once again manifested itself on the' Taku Road last night by a murderous assault on British Officer. The authorities of all nations thought they had taken ample precautions by putting on strong military patrols as well asa large body of military police, but at 7 p.m. Lieut. Barnett, the Adjutant of the Sixth Burmahs, when just outside of the regimental mess-room was attacked by French artilleryman, He was seized from behind and knocked down by one, attacked with a sword by another and werely wounded in the head. He is now hospital, The men escaped, for though there were guards close by, as luck would have it the assault was not seen. I am not ina position to say at the moment if there was provocation or not, as in the present condition of the sufferer evidence is not attainable. have some ground for thinking that the officer's path was obtrusively barred by the soldiers, that he held straight on, brushed against one of the men, and
account which the military officials have woo then grosly attacked. This is the of the matter; the cautious reader will seo that in the word brush" there may Tio not the justification of an outrage but the possibility of a fancied aggravation. From whatever point of view it is looked at the incident is strongly t" be reprobated; the Frouch privates here are markedly discourteous to British officers and nine times out of ten fail to salute, though they are extremely punctilious in rendering the courtesy to other national ties. I have myself been witness of thi over and over again. The Taku Road is a main artery of traffic between the tro British Settlements and is the chiot thoroughfare between the City and the southern suburbs. It is highly inexpedient to close it to the soldiery as it is their chief menns of access to dubious places to whick soldiers invariably wish to go, but none the less will something have to be done to check this disgraceful lawlessness. As far as one can hear there have been no such attacks on the part of our men; they would as soon dream of attacking a woman as of committing an assault on an officer; but there can be no doubt whatever that the desire fur reprisals of some sort will soon be in evidence. In all other parts of the province, we are on excellent terms with the French.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.