In. view of the fact that, of Into, a large number of the country people living in the vicinity of Peking had begun to learn and practice boxing and fighting, and in our fear that there may be evil characters among the good (the good" people here are meant those who practice boxing with the intention of some day helping the Manchus against foreigners—Translator.) who might take the opportunity offered to create disturbances, we did repeatedly command the authorities outside Peking to exercise strict restraint upon the people and suppress the movement. We now, how-over, hear that large numbers of disbanded soldiers and secret society ruffians have entered the Boxer organisation as a cloak to their own designs and have seized the <chance to create trouble. They have even gone so far as to kill some military officers, to burn telegraph poles, pull down the lines and destroy the railway. What difference then is there between such reckless conduct and the doings of men in actual rebellion? We hereby command the Generalissimo of our Armies (Jung Lu) to hasten, junction with the local authori capture the leaders of these ruffians and to disperse the gather If, indeed, the authorities are defied by these people, then measures must be taken to suppress the rebellion at once. People's hearts are nowadays most excitable and liable to be inflamed to a dangerous degree whereby attempt will surely be made to trouble the Christians. We command the local authorities to protect the latter from har and prevent the culmination of a catastrophe. of blame is placed on the Boxers, the responsibility being put on disbanded soldiers and revolutionists,"—Transiator.
30th May.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.