Vol. 66 The Outlook The Outlook is a Weekly Newspaper and an Illustrated Monthly Magazine in one. It is published every Saturday-fifty-two issues a year. The first issue in each month is an Illustrated Magazine Number, containing about twice as many pages as the regular weekly Price.—The subscription price is Three Dollars a year, payable in advance. Ten cents a copy. Postage is Prepaid by the publishers for all subscriptions in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. For all other countries in the Postal Union add $1.56 for postage. Change of Address.—When a change of address is ordered, both the new and the old address must be given. The notice should be sent one week before the change is to take effect. Discontinuances.-If a subscriber wishes his copy of the paper discontinued at the expiration of his subscription, notice to that effect should be sent. Otherwise it is assumed that a continuance of the subscription is desired. How to Remit.-Remittances should be sent by Draft on New York, Express-Order, or Money-Order, payable to order of THE OUTLOOK COMPANY. Cash should be sent in Vol. 66 ARXI howall The Outlook The Situation in Published Weekly September 1, 1900 The cable despatches from China the past week have been unsatisfactory reading to one who wishes to get a clear view of actual conditions, not so much because they have been meager as because they have been contradictory and often obviously the merest rumor-as, for instance, the absurd despatch from Chifu on Saturday stating that Germany, Russia, and Japan were about to unite in declaring war against China and in requesting England and the United States to withdraw their troops. It is certain that the assault on Peking was precipitated a day earlier than intended by the renewal of attacks on the legations by the Chinese, with the severest firing of the whole siege, although, with habitual duplicity, the Tsungli-Yamen had on that very day sent word to the Foreign Ministers that they had strictly forbidden such firing and would court-martial any who disobeyed. Admiral Remey cabled that the American troops were the first to enter the Imperial City. The Japanese set a guard about three of the gates to this inner or forbidden city, and it is doubtful whether that part of Peking has been actually occupied by the allies, or whether, the resistance inside having been quelled, the allies are holding the inner city guarded Dr. Morison, the Lonfor future action. don "Times's" correspondent, who was the first to get through an intelligible account of the siege of the legations, last week cabled, Peking is now entirely under foreign control," adding, "Looting is proceeding systematically." This may possibly refer to looting by the Chinese themselves, which other despatches have mentioned; it is fervently hoped that the soldiers of the Powers have been kept under restraint, and that such demoralizing scenes as marked the destruction of the Summer Palace in 1860 by the English and 66 No. 1 French have not been permitted. The means The capture of PeMore Fighting Probable king by no The Chinese in implies that the Powers have no more fighting before them. this war have constantly done the unexpected thing. The resistance offered to Admiral Seymour surprised those who thought the Chinese were cowardly and ill-armed; at Peitsang the allies found a Chinese army with better guns than their own, who fought bravely and desperately, and killed and wounded twelve hundred of their enemies. By this time the world began to expect effective fighting on the part of the Chinese; the surprise was equally great, then, at the feeble resistance and apparent panic of the Chinese forces all the way from PeiBut now that Peking is tsang to Peking. captured and the Manchu Government has fled, the cable despatches tell us that large bodies of the best Chinese troops are again invading the country south and west of Peking, and Japanese officers 1 even think that the Chinese are about to attack Peking. Large reinforcements have reached Taku, but further reinforcements are now being called for. On Tuesday morning of this week an unconfirmed and improbable rumor from St. Petersburg asserts that the allies in Peking have been defeated with a loss of 1,800. The Rus sians are steadily advancing southward with a large army, but are meeting resistance; they have occupied two more towns on the Amoor River, and have refused a request from China for a suspension of hostilities. Germany, also, in several ways has given indication that she expects to carry on an extensive campaign against China, and reports have been rife during the week that both Russia and Germany will act in the final settlement independently of the other Powers. International Relations armies of the various viceroys-a natural enough position for him to take, and one which shows the necessity of an understanding among the allies about future purposes and acts. Practically, there is no Government in China to-day; the great problem is to establish or recognize a Government with which we can deal. The War in South Africa Lord Roberts is once more carrying out one of his rapid and exceedingly active movements. His strategy in South Africa from the beginning has seemed to consist of sudden rushes followed by intervals of some length, during which the country newly taken possession of is pacified and cleared of the enemy. He is now at the front himself, moving apparently against Botha's forces northeast of Pretoria. On Sunday he was engaged with the Boers, he reports, over a perimeter of thirty miles" near Belfast; and was stubbornly opposed. He says the Boers are making a determined stand in country well suited to their tactics. General Roberts's advance is in three columns, one under the command of General Buller and one under General French. General Olivier, called by Lord Roberts the moving Boer spirit in the southeastern portion of the Orange River district, has been captured. A Boer attack on Winburg has been repulsed. The Boers have scored a success during the week by the capture of a detachment of British soldiers numbering one hundred or more; on the other hand, General Baden-Powell is reported to have released at least an equal number of British prisoners. General De Wet appears to have abandoned the intention of moving to the northeast of Pretoria and joining General Botha, if, indeed, he has ever had such an intention, and is now believed again to be west of Pretoria, and possibly south of the Vaal River. Opinion even in London is divided as to the expediency of the execution of Lieutenant Cordua, who met his fate bravely. There is no doubt that he conspired to abduct General Roberts, but the conspiracy was a clumsy and futile undertaking, and it is, we believe, admitted that Lieutenant Cordua was purposely led into it by a British agent who schemed to entrap him; these circumstances seem to many to have made the case one where leniency The facts just stated foreshadow inevitable difficulties in the final settlement of the Chinese question. Talk of withdrawing American troops is at present premature. Our Government has done well, however, to make still clearer its disavowal of territorial greed, and its purpose only to secure order and safety, present and future, for Americans in China. The landing of a French armed force at Swatow, of the British in the Yangtse region, and of the Japanese at Amoy, may mean nothing more than this on the part of France, England, and Japan, but it at least is questionable in intention. The The United States is acting in the line of its professions in issuing a circular-note to the Powers suggesting immediate arrangements to bring about harmonious action. So also is it moving in the right direction when it refuses to negotiate with LiHung-Chang while it is yet uncertain what authority he has, what constitutes the present Chinese Government or what is its capital, and while Chinese troops are still making war against us. So, too, an offer by the Viceroys of Nankin and Wuchang to safeguard foreigners if the allies would guarantee certain things has not been received with favor, because the time has not come to make pledges. It has been followed by a threat from the Viceroy of Hankow to resist any attempt to extort territory or to interfere with the |