Show BOMBAPD LE6ATIONS On June 29th the Ministers in Peking Had J Exhausted all Their Ammunition and End Believed Near Japanese Foreign Office Receives Message from the Chinese Capital Capi-tal Bearing Date Named Imploring Reinforcements to t Rescue the Diplomats There They Were Surrounded by Chinese Soldiers I I diers and in Such Danger that Massacre was Feared l Washington July lThc Japanese legation here has made public the latest communication received from Baron Nlssl the Japanese Minister tQ Peking This telegram was received today at the legation from the Japanese Japa-nese Minister of Foreign Affairs and Is Important because of the dates given I The plogram was dated July 17th by the sender the Japanese Consul I at Che Foo and Is as follows WHAT TETiEGRAM SAYS < i 11 received at JOa m on the 12th a dispatch from NissI dated Pelf Ing June 29th Tho lettel was brought by a special messenger Chinese who 1 left Peking July 1st and manngecl to make the Journey With difficulty The substance of the letter Is as follows LIKELY TOBE MASSACRED The situation at Peking isextrento i ly l critical The foreign legations are surrounded on all sides by Chinese soldiers sol-diers and bombarded night and day The members the legations the guards and residents are resisting to the utmost but the overwhelming numbers num-bers of the opposition Jiopeless our ammunition Is being exhausted oui l lives arc In such danger that we maybe may-be rrassacrcd at any moment We earnestly request the immediate dispatch dis-patch of reinforcements for our rescue from our precarious condition The Japanese Consul at CheFoo adds that he communicated this letter to his colleagues of the consular body there and also to the commandersinchlef of the forces of the powers COMMISSIONER TO CHINA The Cabinet meeting today developed nothing of importance regarding the Chinese situation except the decision to send W W Rockhlll formerly secretary sec-retary of legatfon and assistant Secretary Secre-tary pt State now director of the Bureau Bu-reau of Republics to China to investi gate the situation for the authorities Jiere Mr RoekhlJLwIll Fa a rf cial commissioner to ascertain the extent of tho responsibility of the Chinese Government If any for the existing disturbances dis-turbances and therwIse furnish the Administration with Information upon which the case of the United States against China for Indemnity and reparation re-paration will bo based He Is well quipped for tho mission having been secretary of the American legation In Peking for several years He speaks and writes Chinese Jluently EXPECTS AUTHENTIC NEWS The Administration expects authentic Jews from Peking soon In fact both the President and his advisors can hardly understand why some absolutely absolute-ly l reliable news has not arrived before this time tme In the absence of any additional information In-formation the discussion in the Cabinet Cabi-net today took wide range covering tentatively ten-tatively many contingencies which may possibly arise There was unanimous concurrence in the Presidents action In appointing Gen Chaffee to a Major Generalship to make his rank commensurate commen-surate with his command In China and on an equality with the commanders of the other powers Attention today was directed mainly to the more or less speculative stories stor-ies emanating from European capitals Indicative of discord among the powers pow-ers I Is realized that these little ebullitions tions of mutual suspicion always characterize allied movements and so are to be expected In the present crisis NO GROUND FOR DIFFERENCE I can be stated that so far as ofllclal record discloses there Is absolutely l no ground for them Our Government having hav-ing fully defined its intentions In Secretary Sec-retary Hays note of July 3rd tho other Governments interested In thc Chinese situation have entered Into the spirit of that declaration of principle with perfect accord At least that Is tho record both written and oral and Russia Rus-sia a power more than any other under suspicion in these stories has not been backward In assuring the State department I de-partment of the coincidence oc Secretary Secre-tary Hays declaration with Russias purpose In China I is df course possible pos-sible that some of the powers are swayed by motives that do not appear in their formal declarations MUST AWAIT RESULTS The State department however cannot can-not go behind their formal expressions and can now only await results Iherc is not the slightest disposition on the part of our Government to follow the example of certain European powers and restrict In any measure the liberty of the Chinese Minister here Mr Wu In communicating with the Chinese Viceroys and whatever remains of the titular Chinese Government On the contrary there Is an earnest desire to do everything in his power to protect foreigners In the Chinese empire and a It is confident that ho has no sympathy with the Boxer Insurrection movement the State department regards It as good policy to facilitate rather than to obstruct his communications with the Chinese Viceroys I MAY BE RADICAL CHANGE J there should be a declaration of war by Russia upon China based upon what Is paid to have occurred on tho Siberian border the technical relations of the allied powers toward China might It Is said here undergo a radical change I Is believed tho story 0 Chinese Chi-nese aggressiveness is considerably exaggerated ex-aggerated so far as it relates to the Siberian Si-berian border and It is hoped time troubles trou-bles have been confined to Manchuria But If war should actually and formally form-ally open between Russia and China that fact might oblige the other powers to do one of two things either Join In tho declaration of war or withdraw their forces from Chinese soil TIEN TSIN CASTLE FALLS Another cablegram received through the Foreign ottlce from the Japanese Consul at Che Foo reports that Tien Tain castle was captured by the forces of the allies on the llth and the safety of the foreign settlements is assured Japanese tioops took possession of tho Sos Ylng the Chinese naval station on tho llth Among other biibjccts the subject ot instructions to MaJGen Chaffee was gone over at considerable length and a cablegram was drafted which will be forwarded to reach him on his arrival at Nagasaki The Instructions are of a diplomatic as well as of a military nature na-ture and Indicate the line of policy to be pursued by the commander of the 1 United States forces In China The exact ex-act nature of the instructions was not I disclosed The rank of MajorGeneral for the l J commander of the Chinese expedition will necessitate the presence of two or I perhaps three BrigadierGenerals In China These In all probability will be chosen from the officers of that rank now In the Philippines but Gen Chaf fee will be given considerable latitude I In tho selection of his staff HOPED TO KEEP IT SECRET For some reason the ofllclals did not care to have it known that Mr Rock hill has been selected for this responsible respon-sible duty Within a week he will have a final conference with the President and Secretary Hay and will then leave for China lie will probably go to Vancouver and there take the Japanese line steamer for Yokohama proceeding proceed-ing from that point to Shanghai Not until he arrives at Shanghai will Mr Rockhl undertake to outline his further fur-ther course His position Is a peculiar one He will be actually an Embassa dor In powers and so In the scope of his functions will be akin to President Clevelands paramount commissioner to Hawaii Mr Blount |