uilds and associations. Ultimately
the two viceroys, Chang Chih-tung and Liu Kun-yi,[55] took the extreme
step of warning the throne that they would be unable to recognize the
convention, even if it were ratified, and notwithstanding the pressure
exercised in favour of Russia by Li Hung-Chang, the court finally
instructed the Chinese minister at St Petersburg to decline his
signature. The attitude of Japan, where public feeling ran high, was
equally significant, and on the 3rd of April the Russian government
issued a circular note to the powers, stating that, as the generous
intentions of Russia had been misconstrued, she withdrew the proposed
convention.

The peace protocol, 1901.

The work of the conference at Peking, which had been temporarily
disturbed by these complications, was then resumed. Friction between
European troops of different nationalities and an Anglo-Russian dispute
over the construction of certain roads and railway sidings at Tientsin
showed that an international occupation was fraught with manifold
dangers. The question of indemnities, however, gave rise to renewed
friction. Each power drew up its own claim, and whilst Great Britain,
the United States and Japan displayed great moderation, other powers,
especially Germany and Italy, put in claims which were strangely out of
proportion to the services rendered by their military and naval forces.
It was at last settled that China should pay altogether an indemnity of
450 million taels, to be secured (1) on the unhypothecated balance of
the customs revenue administered by the imperial maritime customs, the
import duties being raised forthwith to an effective 5% basis; (2) on
the revenues of the "native" customs in the treaty ports; (3) on the
total revenues of the salt gabelle. Finally the peace protocol was drawn
up in a form which satisfied all the powers as well as the Chinese
court. The formal signature was, however, delayed at the last moment by
a fresh difficulty concerning Prince Chun's penitential mission to
Berlin. This prince, an amiable and enlightened youth,[56] son of the
Prince Chun who was the emperor Hien-feng's brother, and thus himself
half-brother to the emperor Kwang-su, had reached Basel towards the end
of August on his way to Germany, when he was suddenly informed that he
and his suite would be expected to perform _kowtow_ before the German
emperor. The prince resented this unexpected demand, and referred home
for instruction