track. This road has been torn up; the rails are left, but ties, fish plates, etc., have been carried away. The telegraph line has also been destroyed. The railroad company, under the protection of the French forces, has rebuilt about 10 miles to the north of Paotingfu. The road to the south of Paotingfu as far as Tingchow, about 40 miles, was left undisturbed, as were also the station house, roundhouse, repairing shops, and a considerable quantity of rolling stock at Paotingfu. The telegraph line is also being rebuilt.

As this stream

On October 15 the Peiho was reached. was not bridged, and was too deep to ford without great discomfort to the men, a pontoon bridge was constructed by the English sappers and miners, from boats furnished by the Chinese at Tienhsing. This work was accomplished between the hours of 3 p. m. of the 15th and 7 a. m. of the 16th, the troops starting to cross at the latter hour. This bridge was a complete failure. The crossing of the British infantry shook it up considerably, and it was necessary to repair it before other troops could follow. During the passage of the Germans, French, and Italians it was again badly racked, and when the light transport started over one boat sank, thus absolutely destroying its usefulness. A new bridge was immediately started, but no one waited for its construction, and it was not completed. The baggage train and rear guard forded the stream, which was 2 feet and 9 inches in depth. The failure of this bridge was due to the fact, in the first place, that it was badly located, both as regards the ford and the best locality for crossing, and also that valuable material at hand was not made use of. The river was poorly reconnoitered; just below the location of the pontoon bridge there was a small island which might have been utilized to great advantage. The bridge was just below the ford, and the crossing of the artillery and cavalry caused considerable wash, which was instrumental in displacing the boats. Considerable quantities of railroad rails and sleepers were at hand, and could have been used to good effect; and, in fact, upon our return it was found that the bridge had been removed to the island referred to, and that both rails and sleepers had been made use of in its construction.

Upon reaching the city of Paotingfu, it was found that a body of French soldiers, reported at 500, had arrived several days before and taken possession of the gates and walls, but

had not entered the city officially. The sentinels over the gates had orders to permit no one in the city, which orders were confirmed by General Gaselee, and strictly adhered to until after the conference had been held and proper arrangements made. On October 20 the commanding general and his staff, and the generals and staffs of each contingent, entered and rode through the city. At a conference on the same day it was decided to allow the troops, who had been quartered in the suburbs, to enter. On October 21 General Gaselee and staff moved into quarters inside the town. A proper police was established to preserve order, and the city. was divided into four districts, each contingent being assigned one district with its gate. On October 22 and 23 the French, Germans, and Italians moved into the city, the English remaining in camp outside the walls, placing, however, a suitable guard in their section of the city. The country around Paotingfu was equally divided among the different forces for purposes of forage and supplies. On October 21 an international court of inquiry, composed of an officer from each contingent and Mr. Jamieson, of the British diplomatic corps, was ordered to meet and investigate the murder and outrages committed on the subjects of the several nations in the vicinity of Paotingfu. After a careful investigation of the facts, the court made the following recommendation: The commanding officer of the imperial troops at the time of the murders, to be beheaded; the fantai, or provincial treasurer, to be beheaded; the Paotingfu representative of the imperial government of Pekin to be beheaded; the heitai, or provincial judge, to be degraded and deposed from office; the taitoi, a provincial official, to be sent to Tientsin for trial. The decision of the court was sent to Field Marshal Count von Waldersee for approval. In addition, as a punishment to the city for the atrocities committed in its midst, the Temple of the Tutelary God, and a temple of lesser note in which the missionaries were confined before being murdered, were blown up. Beside this, the destruction of the gate towers and the southeast corner of the city wall was ordered. The facts connected with the treatment and murder of the American missionaries have been fully described by Captain Hutcheson, Sixth United States Cavalry, and are fully concurred in; it is not considered necessary to repeat them herein.

The troops were returned to Pekin by different routes. The order for the movement is given below. This order is quoted verbatim in order to show the form of English field orders, which throughout the expedition were concise and to the point. They follow to the letter in this regard a little pamphlet published by Major Trench, of the Royal Artillery:

PAOTINGFU FORCE ORDERS,

HEADQUARTERS, PAOTINGFU, CHINA,

3 p. m., 24/10/00,

1. In accordance with instructions received from his excellency, Count von Waldersee, Column B of the Paotingfu force will return to Pekin in three columns as below detailed, to arrive at Pekin on or about the 6th of November, 1900.

A. THE WESTERN COLUMN.-The troops at Ichou, under the command of Colonel von Norman, to reconnoiter westward to the Great Wall, returning thence along the foot of the hills to Pekin.

B. CENTRAL COLUMN.-The remainder of the German-Italian troops, of Column B, under the command of Colonel Garioni, to march in the general direction of Yungcheng, Sincheng, Kuan, and Huangtsun to Pekin; probable date of departure 28th October.

C. EASTERN COLUMN.-The remainder of the British contingent, Column B, less details mentioned below, under the command of Major General Richardson, to move in the general direction of Yungcheng, Paikoutien, Yungtsing, Langfang, and thence north to Pekin; probable date of departure October 27th. Mule transportation only to be taken, if possible; all carts that can be spared are to proceed by the direct road through Chochou, with a small escort, for which purpose all weakly and footsore men and horses are to be detailed. Captain Douglass will command this convoy, and will withdraw with it all British force detachments on the line of communication south of Lukochow.

2. Major General Campbell will detail one field troop of cavalry under a British officer to accompany General von Gayle to Ichou on the 26th October, and return thence to Pekin with the Ichou or western column, whence they will join the headquarters of their regiment.

3. Major General Campbell's brigade will return to Tientsin by a route to be hereafter published, leaving Paotingfu on or about 28th October. 4. Lieut. Gen. Sir A. Gaselee, with his personal escort, will leave Paotingfu for Pekin by the direct route through Chochou on the 27th instant. 5. The following paragraph of Army Orders dated Tientsin, 8th October, is republished for the guidance of officers commanding column:

"4. In order to realize the resources of Paotingfu, and the villages on and in the lines of communication, for the supply of troops every act of violence against the peaceful inhabitants, and all unauthorized requisitions are to be avoided. On the other hand, as far as practicable, on each side of the line of march, the peaceful population is to be protected from oppression by Boxers, and as against the latter the severest measures are to be taken."

By order:

(Signed) G. H. W. O'SULLIVAN, Staff Officer, Paotingfu Expediton.

General Gaselee and his staff left Paotingfu on the morning of the 28th with a small escort, and arrived without incident at Lukochow at 1 p. m. on the 31st. As General Gaselee desired to remain all night in Lukochow, for private reasons, we obtained his permission to push on, and did so, arriving at Pekin about 5 p. m., having covered the distance in four days.

The return march of the British Indian infantry escort could not help but attract attention; without any apparent effort they made from 23 to 25 miles per day by 4 or 5 o'clock in the afternoon and were all anxious to go on to Pekin on the last night, instead of stopping at Lukochow.

The French soldiers, zouaves, and Chasseurs d'Afrique that were in Paotingfu upon our arrival, impressed one much better than the marine infantry, i. e., colonial troops, that marched with Column B. They were well-developed men, disciplined from long service, soldierly in their manner and appearance, and compared most favorably with any troops in Paotingfu. The French colonial troops were neither soldierly in their bearing or appearance, marched poorly, and seemed to be poorly disciplined.

The German troops throughout generally received favorable criticism. They were absolutely disciplined, and at all times displayed the most willing obedience to their officers. Their marching was almost perfect, though in a long and hard campaign, it is thought that their heavy equipments, heretofore mentioned, would prove very burdensome. Each man carried an intrenching tool of some description, a pick, ax, or spade, which was small and light, but apparently strong. This is considered to be an excellent idea when pack mules are not provided. In the English service the equipment of the men was exceedingly light; they carried, in addition to their arms, only a water bottle and a haversack, the remainder of their equipment, tentage, etc., being transported on pack mules, which followed just behind; thus the men were always able to make camp promptly, and prepare their meals in a brief time. In addition they had the advantage of being unincumbered while marching.

The English contingent throughout was thoroughly equipped with a signaling detachment, an engineering detachment, and sappers and miners. They made all the reconnoissances on the march, prepared a route map, gathered information, and

were directly responsible for the excellent manner in which the troops were marched and camped.

First Lieutenant, Tenth Infantry, Aid-de-camp.

RECORD OF EVENTS WITH CURRENT COMMENT, AUGUST TO NOVEMBER, 1900.

BY LIEUT. COL. J. T. DICKMAN, TWENTY-SIXTH INFANTRY, U. S. V.

PEKIN, CHINA, November 5, 1900.

ADJUTANT GENERAL CHINA RELIEF EXPEDITION,

Pekin, China.

SIR: In addition to my report on the organization, etc., of the forces of the allied powers in North China, I have the honor to submit certain observations, principally extracts from my diary, parts of which may be of interest and worth preserving.

Stationed at Pototan, Panay, P. I., and in command of the central district of the island, the telegraphic order from General Hughes "to pack my war bag and come as soon as practicable prepared to sail for Taku," reached me on July 24. On the 26th I arrived at Iloilo, 22 miles distant, and on the 28th sailed for Manila, via Romblon, on the Isla de Negros. Arrived on the 30th, and, after reporting at headquarters, sailed on the Thomas August 1 for Nagasaki, arriving August 6. Transferred immediately to the Indiana, but was obliged to wait six days for the Fifteenth Infantry; the delay, though annoying, was made use of in visiting points of interest. Finally sailed on August 13, and came to anchor off Taku late on the 16th. On the morning of the 17th we were informed that Pekin had fallen three days before, and that, therefore, as far as participation in the campaign was concerned, the troops on board were practically out of it. Much regret was expressed, yet the importance of promptness was fully appreciated at the time, and more so afterwards. The 17th, day and night, was spent in loading the lighter Foochow; we left at 6 a. m. of the 18th, and arrived at Tongku in a few hours. At Tientsin, where we arrived a few hours later, the pictures of desolation created by the