states that the Tsungli Yamen Ministers Hsii Ching-cheng and Yuan Chang were ordered to execution by Prince Tuan and Wang Yi on the 23th of July and that the Assistant Grand Secretary Wang Weushao, als" a member of the Chinese Party, was cashiered and dismissed from ofice on the same day. 'The sentence in his case was also decapitation in company with Heir and Yuan, but it was commuted by the Empress Dowager in con aeration' of his (Wang Wen-shao's) long services to the state.
CHINA IN THE HOUSE OF comMoNs, 26rH sus.
Sir HI, Campbell-Bannerman: Will the Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs state if there is any news from China to communicate to the House Mr. Brodrick; We have no direct news from the Legations, from the Admiral's force, or from Tientsin. Our latest information is from the officer-in-charge at Weihaiwei, and it is that 3,000 men of the force for the relief of Tientsin were encamped within nine miles of that place on the evening of June 23. The force comprised Russians, French, Japanese, and British, From'private and credible sources we are informed that the relief force subsequently entered Tientsin, and marched north. Statements have renched us from various Chinese sources that the Legations were all unharmed on the 20th inst, I earnestly trust that that may be correct, but we hive no official confirmation. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. Maclean, on behalf of Sir. E. Ashmend-Bartleit, asked whether her Majesty's Government would arrange with the Government of Japan, the only Power able to act without delay, to at once send an adequate land force to suppress the disturbances in China, Mr. Balfour: It is undesirable to state the nature of the negotiations, but her Majesty's Government will welcome the dispatch of troops, by any Power which, owing to the proximity of its troops, may be able to act at once in repressing the disturbances in Northern China. (Hear, Mr. Goschen, in answer to SirJ. Culomb, suid: Phe Naval Force which formed part of the forces under Admiral Seymour is Volieved to consist of 736 men drawn from the Centurion, Endymion, and Aurora, but the information at present in the porsession of the Admiralty is not sulfictent to enable details to be given.
Mr, Bowles: Ate these three ships rendered practically inoperative as men-o'- war? (Order, order.)
The Speaker; Order, order.
Sir J. Colomb asked whether, as_a consequence of the absence of the' senior British Admiral up country in China while the head of international torces on Jand, the Russian Admiral had become the senior officer and head of the international forces on the water.
Mr. Gosche The answer is in the affirmative.
Mr. Bowles asked whether Admiral Seymour withdrew from the China Squadron under his command himself ana the 900 men landed from that squadron, and undertook the land expedition to Peking by virtue of discretionary pewers given to him, or did he so act in consequence of orders to that effect from the Admiralt Mr. Goschen: The Vice-Admiral's suggestion that he should take command of the expedition, a step to which he believed most or all of the foreign elficers present would assent, was approved by the Admiralty, if an agreement was arrived at locally." My hon. friend speaks of the Admiral withdrawing himself from his squadron. That is not exactly the way which to describe an expedition hurried of with the utmost dispatch to succour the Legations and the European residents at Peking. (Hear, hear.) 738 men were Tanded with the Admiral from certain ships of the squadron on the China stition, and the total complements of the ships of this station number 7,000.
Mr. Maclean asked whether the For Office received information beforehand from Sir Claude Macdonald or any other source, warning her Majesty's Government to be prepared for a rising against foreigners in China.
Mr. Brodrick: Her Majesty's Government received reports with regard to the Boxer movement in Shantung and Chihli, but no indication of avy general rising against foreigners was contained in the information which reached them prior tu the recent movement of the Boxers.
Mr. Brodrick, replying to Me. Drage, said: The percentage of the number of vessels engaged in the forei; China in 1809 was, Brit countries 39; and as regards the value of the goods carried, British, 53 per cent., other countries, 47 per cent., and the percentage of duties paid on such goods was, British 59 per cent., other countries 41 per cent, The latest year for which complete returns as to the shipping trade of the Yangtze can be given is 1898. In that year the number of British ships entered and cleared at the treaty ports of the Yangtze Kiang was 10,753, with a tonnage of 12,271,892. Of the total tonnage of all shipping entered and cleared 27 per cent. was Chinese, 61 per cent. was British, and 12 per cent, other foreign.
Me. Brodrick, replying to Sir J, Colom, who put the question on behalf of Sir Ellis Ashmead-Burtlett, said: A telegram from the Rear-Admiral, forwarded from Chefoo on June 23, stated that a Russisn major-general, with a German officer second in e-rumand, and Captain Warrender, of her Majesty's ship Barfleur, in charge of the operations from the Tak" forts fur the relief of Tientsin.
Mr. Brodrick, in answer to Mr. Joseph Walton, said: Appeals have been made from various ports to her Majesty's Consuls send ships. As I have already stated to the House, considerable reinforcements have been ordered to our naval forces in the Yangtze region for the protection of life and property, but it would be undesirable to state the exact movements of the ships. The officers on the spot have been given full discretion, and will, we have every confidence, do their utmost for the protection of life and property. Mut 1 cannot pledge them to avy particular measures,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.