The following story of the doings of the relief column that went out under Admiral Seymour is from a log kept by one of the navy men on the Admiralis staff and gives a mindest, yet interesting, account of the expedition We arrived at Taku in the Centurion forget the date), and three or four days fter, Capt. Jelliene went on special duty ashore to ascertain the state of affairs. When he landed orders were given for all landing parties to be ready. After about 48 hours a signal was flashed from the Alacrity about 1 p.m. as follows:—t From Capt. Jellicoe to Admira! Seymour—Situation serious; am coming on board.' About an hour and a half afterwards Capt. Jellicoe came on hoard the Centurion, and, after a consultation with Admiral Seymour, every man was ordered to he realy to land at once, nals to that effect being made to the other ships. Many of the men em-harked in tugs and in the destroyers Fame and Whiting, and we reached Tangku safely at daylight on the 7th of June.
1 Seymour was in charge, and with him were Capt, Jelliene, and the Russian, Austrian, Italian and Japanese command ing officers, who assisted in entraining the men. The guns were put into trucks with mountings made on board ship. Once entrained we proceeded to Tientsin, where we were joined by tro more camp of British sailors and marines, Commander Granville of tha Centurion, company of Americans, and also one each of Japanese, French and Germans. After being all entrained, with ovr guns and ammunition, we left Tientsin for the relief of the foreign Legations, being 2,000 strong. That was on the 9th of June. Captain Bayly, of the Aurora was appointed chief staff officer at Tientsin, and had two companies of bluejackets left. with hin for the protection of foreign residents and for the purposes of communic-tion. We got to Tientsin at 10.30 x.m., ard it was 1.30 before we got away, after watering the train. Everything went very well for the first 17 miles, when we reached the first break in the railway line, which was ata bridge. The sleepers were torn up and new ones had to be put down before we could proceed. Here we came across the first cases of mutilation. The bodies were those of four Chinese, evidently railway officials who had refused to accompany the Boxers, and who had died sooner than leave their posts. Their heads were cut off and they were left to the observ' tion of all comers. They appeared to have been shot with horse pistols before being decapitated, The bridge was repaired by the British'and American navy men. We put out pickets and outposts and all went well during the night. On Monday, the 10th, we started about 8 a.m., and after Break in the line and' the signal station rocreding a few miles, we found another burned. We were here joined by the second train, with Germans, Russians and French, and they also brought up a few more provisions, Later on, in the evening, No. 3 train joined us. As usual we pnt out pasts for the night. On the morning of the 11th, the 4th train showed up and had on board foreign reinforcements. We left soon after for Peking, and were stopped by another break few miles further up. The line "xs easily repaired by the bluejackets, the working party being protected by the armoured truck and tro six-pounders which were attached to the engine and manned by navy men under Lieut. Fane, of the Centurion. News was received about 3p.m. that the Boxers were advancing on us Orders were at once given by the Commander-in-Chief. The Americans were train, with Germans, Americans, Italians and French to reinforce if necessary. The Boxers were engaged by the Japanese, British and Americans and were repulsed losing several men. The country was séoured a few miles round on either side of the train. Two prisoners were taken and the wounded Boxers were attended to by the British just as if they had been Europeans. After the engagement things were quiet and pickets were posted. On the morning of the 12th, the fifth train joined us. Two of the wounded Boxers died during the night, and some of our men were beginning to fall sick with dysentery and fever. Admiral Seymour proposed to send the sick men back to Taku. The fifth train was detailed for the purpose and it leit that night. Next morning No. 5 train ro-turned and reported that the railway line in our rear was completely torn up and there was no communication with Tien tsin, nor with Peking as we discovered that rails, sleepers, fishplates, etc., had all been taken away. The telegraph wires were also cut and the only means of communication was by runners, several of whom were sent out, though none returned.
Tp to the 13th things were pretty quiet but we hada scrimmage now and again, with no casualties on our side. On or about the 17th our engine and No, 1 train were shunted back for water. The outposts and cooks were preparing dinner about 30 yards ahead of the engine when all of a sudden an advance guard of 300 or 400 Boxers came in sight and with 1,500 Imperial troops, rushed for the train. The alarm was immediately given. The Boxers apparently had no rifles, but only spears and swords. They came on in a most fanatical manner, first dropping down and chin-chinning joss. The maxim gun was at once brought to bear on them and the small arm men were, soon engaged. Captain Jellicne, who was about 15 yards ahead of the engine and No. 1 train, shot five or six Boxers at close range with his Mauser pistol. Eventually with the assistance of the Germans and their maxim gun from Fort Gefion, we attacked the Boxers' right. flank and repulsed them. In this affair the Imperial troops did not attack us. After the fight was over it was found that in less than Hhroe-quarters of an hour we bad killed 120 Boxers alone. The bodies were put together in a heap and buried. During the engagement two Italians were brutally mutilated, their fingers, toes and arms being cut off, and the bodies so slashed to be beyond recognition. The two vi tims had been on outpost duty. a' the time they were attacked. Next day a party of marines from the Centurion under command of Major Johnstone, who had been out two days, came in with the news the line had been completely torn up for miles and that the sillagos' were full of Boxers and Imperial troops. It was reported that it would take weeks to repair the line. For this work we were not. prepared, having up to the present laid the railway, been able to make repairs from a truck loaded with rails, bolts, etc., but now the line had been taken completely away. It was very hot and trying, but the men worked with a will, and some of the tars by this time are first-rate plitelayers and fit for railway work anywhere. We were now about 25 miles from Tientsin, and it was quite evident that the line could not be repaired as material was not jat hand. A council of war was held by Admiral Seymour and the officers and we heard that we were to retire towards Tientsin, as we were now on quarter rations and were getting short of ammunition. We also had been assisting the Italians and Austrians in respect of food. No. 1 train was accordingly shunted at Fort Gefion and we arrived at Fort Endymion about put on the left, British in the centre and] 10 miles below Loh-yah, about 7 p.m.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.