One grand difficulty in the way, however, has been removed.
Tientsin has been taken. The details are still obscure, but it is certain, from Admiral Seymour's report, that on July 13th the allied forces, who with the Zapanese numbered eight thousand men, attacked the native city. The attack failed, the Chinese pouring in a most destructive fire ; but on the following day the Japanese blew open the gates, the troops entered, and the Chinese army fled. Sixty- two guns are said to have been captured. The Allies lost in killed and wounded above eight hundred men, a tenth of their whole force, and the Chinese, who fought" with fanaticism" —that is, very well—also suffered heavily. It is supposed that this success will greatly daunt the Chinese ; but it is more certain that if the railway between Tientsin and Taku can be cleared, the allied army will have a new base only seventy miles from Pekin. The principal credit-of the attack is given to the Japanese and the Americans ; but one diffi- culty of a composite army is that the reporters of each nationality attribute to that nationality all they decently can. The death list is quoted as the final test, but it may be swelled by blundering as well as by valour. The energy with whicl the Chinese fought is, like their uprising, a surprise. SOCOE cause of depression seems to have been lifted off their spirits
