To the EDITOR of THE WESTMINSTER GAZETTE.

Sir,—Allow me to draw your attention to an incident which seems to have been forgotten in England, but which I hope you will find to be of some interest.

I refer to the year 1900, when joint international landing forces were sent by railway from Tientsin to Pekin, where the lives of Europeans were threatened by the Boxers.

About midnight on June 17 a body of our sailors were returning on foot from their work. A detachment of English sailors who were travelling by the said railway, perceiving from their carriages moving figures and believing these to be Boxers, at once opened fire upon them. The mistake was soon discovered, and the firing was naturally stopped at once, but the mischief was already done. Two men—Schadrin, belonging to the Navarin, and Iliakoff, belonging to the Korniloff—were killed, and several others were wounded. The British Vice-Admiral Seymour, being in supreme command of the united forces, hastened to send an official letter of regret and apology to the Russian Captain Tchaguine, who was in charge of the men thus so fatally attacked.

The Cronstadt Messenger (No. 127) has printed that important document, which I here reproduce:

Sir,—I have the honour to inform you that I have this moment received news of last night’s fatal incident in which some of your men were killed by ours. I hasten to express my greatest regrets, and those of the British forces under my command, for the event, which cannot sufficiently be deplored.—I have the honour, Sir, to be your obedient servant,

VICE-ADMIRAL SEYMOUR.

Whether these are the ipsissima verba, in English, of Admiral Seymour’s letter I cannot say. I translate from the Russian as quoted in the above-mentioned paper.

Captain Tchaguine then reported the event to the Russian Admiral Hildebrandt, the Chief of the Russian Pacific Squadron, who, though naturally distressed by such startling news, yet, being an officer of great naval experience, understood that such mistakes may easily happen, especially at night. So that, when Admiral Seymour called upon him to repeat his regrets, the Russian Admiral accepted them, entirely trusting in their sincerity.

That British “outrage” had no further consequences. No warlike agitation was started by the Russian Press; there was no hooting of the British Ambassador, no comparison with “mad dogs,” &c.

On reading the account of this painful event in China, one is struck by certain analogies, as also by certain differences, between what happened in June 1900 and in October 1904. In both cases these deplorable mistakes were committed in the darkness of night, though one occurred on a misty night in October, the other on a summer night in June. In both cases, also, two men were killed and several were wounded. But there were also, as I have observed, differences between the two cases. The British Admiral was able to offer his regrets and excuses at once, whilst Admiral Rojdestvensky learned the regrettable events of October 21 in the North Sea only on the third day after, at Vigo, which thus made him appear careless of most vital duties. The Russian Government asked no compensation, nor did England volunteer the offer of any, for the families of the killed and wounded in 1900. In Russia there was no shouting for war, perfect calm prevailed; whilst in England in 1904 the Press showed, to say the least of it, a lamentable want of patience and consideration.

In fact, had it not been for the statesmanlike attitude of Lord Lansdowne and Mr. Balfour (may I be pardoned in saying especially the attitude of Lord Lansdowne), great misery might at this very moment have been spread over two great Christian nations—yes, over the very countries whose interests lie in the opposite direction to that of war. Instead of war, what both our countries ought to recognise as necessary is an honest and staunch entente cordiale.—Yours faithfully,

OLGA NOVIKOFF (“O. K.”)

4, Brunswick-place, Regent’s Park, November 15.