When the international troops entered, they found entire streets and numerous private buildings in ruins and many residences completely looted. All the wealthier inhabitants who could do so had fled, and many houses of the better class were unoccupied.

It was not strange, therefore, that our expeditionary soldiers, who had become habituated to pillaging and plundering on the march to Peking, and also had been sedulously excited to a fanatical hatred of the Chinese, should be tempted, upon finding the city in this condition, also to take to looting. The Indian and Japanese troops thought they had a perfect right to all the booty they could lay hands on. Every nation except the Germans had already received a thorough training in plundering at Tientsin, so matters naturally took the course they did at Peking. It was not until three days had elapsed that the generals agreed to put a stop to looting. After that the worst atrocities ceased, but for a long time thereafter security of property was practically unknown. Since Captain von Usedon did not permit his men to enter Tientsin until after the fighting there was over, and since the German troops did not reach Peking until plundering had been forbidden, our soldiers did not participate in this period of pillage. Neither did the Italians or the Austrians.

It is useless to discuss whether the Russians, Japanese, English, French, or Americans most distinguished themselves in these exploits. All shared in them. The Japanese plundered with system and discipline, as they always kept their men well in hand. No one was permitted to loot for private profit. Each soldier was required to turn over what he secured. The Japanese were naturally better informed than others as to where valuables were to be found, and concentrated their attention upon

silver and gold bullion. A Japanese general assured me that the booty taken by his forces at Tientsin alone amounted to two million taels or about a million and a half dollars in American currency.

The Americans afforded the most striking contrast to the Japanese. They were fond of professing that their laws forbade plundering under heavy penalties, and that consequently their men did not participate in the pillaging. But as a matter of fact their soldiers did loot, to a certain extent with the countenance of their officers, most efficiently. For weeks you could buy openly in the American camps, from officers and privates alike, articles of every kind, and it was not unusual to see American soldiers peddling their booty. Furthermore, a great number of American buyers were on the ground purchasing loot. Unquestionably American officers permitted these proceedings, and probably they participated in them. If I remember rightly, it was in May when it was reported to me that our police had detected Chinese letting down valuable articles by ropes during the night from the southwest corner of the walls of the Forbidden City. The offenders were turned over to the Chinese courts, and I was assured later that the evidence proved that the Americans assigned to guard this part of the Forbidden City were implicated in these proceedings.

When the Forbidden City was restored to the Chinese late in 1901, the greater part of that portion which had been under Japanese protection was in good condition, but the American section was almost completely looted. The official speeches delivered when the town was turned over to its proper owners must have been absurd. The Americans solemnly asserted that they had carefully protected everything, and the Chinese, with unconcealed sarcasm,

The American, Mr. X, and his wife were regarded as the luckiest buyers among the foreigners. They were very wealthy, and invested large sums, mostly for things bought at ridiculously low prices as was quite possible at a time when most of the objects were still in the possession of individual soldiers. The latter had no idea of the value of their loot and did not dare to keep it in their own possession. This couple continued making purchases up to the time I left. They were well advised by a Mr. P——, who had lived forty years in China. Whenever I visited them, new articles were to be found in their drawing-room, mostly cloisonnés, porcelains, and red-lacquer wares. Mr. X personally told me that he had bought so much that his big residence in New York would not begin to hold his purchases. The newspapers criticized him severely, but he had good friends at home, and everything went smoothly.

A report by Major-General von Hoepfner, dated October 25, 1901, upon the condition of the Winter Palace previous to and at the time it was taken over by the Germans states:

Countless little national flags of both nations testified to the activities of the Americans and the English in the part of the city later turned over to the Germans; as did likewise English inscriptions upon the looted houses, and the fact that the Americans made several attempts after our occupation to secure possession of quantities of iron, coal, and railway material to which they falsely claimed title by virtue of ostensible bills of sale.

Indian troops - and with the exception of the artillery all the British troops were Indian took it as a matter of course that the property of a defeated enemy should be looted. That used to be provided in the terms of

this is no longer the case, it is none the less admitted that the evil still exists. Their troops were ordered to take possession and bring in property without claimant, in order that it might be sold later for the common profit of the soldiers. The depository for such goods in Peking was the English Embassy and the adjoining Imperial Wagon-yard. All the goods brought in were classified at this point and auctioned off. The amount of 'unowned' property thus discovered may be gathered from the fact that the auctions lasted between six or seven weeks, and there were many other special sales later. In fact, during my own presence in Peking, two months after the city was captured, such auctions were of frequent occurrence. It was good business practice not to hasten these sales, because every day brought a host of new buyers to the city. They came from Shanghai, Tientsin, Japan, and later even from the United States. I saw with my own eyes regular detachments of Indian soldiers arrive at the Embassy loaded with loot and deliver the property to Sir Claude Macdonald, the English Ambassador, or General Gaslee, the commander of the English contingent.

At these auctions you could buy anything that China produced — porcelains, cloisonnés, bronzes, red-lacquer wares, furs, silks (mostly in bales), embroideries, clocks, real pearls, precious stones, and various ornaments. One of the most eager buyers was Lady Macdonald, who took it exceedingly ill if anybody ventured to bid against her. She bought vast quantities of treasures, naturally at ridiculously low prices. An undated report of our Chief Quartermaster, Major-General Freiherr von Gayl, says: "The departure of the Russian troops from Petchili brought to light astounding quantities of luggage, as did also the departure of

These auctions were regularly advertised and published. Chinese were frequently bidders - it was rumored for the purpose of getting back their own property. I must make it plain that such sales were considered strictly regular and legal, though I often had the sad conviction that English hypocrisy knows no limits. The proceeds were regarded as a sort of prize money, and distributed to the British expeditionaries according to a sliding scale, which must have given the Commanding General a small fortune. Naturally all the loot was not turned into the common stock. For a long period you would meet on the streets Indian soldiers who had articles to sell.

When the English and Italians occupied the Summer Palace, they had all the objects of value in their respective parts of the building gathered in a great room and put under guard. But a mere glance revealed the fact that this was only part of the original contents. The Russians had already got away with the best. I do not know what became of this property, but fancy it could now be found in England. Whenever it was to their advantage, the English appealed to my authority as supreme commander. They twice asked me for permits to remove the articles in question. I naturally replied that in this matter they must follow instructions from their home Government. I could not refain from suggesting that they would please the Russians by taking these things, since what was left was of comparatively trivial worth.

I am convinced, therefore, that the English troops were on the search for articles of value during the whole time that I was in Peking. They were particularly interested in bronzes, and got possession of a great number of Buddhas, which they found at temples in

authorities complained of this to me. I was able to convince myself that all the life-size bronze Buddhas had been gradually carried off from a large temple near the English headquarters. In fact, a French officer called my attention to the fact. It was later proved that the firm of Arnold and Karberg in Tientsin had bought more than a thousand hundredweight of bronze Buddhas from the English, and that several freight cars loaded with Buddhas had been unloaded at a large warehouse in Tonga. I had further information as to the fate of these Buddhas from a Dr. Müller, who was making purchases in China for the Berlin Anthropological Museum. He was highly indignant over the practices of the English. Buddhas were not taken for their historical or artistic value, but merely on account of their metal. They did not go to museums but to foundries.

Of all the plunderers, the Russians were the frankest and most brutal. They delighted not merely in plundering but also in destroying. Not only did they plunder on private account, but also officially. They were particularly keen for the art objects that were so abundant in the Summer and Winter Palaces, and in the private palaces under Russian protection. Whole wagon-trains of these objects were shipped to Tungchow, where they were transshipped to Pei-ho river-boats. We were told frankly that these articles were going to Port Arthur to be placed in an East Asiatic Museum projected by Admiral Alexeiev.

When the Russian troops were about to withdraw from Tonga to Port Arthur, and it was rumored that the Russian authorities in the latter city had received strict instructions to collect duties upon these goods, the Russian soldiers offered great quantities of

loot for sale at ridiculous prices, and there was a boom in the curio trade at Tientsin. I personally saw what the Russians left behind at the Summer and Winter Palaces, and could form some opinion from that of what they had taken away. The evacuation of the two palaces occurred somewhat sooner than was anticipated, so that they could not carry off everything that they had prepared to seize. This was shown by the fact that all articles had been inventoried and tagged with European numbers. In order to palliate their own offense, the Russians were accustomed to invite every visitor - whether diplomat, army officer, commercial traveler, or press correspondent - who came to learn the secrets of the Imperial residences, to accept a little souvenir of the occasion. Furthermore, the Russians took the remarkable precaution of evacuating the Palaces twentyfour hours earlier than had been agreed upon, so that the Chinese had a free run of them. Naturally they later attributed the losses to the plundering of the latter.

The Italians packed up and shipped off everything they could lay hands on in the portion of the Summer Palace that they occupied. I myself saw great rows of packing-cases standing there. For fear of offending public opinion, they did not venture to ship these things home immediately, and great groups of Buddhas and bronze lions, and hundreds of cases of goods, were still stored at their Embassy as late as the summer of 1902. Altogether they carried off a great deal from Peking and vicinity. I often saw personally columns of eight or ten laden wagons entering their Embassy.

The French looted freely, with the encouragement of General Frey. Most of the larger objects of value were in the great temple-compounds where General Frey had his headquarters, close to the

Winter Palace, and were shipped to France in packing-cases from that point. However, this aroused such criticism in the Chamber of Deputies that the things were sent back. I actually saw much such property returned and unpacked in the temple north of Coal Hill. But evil report has it that the greater part remained in France. In the summer of 1902 many articles were still stored in the French Embassy, among other things the astronomical instruments. I noticed when I called on General Boyron, the commander of the French contingent, that his quarters were often adorned with new art-objects.

Some of the loot was delivered to Bishop Favier to compensate him and his converts for their own fearful losses. Favier sold these articles little by little. I personally bought a number of furs from him at a very low price.

When General Boyron arrived in Peking he established himself in a group of buildings close to the Winter Palace and requested General Hoepfner to turn over to him the Old Cathedral with its annexes, which had hitherto been occupied by German troops. Hoepfner complied, and incidentally delivered to the French, I fancy without knowing it, great quantities of beautiful art-objects that had been collected at the Cathedral, among other things the gifts that had been sent to the Empress from all parts of the Empire at the time of her jubilee. The building seems also to have served as a furniture storehouse, for it contained a great quantity of beautiful carpets.

Pierre Loti asserts that all these articles were removed to a temple-without giving any reason for it- and later returned to the Chinese. Had that been the plan, they might have been left where they were. Personally I believe they are now in France.

Chinese participated in much of the

robbery and plundering. Chinese officials stole right and left, especially in the Palaces, and naturally tried to put the blame upon the foreign troops. European and American curio-buyers also played a great rôle. Vast quantities of stolen property fell into the hands of the Chinese and were sold by them to soldiers. But most of the loot acquired by the latter was stolen offhand. The Chinese were exceedingly skillful in hiding things; and it is natural to hide property dishonestly acquired. You never would find much for sale at the shops of the regular dealers, but as soon as the few articles they had on display were disposed of, others immediately took their places. The peddlers who brought things to sell to

Europeans never had more than one or two objects in their possession, but they always had a new supply the following day. Much loot was buried or hidden away in the subterranean passages so numerous in Peking.

When the foreign troops evacuated the city and turned over the control of affairs to the Chinese police, a vigorous search was made for stolen property, especially that taken from the Palaces. This resulted in numerous executions. After the Imperial Court returned, many of these articles came to light; for rich Chinamen bought up the plunder from the Palaces, with the purpose of winning the gratitude of Her Majesty by presenting it to her when she returned.

THE melancholy results of prohibition in the United States have not daunted the Nationalists of Angora. A law prohibiting e manufacture, importation, sale, and consumption of all alcoholic drinks is already in force in Anatolia, and will soon be applied in Constantinople. Persons detected drinking in public, or in a state of intoxication, will be punished by flogging or by a fine of fifty to one hundred Turkish pounds. The Cabinet is drafting regulations controlling the use of alcohol in medicines.

Thus the dark campaign against the 'bottle divine' is encircling our planet. The ancient East copies the New World. Angora follows in the footsteps of Washington. Is this mirth-destroying cobweb of prohibition to be spun around the whole globe? The evil is spreading. It has struck root in America and in Asia; and to-morrow its tentacles will have embraced one corner of Europe - Constantinople. The great and ancient metropolis of the Bosporus will be the first dry city of our old continent.