francs a bottle-if you could get it but then, the pearls were worth from forty to fifty thousand francs at the least. Rennie's "British Arms in China" gives a good description of the Summer Palace, with its lakes full of gold fish and its many beautiful water-birds.

On the 8th of October the allies again started for Pekin, and the Chinese were notified that the prisoners would have to be released and in the British lines and the city gate opened, otherwise an entry would be forced. About two o'clock that same afternoon the prisoners were brought in to our lines, or at least as many of them as remained alive. Of the twenty-six English and Sikhs and thirteen French entrapped at Tung-Chow only eleven of the former and six of the French were restored. Lord Loch, in his "Personal Narratives," tells of the indignities to which he was subjected, the cruelties and the horror of hanging to a rafter by the wrists and ankles as if he were a hammock, and the agonies of thinking that each day would be his last. Sir Harry Parkes also gives a good account of his sufferings and troubles and how he was brought out nearly every day to be executed.

The allies were quartered outside the Anting Gate, but the great difficulty was to find anybody holding a responsible position to treat with, as all the principal mandarins had gone away, those who remained being nothing but minor officials and understrappers, who certainly had no power to treat; neither did it appear that any of them had any great desire to do so. The situation was, to say the least, an embarrassing one, for here we were, to all intents in possession of the city, but nobody would take any notice of us. We had no desire to have the capital of the Celestial Empire on our hands, but to get the treaty signed as soon as possible so that we might get away before the Pei-ho river was frozen over and the rigors of winter set in, thus preventing our getting away for at least three months. However, after considerable persuasion and by showing them the risk they ran of having their city given over to pillage and destruction unless they acted at once, they managed to find Prince Kung, who came with fear and trembling to treat for peace. In the meantime the British siege-guns had arrived and everything was in readiness for breaching the walls unless the Anting Gate was given up as security and as a guarantee of good faith whilst the

ambassadors entered the city to sign the treaty. At noon on the 13th the guns were to open fire unless the gate were previously surrendered. As the time approached, no sign was made from within the city. The scene was an interesting one; the field and breaching-guns were in position, and the gunners were standing to their guns, which were ready loaded, and the officer only awaited the word to fire. Sir Robert Napier stood, watch in hand, and every field-glass was directed at the gate and every eye was turned in the same direction. The order to fire was almost on the lips of the general when the gate was seen to be opened and the surrender was announced, and a few moments later the 67th Regiment and the 8th Punjabees entered the city, and guards were posted on the walls, and field-guns were placed near the gate so as to secure all approaches, and the position was placed in a state of defence.

Prince Kung, having been assured of his own safety, had returned to the city-if he had ever been out of it, which is very doubtful-but even at this crisis, when the guns were ready to open fire on the city, it was the same old story of procrastination, and every effort was made to postpone matters. It had to be, however, so on the 24th of October Lord Elgin entered the city in great pomp with an escort of five hundred men and proceeded to the Board of Ceremonies, where Prince Kung, with the usual formalities, attached the Great Seal to the treaty, which was thereupon signed and exchanged. Several days later the French treaty was likewise exchanged, Baron Gros proceeding to the Board of Ceremonies in a Sedan Chair. Embassies were established and Mr. Bruce was appointed first British Minister to the Court of Pekin, and on the 9th of November Lord Elgin and Sir Hope Grant, with the troops, left on their return journey to Tien-tsin, and the China War of 1860 was over. The war was over, but there yet remained to be collected an indemnity of two million pounds sterling, together with one hundred thousand pounds to be paid to the families of the murdered prisoners. Until this amount was fully paid and our minister safely installed in Pekin, a strong brigade, consisting of Fane's Horse (the 19th Sikhs), two batteries of artillery, the 31st Regiment and a detachment of Military Train, under the command of Brigadier General Sir Charles Stavely, occupied the city of Tien-tsin, where they were cut off from all communication with the outer world on account of the river being frozen over, for the next four months.

Several gun-boats were also frozen in at the same place, that to which the writer was temporarily attached being amongst the number. Every preparation was made on board ship to meet the severe cold of the winter and the heavy snowfall was provided for by roofing in with canvas or boards, and as little work could be done, we had to do our best to provide healthy amusement. Drill was regularly performed on the ice and on the snow when it had set hard enough to allow free movement on it. There was, of course, any amount of skating, and sufficient ground was cleared of snow to allow of foot-ball being played. Fishing in Chinese rivers did not much appeal to any of us, and there was no shooting to be had. When the frost broke up and allowed a movement on the river, I was fortunate enough to be ordered up to Japan to join my own ship, where I was stationed till the middle of August, 1865, taking an active part in the expeditions to Kegoshima and to Shemonoseki; but of those little episodes I have told fully elsewhere, and they have nothing whatever to do with the China War of 1860.

[COPYRIGHTED.]

U. S. NAVAL INSTITUTE, ANNAPOLIS, MD.

SOME

NOTES ON THE TRAINING OF MARINES
FOR ADVANCE BASE WORK.

By MAJOR HENRY C. DAVIS, U. S. M. C.

It must become apparent to officers of the Marine Corps, as time goes on, that their function as a part of the Naval Service is becoming more and more clearly defined.

That function is to have at the disposal of the Navy Department a trained force ready and organized at all times for Advance or Mobile Base work.

In the training of the young officers who come into the corps, no matter from what source, particular stress is necessarily laid on the fundamentals of military education, and that training is therefore confined to the essential military features of their particular and peculiar duties as officers of the Marine Corps ashore and afloat. It is not my purpose to suggest any changes in that course as it now exists and is taught at the School of Application, but I would like to suggest something for the training of such officers of the Marine Corps as are fortunate enough to be allowed to attend the Advance or Mobile Base School.

In the organization of a force for Mobile Base work, the three most important heads or subjects under which others come in the formation of a course are the Infantry, Artillery and Signals, under this last head being included all the electrical features of the work.

Under Artillery are included mines, countermining and boom construction. Signals would also include, under the general heads Visual and Electric, the sub-heads Wireless, Buzzers and Sounders, Ardois, Wig-wag, Whistle, Semaphore and Telephone Installation.

It will therefore be necessary, in the organization of an Advance Base force, to include officers who have specialized in these main divisions; that is, in Infantry, Artillery and Signals.