General Tung’s troops are facing us on the wall and along our lines on the south. Jung Lu’s troops are behind the French legation. Several of them are killed or wounded every day. The prisoner declares that he was one of several coolies (hired at twenty-five cents a body) to carry off and bury the dead. There are about three thousand of Tung Fu Hsinang’s troops in the city. The Empress has forbidden the use of guns of large caliber against us, because of the harm they might do to her loyal people and their houses. Direct attack having failed, and our rifles being better than theirs, it has been decided to starve us out. Two weeks ago news came that foreign troops from one hundred warships at Taku had captured the Taku forts, and occupied “East Taku,” opposite Tangku railway station. Tientsin city was in a panic on this account. Ammunition is being brought here from the Hunting park. Imperial edicts are issued as usual. Business is going on in the north part of the city, and market supplies are coming in. The four “chief banks” are closed. The soldiers believe that we have several thousand troops under arms here. The prisoner thought we had at least two thousand. Of course, this information is not official, and there may be much that is not strictly accurate. It simply represents the gossip of the tea-shops and restaurants. One reason the Chinese have for thinking we have so many men here is that a number of them are killed by their own bullets, which are aimed high and pass over our heads and drop among their own people. This shooting they attribute to our men, and so think we have a large force here. Same date, 6.30 P.M. The Chinese exploded a mine under the French legation wall, destroying part of the wall and also part of their own fortifications. Four men were buried by the first explosion, one of whom was dug out, and another blown up again by a second explosion. Having done this, the Chinese made a desperate assault, but were beaten off after having killed three and wounded three French marines and lost about twenty of their number. [Illustration: VIEW IN LEGATION STREET The entrance to French legation is on the left. The lions shown on either side of the entrance are such as can be found nowhere outside of China. The street is in somewhat better condition, since it is presumably under foreign control, or at least is modified by foreign influences.] The minister’s and first secretary’s houses were fired, the minister destroying all his official papers himself, to prevent their falling into the hands of the Chinese. Simultaneously with this attack came a tremendous fusillade from all sides, which lasted forty-five minutes, by far the longest we have had yet. The Su Wang Fu was the scene of the hottest firing, and once it was thought it would have to be given up.