Mr. Conger to Mr. Hay.
Pekin, China, June 4, 1900. (Received September 24, 1900.)
Sir: I have the honor to confirm, on the overleaf, my telegram of today,1 and to add some additional incidents which render the situation very grave.
A few days ago a party of 30 foreigners, the last of the fleeing railway employees, started to go in boats down the Ming River from Paotingfu to Tientsin. They were attacked by Boxers, several of them wounded, and it is believed some of them killed. Twenty-three have arrived at Tientsin, but 7 are still missing. On Saturday 25 Cossacks started from Tientsin for their relief, but returned last night, having had a fight with the Boxers about 17 miles out, in which 16 Boxers are said to have been killed, and a Russian officer and 1 soldier wounded, but no trace of the missing was found. They are two Swiss, two French, two Italians, and one Greek.
We have a number of American missionaries at Paoting-fu who reported themselves safe yesterday, but said prospects were very threatening. Both the Tsungli Yamen and the viceroy have been informed of the situation, and protection has been promised them. However, they are much safer there for the present than they would be en route trying to get away.
This morning a station on the railroad to Tientsin was burned, and the road and telegraph line cut. We still, however, have the Government telegraph line, which does not follow the railroad, intact. But if they are determined to continue their depredations they will not fail to cut that line. It was in this situation that the representatives of the powers having war ships at Taku concluded at a meeting this [Page 142] morning to send to their respective governments substantially such telegrams as the one confirmed herewith. It certainly is to be hoped that such a situation will not arrive, but prudence suggests the wisdom of some preparation for it.
I have the honor to be, etc.,
- Printed ante.↩