March 17.
Tue Diplomatic Body certainly cannot be accused of precipitancy, in respect of the Taku forts' firing on Japanese destroyers and general blockade of the river.- 'Three days' grace has been given from yesterday, when, if the "mines are not gone, the navies will reserve to themselves the right to do what they think fit, Naturally the Diplomatic Body would not like it to be said that the foreign merchant might be allowed to suffer every kind of loss and indignity for ten months hour a finger being raised in: his defence, but that, directly their own convenience was im-,. perilled, they were up in arms. To be just, they have evidently been held back by the reluctance: to take any notice of the affair shown by the Japanese Government, which made haste to an: nounce that no retaliation woul'
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.