in an act of unparalleled van- of the formidable walls of the dalism, burnt down in the hope Tartar city, and then miles of of the fire spreading to the street fighting. Sir Claude British Legation. In this MacDonald readily perceived atrocious design they were un- that the former method gave successful, but they held the a far better promise of sucblackened ruins after the fire cess, and he managed to get had burnt out. а message conveyed to the British commander, Sir A. Gaselee, telling him that he would be holding a portion of the main wall of the Tartar city, which would be marked by the British and American flags at either extremity, and suggesting that a rush should be made for this place through the lanes of the Chinese city. On the west side of the British Legation was the Imperial Carriage Park, a large field full of storehouses and sheds, also held by the enemy; while to the east was the great drain previously mentioned. Beyond the drain was a large walled garden belonging to a Chinese prince. It was a scene of fierce fighting chiefly between Japanese, reinforced frequently by British marines, and the Chinese imperial troops. The whole Legation defences occupied a rough square area of some 600 yards on each side. Most fortunately, one side of this square rested on the main wall of the Tartar city, and especially on the portion whence the great drain had its exit. Had this wall been captured by the enemy, the whole of the interior would have been untenable. It needs no expert knowledge of the art of war to see that herein lay the key to the relief. If only the allies could gain an entrance into the Chinese city, they could, under cover of its streets and lanes, approach to a point opposite the tunnel where the drain issues, and thence without assaulting any strongly fortified gates they could gain entrance within. The alternative was an attack on some other part The importance of the defenders' position on the top of the great broad wall was also fully recognised by the enemy, who had fiercely contested the hold thereof, and brought all the strength they could muster to assault this vital point. Whether they had been successful or not was unknown to the relief column; but it was recognised that if the defenders were still holding on to the wall, relief would be possible. The relieving army had advanced by the river Peiho from Tientsin, following the same route as the Anglo-French army of 1860, and abandoning the more direct line of the railway, by which Sir E. Seymour had made his unsuccessful attempt a few weeks previously. The point on the river nearest to Peking is the walled town of Tungchao, about fourteen miles from the capital, and connected with it by a canal, which has its terminus just outside the eastern wall of the Tartar city, forming indeed a moat in front of the wall on that face. The country between Tungchao and Peking is flat and densely cultivated. In August it is covered with crops of maize and millet, so tall that a horseman mounted is quite concealed. There are numerous country roads, which are not only unmetalled, but are sunk, owing to the use by generations of travellers, to a considerable depth below the surrounding country. There is, it is true, one paved road which must have taken much labour to make, for its surface is entirely formed of massive blocks of stone; but owing to centuries of neglect its state is so bad as to render it almost impassable. Americans in the centre, the Japanese next, and the Russians on the right. The French would remain in reserve. But on the night of the 13th the Russians pushed their advanced troops so far forward that they found themselves close up to the walls of the city. They were not opposite the place which it was intended they should attack, for they had stumbled upon the re-entrant angle where the walls of the Tartar and Chinese cities join. They made a gallant assault, which was so far successful that they actually got inside, but they were beaten back again with loss. Calling on some of the Japanese to assist them, they again made an attack, but meanwhile the enemy was thoroughly roused. Rain was falling in torrents, and in the darkness much confusion was inevitable. The attack was withdrawn, and renewed again at dawn farther to the north, where, as it so happened, the fortifications were much more formidable. This attack, however, had several important results. results. It told the besieged that relief was at hand. Ears accustomed by long usage to the different sounds of war, at once detected the new weapons that had come into action, and As hope revived. Then the enemy imagined that the main attack would be delivered against the eastern walls of the Tartar city only, and they concentrated their strength accordingly. Finally, the premature assault committed the whole The armies of the allied nations had reached Tungchao, after marching up the river for several days in exceedingly hot weather, on the 12th of August. The plan of operations was that on the 13th a small body from each force should take up a line of outposts towards Peking, and that the remainder should have a day's rest prior to advancing on the 14th. On that day it was intended to march to some position within a few miles of the capital, and deliver a combined attack on the 15th. the French troops had not been able to reach Tungchao at the same time as the four other allies, it was intended to confine the attack operations to the latter, and it was settled that the British should attack on the left of the line, the of the allies to action on the next day. The noise of fighting was heard shortly after midnight at Tungchao, and long before day dawned the troops there were on the march. The rain had cleared off, and although it had the effect of making the roads muddy and heavy, it mitigated to some extent the heat of the coming day. Through muddy lanes bordered by tall crops the columns advanced, and, not without considerable difficulty, endeavoured to keep in touch with their allies on the flanks. 14th, instead of waiting till that would not not be denied. The Japanese, showing the same bravery that they had already displayed at Tientsin and of which we have heard so much recently, assaulted one of the great gates, losing three officers and seventy men in the attempt. The Russian loss, which was also heavy, included their chief of the staff. Farther south, the Americans found themselves opposite the same angle of the wall that had been assaulted by the Russians during the night, and they were soon hotly engaged. Their artillery took up four successive positions, although checked by fire from two directions. Ultimately their infantry assaulted the wall and gate and forced their way in. Before this happened, however, the British force, on the left of the allied line, had already effected an entrance into the Chinese city by a gate which was found to have been practically deserted. This gate opened upon a road running from east to west through the Chinese city, bordered at first by fields, but after some little distance passing between rows of small squalid houses, which became more close together as the road went on. It was now There were many indications of the proximity of the capital. In addition to numerous country villages, there were several rectangular enclosures, some being orchards, others temples and burial groves, others country houses with farms and gardens. The scenery in places was very picturesque, especially near the canal connecting Tungchao and Peking, covered as it was at that season with many beautiful aquatic plants. In the far north-west a range of mountains, their blue sides flecked with lights and shadows, stood out against the sky, which again with its fleecy masses of cloud was reflected in the water of the canal. There was little opportunity, however, for for admiring the beauties of nature as the slowly advancing columns got nearer their objective. By mid-day the attacks of the Russians and Japanese on the east wall and gates of the Tartar city had been renewed with an energy and courage past mid-day; the heat was tremendous, and the smells of the road most objectionable. The intention of the British general was to send the bulk of his force forward to the broad central road opposite the great central gate (Chien men), where it would have a chance of operating on the enemy's right flank, while a small force would make a rush through the lanes to the position on the Tartar city wall which it was hoped would still be held by the Legation defenders. Taking a few infantry and sappers, Sir A. Gaselee followed a guide through narrow streets and alleys due north, leaving the remainder of the force under Sir Norman Stewart to carry out the flanking movement. Through the labyrinth of houses the small handful of men pushed their way until they emerged at an open space. At their feet was a broad sluggish stream of black liquid; beyond that rose a bank and plateau some 50 yards broad, above which rose the great walls of the Tartar city, with square bastions at intervals, and the towers over the gates in the distance. A little to the left, however, was a sight that sent the blood tingling through the veins, and made heat and other discomforts be forgotten. There waved the Union Jack and the Stars and Stripes, marking the position on the wall that was held by the defenders, so relief was not too late! Some idiot suggested that it was a device of the crafty foe to lure the allies to destruction, but this idea was treated with the scorn it deserved. Three ringing cheers from the relievers were answered by an answering hurrah such as Chinese throats never gave. Hardly had the sound died away than instinctively a rush was made for the dark tunnel of the sewer gate under the wall. Helter-skelter across the open ground, every body, from general to private, was racing to be first, regardless of projectiles and of the unspeakably foul mud in the drain. Once the inside was gained many willing hands helped the newcomers up the steep banks of the drain, and thus, laughing and cheering, the first troops of the Relief entered the Legations. How is it possible to give a description of the extraordinary scene that followed, and how can one even faintly express on paper the supreme gratification of the moment? Movement among the crowd was with difficulty managed, so closely were the relievers thronged with cheering men, laughing and excited women, and children dancing about in delight. At the steps of the Secretary's house, close to the back entrance to the British Legation, a group of ladies of all ages, clad in white, were gathered together, and their faces of joy and thankfulness made an impression which cannot be effaced from the memory. To them the entrance of the relief column meant the removal of an unspeakable anxiety and the end of two months of horror. On the lawn - tennis courts ladies in fresh summer dresses were flitting about as if at a garden party, greeting the newcomers as though they were dear old friends. All this time the noise of artillery and the rattle of musketry were such as to drown any mere verbal expressions of gratitude. It is said that when Sir George Pollock's force relieved the "illustrious garrison" of Jellalabad in 1842, they were surprised to find the defenders "rosy and fat." The beleaguered garrison of Peking was not fat, but it was clean, and in that respect presented a contrast to the relief column which was most ludicrous. Sir Claude MacDonald, for instance, had on a white Panama hat and spotless flannels, in which garb he greeted the khaki-clad British general, who after twelve hours' march in an August sun, followed by a race up a particularly filthy drain, did not look quite as clean as a British general usually appears, though it must be admitted that most of his staff presented an even more grimy appearance. At the entrance of the private apartments of the British Minister, which they had reached after passing through open pavilions now used for encampments of refugees of all nations, Sir Claude presented the general to the senior lady of the Corps Diplomatique, the Marchioness di Salvaggo Raggi, wife of the Italian the Italian Minister. This lady's arm was in a sling, and her face bore the signs of much privation. In mellifluous French she expressed the thanks of herself and all the other ladies for the exertions of the allied armies, and her pleasure at being able to greet in person the commander of the British troops. The time, however, for any lengthy exchange of courtesies had not yet arrived, and a staff officer was sent off at once to summon Sir Norman Stewart, if possible, and in any case bring up reinforcements. Threading his way through the excited crowd of cheering men and wondering children, the staff officer went out again at the drain, and mounting there, rode off with a small escort, threading his way cautiously through the narrow foul lanes of the Chinese city, emerging at last on the broad central road. There he found the British artillery drawn up under lee of the houses at one side, and the infantry sprawling over the tops of the houses (all of which are single-storeyed) exchanging rifle-fire with the enemy on the Tartar city wall. As the staff officer trotted along. the centre of the street he shouted out the good news that the Legations were safe and the British were first in. Cheer after cheer greeted the announcement, the men jumping on the gun-limbers and waving their helmets. At the end of the street near the marble bridge and Emperor's Gate Sir N. Stewart was directing the attack on the wall. The message having been delivered been delivered to him, Sir Norman and the staff officer rode over the bridge and along the wall to the sewer gate. By this time, however, there were signs of successful advance on the part of some of the other allies. A party of Russian soldiers, apparently rather at sea, turned up, not under any officer, but willing to fight under any-of whatever nationality. Then American field-battery came rattling along, commanded by a gallant officer, Captain Reilly, an |