The extract from the naval officer's letter is to the following effect Peking, 15th August.
"As, of course, you have heard by wire, we got in here yesterday and found the Legations all right, with no further casualties among our people than those reported some time ago. Wray, R.M.LL, who took command when Holliday was wounded, was wounded, but is all right again. Strouts killed, Holliday very badly wounded when it first started, but dying well. ines killed and 15 wound s has been found in all towns lately, they were a great deal better off than one could have possibly expected.
"Pell, the ADE. a Sikh officer, Aer 5 Sikhs and I, got in first, and we (Pell and I) went up to the Legation and found what might have been 'a garden party on the Legation lawns, a very excited one! and every one rushed to shake hands. We got in at 3.45 p.m., the Americans at 5 p.m., the Russians and Japanese got through late in the evening. What I told you about the concentration yesterday and attack to-day was correct, and that the Russians said they couldn't move at all until yesterday morning and then only 7 or 8 miles, The arrangement was they were to! goby armada mile to the right the Canal; Japs, right bank of Canal French and Americans, left ks! and we, a very bad road half-a-mile from the Americans, parallel to Canal.
"We marched at 3.30 am. and found our advance guard at 7.30, heard a heavy engagement going on our right and found the Americans were pushing on. We overtook them ona parallel road at about: 11 and pushed on (the men dead beat) to the East Gate of the Chinese city, after a skirmish drove it in, and advanced parallel to the Tartar city side streets with very little fighting to a water-gate under the Legations, crossed the which rly dry, and got in by it; th ame in the same wi two hours later.
"We had only three casualties, they none. One of ours was in the!
of the garden party with all round! They opened a tremendous fire when they saw get in, but it is all so well barricaded was ineffectual. Our men were sv awfully cooked, having marched since 3.30 and nearly 19 miles. Thanks to avery bad and tortuous road thei: left was very badly defended. Apparently they thought the road impracticable and all' the defences were thrown up on the other bank of the Canal. They kept the Russians and Japanese in'check all day "The road was too bad for the, naval guns to attempt, and they followed the Americans and, I am sorry to say, didn't get a look in. The French got in next morning. There is a conference this afternoon and it will be decided what to do about clearing the cities. I expect there will be some fighting. The Americans took one gate of the Imperial city this morning and had some casualties, including Reilly, commanding their artillery, killed: General Gasclee would net attempt to do anything, as he has no idea where anyone is, and does not want to kill or be killed by our allies, the good deal, but have good cover. The foreigners. We are sniped here a.
Japanese had 50 casualties, having to blow down ¢ with dynamite. Every on ne who ran up was shot, and up until dark."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.