no
need of foreign co-operation to that end. Surely the wisdom of
this course is self-evident.” (_Here follow certain suggestions
for Police and military measures._)
“If it be objected that the destruction of so vast a number
of Boxers is impracticable, I venture to reply that the
present situation has been entirely brought about by a few
ringleaders, and that the majority of the Boxers are simply
ignorant peasantry. If, on the other hand, it be maintained
that these rebels are in possession of magical secrets which
confer upon them supernatural powers, I would venture to remind
your Majesties of Chang Chio’s ‘Yellow Turban’ sect, which
flourished towards the end of the Han Dynasty, and of the
historic case of P’an Kuang, the ‘head-breaker’ of the Yuan
Dynasty; both of these men, though possessing supernatural
powers, nevertheless lost their heads. One of the principal
reasons for the alleged invulnerability of these Boxer bandits
is that in the day time they lie low; it is at night that they
display activity, and call upon their deities to succour them.
All the magical arts which they profess—their incantations,
charms, invocations of spirits, table-turning, and the ‘five
demon’ trick—are merely cheap devices of useless sorcery. Let
them encounter any lethal weapon, let them be struck by cannon
or rifle bullet, and they fall dead upon the spot. Can it be
seriously maintained that they are really safe from bullets
when it is notorious that a large number of them were shot by
the foreign troops on the 17th day of this Moon (June 13th),
when they began their attack upon the Legations? Only yesterday
over forty Boxers were shot dead in Shuai Fu lane,[99] and
their altar was destroyed.
“The population of Peking numbers close upon a million, and,
with the exception of these wretched mobs or Boxers, they
are all loyal to the Throne and law-abiding. The capture and
execution of these Boxers would vindicate the majesty of the
law, and tranquillise the minds of the people; the courage of
the rebels would wane as that of the respectable community
increased. Once rid Peking of the Boxers, and the Legations
will gratefully recognise the efficacy of your Majesty’s divine
protection, and their feelings towards you will be as towards a
second Creator. The reinforcements of the foreign guards could
then reasonably be stopped, or withdrawn, at an early date,
there being clearly no further necessity for their presence.
“In conclusion it is written in the Book of Ceremonies of
the Chou Dynasty ‘that the existence of anarchy in a State
necessitates the adoption of the death penalty’; also in the
Canon of History it is written ‘that there is a time when
the infliction of capital punishment becomes a sacred duty.’
It would therefore appear to be clearly proved that these
Boxers should properly be exterminated, and that any further
continuance of procrastination or of evasive measures, such
as their enrolment in the army, will be utterly unavailing.
The foreign Powers are strong, and their indignation has
reached extreme limits. Should they now unite in measures of
retaliation, indescribable disasters await us. Instead of
allowing the foreigners to suppress the Boxers, which would
mean much fighting and bloodshed in and around Peking, the
slaughter of many innocent persons (‘jade and common stone
perishing together in one catastrophe’), let us rather suppress
the movement ourselves, and thus close the mouths of our
detractors and those who criticise our Empire. Thus only will
the ancestral shrines escape desecration, and the people enjoy
untold benefits.
“The Grand Secretary, Jung Lu, is patriotic and loyal. If your
Majesties will but grant him full powers, success will speedily
be attained. Diplomatic difficulties can easily be overcome by
careful attention to the exigencies of the moment. Urging upon
your Majesties the essential fact that in undivided control of
authority lies our only safeguard against dire catastrophe,
I now beg humbly to submit this my Memorial, laying bare my
innermost feelings, and ask that your Majesties’ divine wisdom
may consider and decide the matter.”
_The Second Memorial of Yüan Ch’ang and Hsü Ching-ch’eng, July 8th._
“Ever since, on the 24th day of last Moon, the German Minister
von Ketteler was killed by the Boxers, the latter have been
besieging the Legations, and the Kansuh troops under Tung
Fu-hsiang have been their willing accomplices in perpetrating
every kind of evil. Countless is the number of our people,
residing near the Legations, who have suffered death at their
hands. Practically every house in the eastern quarter of the
city, whether public or private property, has been mercilessly
plundered.
“The Boxers originally proclaimed that their mission was to
pay off old scores against the Christians; they then proceeded
to include the Legations in their attacks. From the Legations
they have extended their sphere of activity, directing their
operations against our officials and the common people. That
a mutinous soldiery and mobs of rebels should be permitted to
run riot over our Capital, and work their evil will upon the
people, is indeed a circumstance unparalleled in our history.
“When the siege began it was their boast that, within
twenty-four hours, not a single Legation would remain standing,
nay more, Tung Fu-hsiang has repeatedly boasted that they are
already nothing more than a heap of ashes. As a matter of fact,
however, nearly a month has passed, and whereas scarcely a
foreign soldier has been killed, the entire Legation quarter
lies strewn with the corpses of these Boxers. Where now the
proud boast, with which they deluded simple folk, that their
magic arts rendered them immune from bullet wounds? If, after a
month’s effort, fifty thousand bandits are unable to capture a
few Legations garrisoned by less than four hundred foreigners,
we can form a fairly accurate estimate of their value and
prowess. Who would ever dream of using the services of such
heroes to check foreign aggression?
“It may perhaps be suggested that genuine Boxers would show
very different results in their country’s service, and that
those who have been guilty of murder and arson are not really
Boxers at all, but outsiders and charlatans, having no
legitimate connection with the cult. But we submit that if the
society has been so disorganised as to be divided into real and
counterfeit members, and if the latter are permitted with the
tacit consent of the former, to commit every kind of atrocity,
it seems clear that the genuine Boxer himself is a thoroughly
disreputable person.
“Moreover, the Throne has expressly forbidden them to take
up arms and to continue their devastation with fire and
sword; they have been ordered to disband and leave Peking.
Nevertheless, they ignore these orders and continue in their
wicked ways. Whether genuine or counterfeit, these Boxers
vie with one another in flouting the law of the land. Their
incorrigible wickedness renders them one and all deserving
of death; the leniency shown them has but increased their
arrogance, and the number of these evil-doers has grown by
reason of the tolerance extended to them.