The fullest and most circumstantial account of the siege of the Legations first given to the world was the work of Dr. Morrison, the distinguished correspondent of the " Times," but it is no disparagement to him to say that what is in many respects an even more valuable contribution to our Imowledge of this memorable event has been supplied by M. Pichon, the French Minister. Through his close official intercourse with Sir Claude Macdonald, the mouthpiece of the beleaguered Ministers, M. Pichon became acquainted with every incident of the siege. In a long report included in the last French Yellow Book, M. Pichon gives the public a complete record, written from day to day: not a mere string of facts and dates but a genuine narrative: not a mere State paper but a human document of the highest interest. A journalist by profession before he entered the diplomatic service, M. Pi chen was exceptionally well qualified to act as the historian of the siege, and our readers can judge for themselves how he accomplished his task.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.