All the Ambassadors except the German and apparently all the
women and children were found alive, but nothing is said of their condition except that they were "emaciated." The American Minister, however, reports that the Chinese Govern- ment, who, he says, ordered everything, sent no food except some vegetables, which were refused. It is also intimated by Sir Claude Macdonald that the Chinese broke every promise, and by another authority that "the armistice" was not observed. The shelling was persistent, and the greatest danger was a few hours before the relief, when the Chinese attacked so fiercely that the sound of their firing warned the relieving generals to be speedy. No hint is given us how it happened that the Legations were provisioned for a siege, bow the non-combatants were protected, or why the shells did comparatively so little execution. Of the British only one officer, Captain Strouts, was killed, two members of the Legation, Messrs. Oliphant and Warren, and one missionary, while Mr. Richardson, Dr. Morrison, and twenty Marines were wounded. We suspect that only a limited number of Chinese have been trained to use the fine weapons they possess, and few of these were in the capital.
