6th July. Tue Western Powers are irrevocably committed to a campaign against Boxerdom in Northern China. It should neither be very long nor excessively arduous. We have previous experience to draw upon, and previous preparation to supplement the action of to-day and the needs of to-morrow. The experience belongs to England and France, the preparation to Japan. For the fourth time now, Western guns have been pitted against the Taku forts. The first attack, in 1858, was a complete success: the second, in 1859, a ghastly failure, three British gunboats peng sunk, and three hundred men killed and wounded ashore, to say nothing of losses afloat. Next year witnessed the third. The forts were taken from the rear by one of those unfair tricks which, according to native ideas, the true soldier should contemn. French and British were allies on this occasion. The fourth and last is too recent to need more than reference.
From a Napoleonic point of view, that is to say, from that which looks to the invaded country to support the invaders, Pechili is not an ideal theatre of-war. In times of plenty it can feed itself with some difficulty, at other time imports are necessary, and at all seasons vast quantities of " tribute" rice find their way to the assistance of the riceies land. Then, again, according to the season of the year troops may be friazled under the fierce blast of tropical heat or frozen in face of icy blizzards from the north. They may be flooded out in one place, they may die of thirst in another. Pechili more than keeps up the Chinese name for contradictory characteristics. How closely calculations have to be made with regard to military movements in this part of the country was shown in 1860, when but a few days after our forces, having achieved their end, had left, the Peiho was frozen and communication cut off for the winter.
British troops accustomed to South African warfare would find a vast difference were they transferred the new sphere of operations. No kopies, no invisible Boers, no accurate rifle shooting, no ultra-intelligent systems of earth-works, no born leaders. Instead, there are vast plains, crowds of Chinese, who, notwithstanding their boast of miraculous gifts and powers are tangible and vulnerable, who are armed with tridents, spears, rusty swords, and the True there is a sprinkling of foreign panoply of centuries long gone by. trained troops, well-armed and equipped: but even these have for some time lost the benefit of foreign supervision, and the percentage of their arms that would be "passed" sin, and some other point on the by a British armoured to-day is pro-; gulf, by any of the Allies, white bably very small indeed. The bom- Russia demonstrates from the bardment of Tientsin shows that they northward. It is, if the present ihave guns; their use of rifle fire combination continues, utterly imonly against the relieving force: possible that the Chinese or rather proves that they are not adepts at' their Manchu misrulers can make moving them rapidly from place to: head against the immense strength place. They have never shown any opposed to them. Indeed there is gift for shooting even at the target. but one explanation possible of their Tu tight places they have, when few. present action. Their cup of iniquity in number, given many instances of, is full, full to overflowing, and the the utmost coolness and heroism. In time of reckoning has come. Shipload masses they almost invariably suffer, after shipload of armed men are from that lowering of the quality of landing day by day. They have no manliness which is characteristic of; quarrel with the Chinese people, crowds when pluckily tackled. The! none whatever. But they are filled common denominator representing with a stern determination to avenge the fighting quality of a big Chinese! the death of their countrymen, and army, especially one which fancies! to sce that the guilty, and as far as itself in danger, is reduced to very! possible, the guilty alone get their low terms indeed. We have known) deserts. None but madmen could them cut and run many atime. They! have acted as those responsible for will do it again, and small blame to; this movement against foreigners them. Very unequal indeed is a have done. The old Latin saying conflict between untrained timidity has often been quoted, but never with obsolete weapons, and disci- with such close application as at the phued courage with every warlike; moment, Quos Dens rule perdere, appliance that science can invent! prius dementat. and money buy. China has jeavalry capable of standing against the magnificent horsemen which we
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.