Ausu t 8.
You must not mind this epistle being soned our over several days. [fear we will have 5 me time yet before relief comes and we em besin to think of sending off iters sain. A native messenger from tsin managed to get in to us on ust 2 with letters -aying that @ strong lief force was on the point of starting, hut since then we have passed a week without a vestige of news, and things are dull to a dezree ery shing is fairly quiet, however, barring a gond deal of sniping and an' occasional night fusillade, Yesterday a Japaurss vot a bullet through his leg while passing a loophole, and thy blazed at us a good deal last night, We are in a state of most delightful uncer: tiim'y as to how we stand. The Yamen retand to be all anxiety to protect and oard us, but we have already had one of tivo examples of how far the Yamen can be relied upon, and if they have such friendly intentions why are Imperial troops building most formid: ble barricades ull round the Ivgativns and acre-s every little lane and ahey And how is it that wa cannot show alittle finger above our barricades in most places without getting a bullet through it?
On the other hand, if th y really wanted to scupper" us, why did they cease active hostilities just when we were getting it so hot, and give us about three weeks of comparative peace, unless, perhaps, through fear of an advancing relief force, or perhaps on receipt of the news of the ture of 'Tientsin? 'There is really nothing like a spice of uncertainty to give zest to life, and with us now goodness only knows the' why, wherefore, or what next of anything, Dispatches hive jus come from the Taungli Yamen to say that Li Hang-chang hat been appointed to settle all questions with the Foreign Otices of the various countries. We suppose that this menus an unconilitional surrender on the xt of China, probably after a jolly good hiding by our relief force, and also a speedy relief, hope, for us poor beggars in here,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.