The Navy people have uow got their guns at work in Tientsin with' lyddite ammunition, A CHINESE EXODUS, The people in tie Kwongiang repent the stories we have heard ay to the clearing out of Chinese from Taku, the only ones seen there being ship or service coolies.
1th July.
On page 516 of the "Ostasiatische Lloyd" of the 13th inst., there is a gross attack on the conduct of the Royal Marines. In reference to the capture of the armoury Hsikou the writer says:
"In the attack on the Arsenal at Hsikou the Royal Marines turned their backs before reaching the walls; the landing detachment of the Hansa met them om the run, carried them along with the impetus of their rush, and then stormed the wally turning the guns mounted thereon on the interior of the fort."
Lest this should mislead any one, we quote the following account of what ly took plies from the diary—not hitherto published—of a naval officer who took part in Admiral Seymour's expedition:
At 3.30 a.m. on the 22nd of June we ed through a riverside village, and saw ge fort on the opposite bank thick with Chinese soldiers. 'Two Chinese officers came forward and spoke. Mr. Campbell of the Consular Service told them we were a peaceable column going to Tientsin, They said: 'All right, pass on,' but when half the column had passed, the enemy in great force opened a terrific fire on ts. The first shell burst close to Mr. Campbell with the advance guard; the men took ind a mud wall, while the rest from a perfect inferno of shell and rifle fire at 300 yards. Some, including myself and a little party of German bluejackets, wera only 30 yards from the angle of the fort when this ambush was disclosed. It, was the tightest place T have ever been in or wish to be. Our gallant German cousins made very fine rifle practice, and gave the quietus to the two field rus: it of course, simply firing.
"And now came the finest bit of work of the whole expedition. The Admiral sent Major Johnstone with the British marines and one company of seamen up stream; they crossed with great difficulty under terrific fire in a junk, and coming Jong in single file, suddenly deployed into line and went straight for a redoubt which turned out to be tha very key of the whole arsenal. With a grand cheer, and int sight of the whole colunma, all nations cheering them to the echo, our gallant lads came on with a rush and gave the enemy the cold steel. The general cheering probabl disconcerted the enemy, for they boltel out of the huge place in crowds, theuzh a goodly number remained there to testify to the perennial usef of that grand weapon. It was a truly =plendid sigt
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.