I wonder what telegrams the admiral has received? A French torpedo-boat brought some service telegrams, as well as private ones, from Mayung (Mojanga). The former are, of course, in cipher. They are deciphering them now. My servant has just come to ask me to change his Russian money for French money. I gave him five francs. There is very little foreign money in the fleet, and great trouble in changing Russian. No decision as to the fate of our fleet has been received from Petersburg. They are silent--perhaps they are consulting. Three officers have been discharged from the fleet: an ensign who went mad, a lieutenant through illness, and the paymaster of the _Aurora_. A court of inquiry has been appointed to survey the transports _Malay_ and _Kniaz Gortchakoff_, which are being sent to Russia. I am one of the members. I wanted to go ashore to-morrow, but shall not be able, owing to this inquiry. It is very trying, having to remain waiting the decision of the fate of the fleet from Petersburg. _December 30th._--I was unable to finish my letter yesterday, as I was sent to the _Borodino_. I went there at twelve, midnight. An unfortunate accident occurred. Two sailors went into the wing passage and were suffocated, although the manhole was open. The closeness in these passages is frightful--there is little air, and poisonous gases accumulate. The sailors, in my opinion, became weak, could not lift themselves up the ladder, fell, struck their heads on something, and were suffocated. They wanted to make a post-mortem on the deceased, but did not do so. I passed the night in the _Borodino_, in the admiral's dining-cabin on a sofa. At six I got up, having slept for two or three hours. They provided me with a mat and a pillow. It was fearfully hot and stuffy, although the doors and ports were open. The heat is unbearable. You are always wet with perspiration. Yesterday I saw a case of sickness from the heat. A writer was taken ill at night, though it was cooler then than in the day. A sailor in the _Suvaroff_ was also nearly suffocated in the wing passage. Sunstrokes are frequent. I called this morning at the _Suvaroff_, and was immediately sent on board the _Malay_ for the inquiry. While there I was twice sent for by the admiral. He wrote a severe order about the death of the two sailors in the _Borodino_. He ordered me to add to this order some technical details. Taking advantage of this, I toned the order down as much as I could in sending it to be printed. At four o'clock the dead sailors from the _Borodino_ were buried. The admiral was present at the requiem service. Their bodies were taken in a boat to the torpedo-boat _Bravy_. She took them further out to sea and committed them to the deep. It was a sad ceremony. When the cutter shoved off from the _Borodino_ with the bodies, they fired guns; the band played the funeral march, "Kol Slaven." The officers and crews of all the ships stood at "attention."