The revenue cruiser Kaipan has brought down to Shanghai some of those brave men and women who have gone through the sixty days' siege of the Legations at Pe-King. They are Mr. and Mrs. Pity, and four children, Mr. P. von Rantenfeld, Mr, de Luca, and Mr. H. Bismarck, all of T. M. Customs. The details we have gleaned of the sixty days' siege are from the stories they have told.
It is evident—strongly evident—that the pregnant anxiety which has been felt in Shanghai, China generally and all over the civilised world, as to the fate of the defenders of the Legations, has not been shared in any such degree by those defenders themselves. The late George Steevens, writing from beleaguered Ladysmith, whimsically conceived of a bombardment which would go on so long that, should it end, those who had been' bombarded would die of inanition. In Peking they must have got used to it, besides which the intense dramatic ins terest of the siege must be hidden largely from the participators. No doubt tie men, whose duties of watching—the unending alertness which is most wearing of all—as well as fighting, bore onerously upon them, had time. But such letters they. written are bright and cheery, ouched at all with the gloom one would have expected had our grave fears of their sufferings and privations been justified by actual facts. For the women, I knowledge of the minimised for witness the let lady who "would not, ha worlds." What court b+ more significant and foremost, principal among, the ts which have come to light seems to be that Boron von Ketteler's death was the tion of his fellows. ture: of the foreigners had been urged officially by the Chinese officials—or_ government—and 2 safe escort had. been promised them. On the 20th of June, however, the German Minister went out to confer with the Tstngli Yamen, was murderously assaulted, and killed." The interpreter, Mr. Cordes, escaped with wounds. This lamentable occurrence threw a lurid light on the value of the Chinese promises of escort and protection, the reason for the subsequent: refusal by the foreigners of all similar offers. There is also the fact that subsequently the raising of the flag of truce was invariably followed by firing than usual. Baron on Ketteler's. body must have been carelessly left by his murderers on the ground, and only given the covering of a coffin after some days. When the relief force arrived, this coffin was only by the clothes that identified was possible. An extraordin thing is mentioned by one gentleman. " He states that in a London newspaper of the 18th of June he saw the statement that Baron von Ketteler had been murdered, whereas the deed was not committed until two days later. It will be Temembered that his Geath was rumoured in Shanghai some days before the 20th.
This marder was the signal for the withdrawal of the foreigners to their Legations. They did not neglect one preenution, however. They noted with no Provost-Marshal to say them nay!—the contents of rice shops, ud stored the proceeds. as food. It was not long before they hal the storm upon them. Shab and shell marked the hurrying minutes, and first the defenders occupied themselves busily in replying—at considerable cost of ammunition and life." They lost ten fighting men in one day, and this
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.