In the meantime the marine battalion and some of the Welsh Fusiliers had occupied the most sacred Temple of Heaven and Temple of Agriculture (the " Agricultural AN" as a marine explained to me) in the South City, while the Russians encamped just outside the main gate of the Forbidden City. The strength of the re-Yief force seems to be at present about ten thousand or twelve thousand men. out of sshich about three thousand only are British, under General Gazelee. The Britich force consists mainly of Indians, direct. from Tndin—fine men, who are worth all the rest put together, barring perhaps the Japanese, who do not seem to know what fear is." These Indians are mostly Sikhs, Bengal Lancers, Pathans (with some ridis), Rajputs, and the Honckong Regiment, who are mostly Pathans. Besides theca the British force is made up of the Welsh Fusiliers, from Honekone. a small marine detachment and Naval Brigade, and a few Chinese from our native redment at Weihaiwei. Of the other forces, the Japanese are the strongest, and they, I believe. hare borne the brant of the fichting all the way through. They fight with the pluck of bulldogs. going straight at anything and erervthing. losing heavily. of course, but coming straight throuch al the same, The few we have had up here seem to have been typical specimens of the breed.
A CHANGE oF scase.
As soon as the Sikhs got in here we! occupied the bie Imperial Carriage Park, next to our Legation, with its huge yellow roofed houses, full of the most corzeous and gaudy wagons, carts, sedan chairs! and other State paraphernalia. This car-! riage park makes a model camping ground for our men, while one of the large houses was cleared of the golden carts and other rubbish to be turned into a field hospital. Our' Legation now presents a lively and strange spectacle, and you would think you were somewhere near a military post in India instead of in North China. The compound is full of the swarthy "black devils," with their fine, soldierly appearance, and splendid Rorses, "while streams of Indian pack mules, Indian dhoolies, with their native bearers, guns and carts, ro pouring in all the time. By the evening of the 14th the whole of the Chinese and Tartar cities were in our possession.
So sorry a mail is just closing and I must stop this short. I was going to tell you all about the looting and sacking of the city, the shelling of the Imperial City, and so on, and I have not yet really told you anything about the siege—our attacks and sorties, our captures, the treachery of the yamen, the hopes of rescue, so hopelessly delayed. and so on. Hoverer, all this "gas" will be enough for the present, and by the time the next convoy leaves T will have another long yarn ready, beginning with the taking of Peking.
W. E. Towssenn.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.