'The Legations, in those early days, had tittle work' to do, particularly in winter, when they were completely cut off from the outside world, Between November and March the appronen to Tientsin in the Gulf of Chibli was frozen "up. Letters had fo come el! the way overland from Chefoo, while telegraph was not Properly established till the carly Bighties. They were also cut off socially and thrown entirely on their own resources, as there was practical-intercourse of any kind wi the Chinese.
'Tennis, riding, the race-course outside the' city, plenies and week-ends at the temples in the hills, and skating in winter, these were the simple amusements with which they passed the time, It'ls true that they' wore deprived of most of the ordinary conveniences of western civilization, but as against that, the climate was excellent, living cheap, food plentiful, and they had hordes of servants do their slightest bidding.
These heleyon days came to a sudden end in the Nineties with the outbreak of the war between China and Japan. From that time on there ensued a sharp struggle for concessions evoking national hatreds and Jealousies in which the former har-many, geod fellowship and. select society "of the Legations were completely effected. They split up into groups according to their political faMliations. England and Japan; Russis, France and Belgium; Germany, Italy and Austria, and so forth. For the remaining years of the century these groups were entirely preoccupied in trying to overreach each other and squeeze some railway oF mining concession out of the harassed Chinese.
The Boxer Rebellion This international rivalry and the pressure on the Chinese Government led finally to the serious crisis of
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.