difficulty in the reception of the Yamen Ministers will be by what gate they are to enter, Our main gate is blocked up by a large shell p: oof shelter or redoubt, which projects ut across the roxd, and in which the American Colt gun is mounted. It forms a little room about four feet high, nnd their excellencies might no' think it compatible with their dignity to crawl throu here on their handy and knees. Another solution would be that they worm in through the underground passage which we have opened up through an old drain, and by which we can cross in safety from here to the Fu. If neither of these entries is considered suitable, there rem, only the side gate, through which
ant entry, provided they are not all shot they will probably mike their triumph: down by their own men when we let them' into our lines.
Goodness only knows what is to happen to our Christian refugees, when all this is over. Before the siege began, when the Boxers were burning the missions all round us, rescue parties of marines went out to the larger ones and rescued all the Christians they could from the Boxers, who were massacring in the most brutal way every man, woman and child they could lay hands on. In this way about two thousand odd native converts were brought into our quarters, poor, destitute creatures, many of them cut about and burned in a most fearful way, every one of them burned out of house and home, and most of them having lost their father, mother, children, or some part of their family.' It will be impossible to leave them again to the tender mercies of their benevolent Government, which has creed that they shall be all slaughtered unless they "recant and repent of their former ways," and as they will have no homes to go to, and no means of support, it will be a very difficult question to know how to dispose of them. If there are any charity funds gob up for them at home, and if you are feeling charitably disposed, on cannot do better than to eubseribe to
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.