§ Sir H. CAMPBELL-BANNERMAN (Stirling Burghs)I have to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether he can give the House any information as to the state of affairs in China.
§ The FIRST LORD of the TREASURY (Mr. A. J. Balfour,) Manchester, E.I think perhaps the most convenient course will be for my right hon. friend the Under Secretary for Foreign Affairs to make a statement upon the subject.
§ Mr. JOSEPH WALTON (Yorkshire, W.R., Barnsley)Before the right hon. Gentleman makes his statement, I desire to ask him a question of which I have given him private notice—namely, whether Her Majesty's Government will endeavour, in concert with other Powers, to arrange for the deposition of the Dowager-Empress and the restoration of Kwangtsu as Emperor of China; whether Her Majesty's Government have provided for the protection of the Tientsin-Peking and Tientsin-Shan-hai-kwan railways by stationing armed guards along the railway tracks; whether Her Majesty's Government will without further delay place an adequate number of suitable gunboats on the Yang-tsze and West 12 rivers for the protection of British trade; and whether Her Majesty's Government, are taking all necessary steps to prevent the punishment of Chinese in consequence of having rendered assistance to British concessionnaires.
§ *The UNDER SECRETARY of STATE for FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Mr. BRODRICK,) Surrey, GuildfordIn reference to the questions of the right hon. Gentleman and the hon. Member for Barnsley it is, I think, desirable to state briefly to the House the course of recent events at Poking, although I am afraid I cannot gratify his curiosity by a statement as to the policy of the Government regarding the deposition of the Dowager Empress. Her Majesty's Minister at Peking has been in constant communication with the Chinese Government since the attack made by Boxers on peaceable converts and the destruction of three villages about ninety miles from Peking, on 12th May. On 18th May Sir Claude MacDonald reminded the Yamen of his unceasing warnings during the last six months of the danger of not taking adequate measures to suppress the Boxers An Imperial Decree was consequently issued. On 20th May a meeting of the Corps Diplomatique was held, and a resolution unanimously adopted calling on the Yamen to take more stringent measures. It was not then considered necessary to bring guards to Peking, but the British Marine guard at Tientsin, which had been under orders to leave, was retained there-Two British ships were sent to Ta-ku. No specific measures having been taken by the Yamen, on 26th May the Corps Diplomatique met again, and it was decided, failing a satisfactory reply from the Yamen, to send for guards. This course was adopted on 28th May, and a British detachment of seventy-eight men with a machine gun was at once sent to Peking and 104 men to Tientsin. Four more British ships were brought to Ta-ku from Wei-hai-wei. News was then received of Mr. Robinson's murder and the capture of Mr. Norman, who was subsequently murdered. The British Minister continued till 5th June to urgently press upon the Yamen the necessity of their taking instant and effective steps to punish the murderers of Mr. Robinson, to secure the release of Mr. Norman, and to restore order, and informed them that Her Majesty's Government would hold 13 the Chinese Government responsible for the criminal apathy which had brought about this disgraceful state of affairs. These remonstrances having no effect, and the situation both in Peking and the neighbourhood becoming more threatening, Her Majesty's Government on 6th June telegraphed instructions to Her Majesty's Minister and to Admiral Seymour to take, in concert with other Powers, any steps which in their discretion, which was left unfettered, they might consider advisable for the protection of the Foreign Legations at Peking, or of British subjects there or at Tientsin or in the neighbourhood. Her Majesty's Minister, after conference with the Russian representative at Peking, was empowered to support any Chinese authority capable of maintaining law and order or any measures to this end—the Russian Minister being similarly authorised. The General Officer commanding Hong Kong and the Straits Settlements was ordered, in the event of the Admiral requiring troops for service at Peking, to send whatever troops could be spared from his command, and was informed they would be replaced. In consequence of further depredations by the Boxers, Admiral Seymour called up three more ships, and on 9th inst., after consultation with the Foreign Commanders, decided to land a force and march on Peking. On 10th inst. he marched with 1,078 men, of whom 650 were British. By subsequent reinforcements the force has been raised to 2,300, containing detachments from the ships of the seven Powers represented, about 900 of them being British. The Admiral had advanced thirty miles on 11th instant, on which date he encountered the Boxers and killed thirty-five of them. The railway being much broken up, only three miles were made during the succeeding twenty-four hours, but there was no further engagement. Nine hundred and fifty troops are being embarked from Hong Kong, and the "Terrible" will leave Hong Kong for Ta-ku. The Russians are landing an additional force of 1,700 men. Sir Claude MacDonald reports on 11th June that disorders are occurring in Peking, and the British summer Legation in the hills, which was in the custody of the Chinese Government, had been destroyed by fire. Nine British ships and, it is believed, twenty-five foreign ships are now at Ta-ku. Stops have been taken to secure additional force on the Yang-tsze 14 for the preservation of life and property Complete accord prevails between the Powers as to the action taken by the Admiral.
§ Mr. MACLEAN (Cardiff)The right hon. Gentleman referred to a consultation with the Russian Minister at Peking. Does he mean us to understand that there is a closer arrangement between Her Majesty's Government and the Government of Russia than there is with the Governments of other Powers?
§ Mr. BRODRICKNo, Sir; I had not the least intention of giving that idea.