September 8, 1900.]
rescue. Some of the American horses are new to the work and are not quite drilled: one of them threw his rider heavily and bolted: the man was stunned and would have been a prompt victim to the Boxers. They were already rush- ing at him when Lt. Gausen of the 3rd Bengal Cavalry, at present attached to the 1st Bengal Lancers, turned his head and saw the situa- tive: he wheeled around, dashed back, and got the half dazed American lad up be- hind him just in the very nick of time. This gallant feat greatly impressed all who saw it, especially our appreciative cousins.
The French and Russians have been passing into. Taku for the last five or six days at the rate of a thousand a day, and I hear, on au thority, that should be unimpeachable, that the Japanese have in all landed 24,000 men, and the Russians 25,000. If so, all I can say is that such numbers have never been in evidence. I may add that coolies and camp followers, now that the Chinese have gone, are much in exceSS of soldiers.
Later, 8 p.m. Mr. Tei, the Japanese Consul, has received news from the front via wire and runners com- bined. With his usual good sense and courtesy he has put it at everybody's disposal.
The Japanese and Russians (with the French) marched along the North side of the Tung Chew Canal while the English-speaking Forces followed the South side: this brought them to the East Wall of the Manchu City in the 14th, on the early morning of which they opened fire. There was a fierce artillery duel for from 8 to 10 hours: at night the Japanese with dynamite blew up two of the minor gates, the Chow Yang and Tung Chih, and on- tered the Tartar City at dawn in the 15th. The Americans and British simultaneously entered the Chinese City at the Tang Pien Men, and immediately after seized the Hata- men [we rather doubt this, as we have reason to think they could have got easier entrance by the Water Gate close to the Legations] and met the Japanese and others there. A detach. ment at once went to the Legations and found all the people alive, while the greater forces pressed on to the Huong Ching or Forbidden City, into which the Chinese fled resisting desperately. The Japanese lost one hundred in casualties: 1 captain killed, 1 colonel and captain wounded: somebody counted 400 dead Chinese as he advanced.
SOME DETAILS OF THE CAPTURE.
The information, like nearly every message and description during this extraordinary war describes occurrences from one point of view only: any one can easily understand how the exigences and excitements of the military position, to say nothing of the difficulties of language, almost wholly preclude the observation of what others are doing. We will doubtless soon know how the other allies fared, and by collating their versions of the brilliant affair get an accurate idea of what happened.
Verbal report in Tientsin already has it that the Japanese and the English-speaking forces en- tered their two gates simultaneously, and that the Cavalry was sent round to the West side of the Tartar City to cut off the retreat, while a strong force of infantry held the Au Ting or great Northern Gate.
Tropical rain fell in Tientsin this morning and should it continue for a day or two, we feel no doubt that floods will be added to the miseries of the rural population.
18th August.
Beyond a confirmatory telegram to the Japanese Consul, there is no further news from the front. The construction put on the desperate resistance made by the Chinese troops near the Palace is that the Hsi Tai Ho and all her reactionary friends are there.
19th August.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
FIGHTING AGAIN, ·
Later.
:
185
It is pathetic to know that the widowed Baroness von Ketteler refuses to believe in the death of her gallant husband. The Chinese have already pointed out his grave and coffin. I understand the latter has been opened and the exact position and nature of the wounds ascer tained. It is emphatically asserted here that he was done to death by the guards who should have protected him.
East side of the Chinese city, some of our people made at once for the Water Gate of the Tartar This morning Tientsin again had military City, South Wall. This gate allows the water history to chronicle. As the American 6th of the great moat which passes along by the Cavalry goes to Peking to-morrow, it was re- British Legation to escape under the wall. solved to utilize their services in clearing out When the dusky heads of two of the 1st Sikhs the entrenchments which have been made six popped up on the inner side on Wednesday miles away to our South West, and from which morning, there was frenzied-outburst, of cheer- our reconnoitring force was fired at last Mon- ing-so much so that it drew the fire of the day, The Sixth were about five hundred strong enemy, and a Belgian lady was wounded in the and were accompanied by some of the lat Ben-cheek. In a few minutes the Sikhs were in gal Lancers and a few Japanese horsemen. force; the detachment from the other forces About 3 a.m. two battalions of Japanese and came along from the Hata Men and the joy, of Indian infantry set out so as to be on the ground deliverance was consummated. We hear that one when the Cavalry came up, but as usual the Sikh was killed in entering the city, another different arms and men did not synchronize wounded. their movements perfectly. The Cavalry got there first about 5 or 5.30 a.m. and were chal- lenged by the enemy's outposts: dismounting they left their horses out of range and then ad- vanced as infantry. They maintained a keen rifle cotest with the enemy who far out-num- bered them (the non-combatants were said to be five to one) and during the next hour and a half gradually drove them back. Then the Japanese came up on the right, the Indian troops on the left, and the fight was now more even numerically, but soon degenerated into a rout. The horses were brought up, the Cavalry men mounted and rode round and round squads of Boxers, who were arme with spears and showed the greatest courage. The carbine and revolver killed most of the 350 to 400 dead men who were left on the field, though the Bengal Lancers and Japanese horsemen also did brilliant work with lance and sword respective- ly. The enemy now fled pell-mell out of their defences: thereupon the infantry advanced and set fire to the string of four villages which lie in lunar shape round the margin of a former but now dry lake, The Sixth took forty or fifty prisoners, who are now here; the disposal of these men is a crux. If they be Boxers, clemency will be thrown away on them: and we have our risks of incendiarism, already great, indefinitely increased. The Japanese suggested a method of disposing of them, to which I need not now refer.
AMERICAN INTELLIGENCE. We at last have some news from American sources, viz., that the Dowager Empress fled four days before the allies arrived and is at Hsuan Hwa Fu on the Calgan Road. This city lies between the outer and inner Great Walls and is about four days' march North West from Peking. Major Remey at the American Artillery is dead to the profound regret of his fellow soldiers. His battery was said, to be the finest in the Service and he himself pro- mised to achieve rare distinction in his pro- fession.
ITEMS.
This reminds me that the City Commissioners have had their first experience as judges. A leading Boxer named Wang was seized last week in the streets: he had a fair trial, but was proved beyond all doubt to be the one who had gone to the Yamen with a string of human ears and had claimed rewards for them as those of foreigners. He was decapitated, more Jupanico, and his head placed above a description stating his crime and punishment The weather has broken, and the awful welter of the tropics has changed to bracing champagne like air that is almost intoxicating.
to
Enteric complaints are, I am sorry
say, fear- fully rife, both in camp and town; yesterday gave as the first civil victim in young Mr Moffat, of Messrs Tallien and Co.
the
LATEST FROM THE CAPITAL.
20th August. The American intelligence to-day is that Chinese still hold the Western side of the Tartar City as well as the For bidden City, including the Palaces, and that fighting is continuous. The British and Am- ericans are near them at the S.W. Corner. The fate of the native Christians in the Pu P'ung is still uncertain.
Tientsin, 21st August.
PEKING NEWS.
Peking news, though now abundant in quan tity, is disjointed and is largely personal in tone. The long beleaguered folk have simply assured their Tientsin friends of their welfare, and implored them to get prompt despatch of tele- grams to anxious friends at home. As the Store Nordeske has now completed the shore end of the Tientsin-Chefoo cable, we shall soon be raised out of our telegraphic slough; though, as eight or ten Governments and endless press men will be a wanting precedence, it is difficult to see how on man is to carry on all the busi ness.
RELIEF NOTES.
It was suspected that Sir Claude's cypher messages to the military folk concerned the entrance into Peking; consequently we were not surprised to hear that on the 19th, when our forces burst through the Tung Pien Men on the
We also hear for the first time that the Rev. F. H. James, a professor in the Imperial University, well-known for the excellence of his Chinese attainments, was killed by a rifle bullet in the streets during the long attack.
The Hongkong Bank staff is well and Mr. Twoed talks of opening for business at once; the prosence of so many foreign troops seems to imply that banking facilities are necessary.
THE FORBIDDEN CITY.
Capt. Notzvolodoff, of the Russian permanent military staff at Tientsin, on Sunday mounted the top of the Men Shan or Coal Mountain in the Forbidden City and looked down into the Palace with good field-glasses; the only living things he saw there were four mules. declaration is that the Chinese troops are under close cover.
The
There is some doubt whether the Japanese have surrounded the Forbidden City (Hung Ching) and therein hold the Chinese troops, or whether they have entered it, and surrounded the Palace. At any rate on Sunday morning the Palace had not been attacked. Firing was still going on in the West and North-west parts of the Tartar ity: and there was some doubt of the truth of the previous day's news that the Dowager had fled to Hsuan Hwa-fu on the Kalgan Road. There was no news whatever of the location of the reactionary leaders.
CONSEQUENCES OF RECENT EVENTS.. The loot question has been greatly simplified by the operation of Tung Fuhsiang's men, on their own account; they have cleared most of the houses of the rich. I hear that one foreign store-keeper is doing a good deal in furs: Le. he is buying them in abundance very cheap.
In Tientsin five of the leaders of our Boxer prisoners were shot this morning: what they are to do with the other is a puzzle. Penal labour on the Russian railways in Manchuria has been suggested, but of course only one voice can determine this.
Col. Wogack is promoted, by telegraph, to be Major-General, to the great satisfaction of his many friends of all nationalities in Tientsin.
The American 15th Regulars have arrived, one battalion (500), and half of the sixth Cavalry have gone to the front.
THE GERMAN EMPEROR'S ORDERS. . When the German Marines left three days ago they gave out informally that the Emperor's orders were to destroy the Palace, and they were. going to do it in spite of the action of other people.
THE ENTRY INTO PEKING.
CONTA
GEN. GASELEE'S ACCOUNT. The following is Gen. Gaselee's official tele- gram reporting the capture of Peking :—
Peking, 15th August. At a conference on the 12th instant, it was agreed that the Allied Forces should concen- trate within 5 miles of Peking on the 14th and assault on the 15th. Accordingly a forood march of 15 miles was made from Tungehou in extreme heat. We (the British) were on the extreme left and attacked the S.E. of the Chi- nese city. There was practically no opposition. A portion of the 17th Rajputs and 24th Pun- jaub Infantry broke down a gate and rushed it, The Fusiliers and 1st Sikhs followed, with some
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