3-082-106 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

The War in Eastern Asia: the "Centurion" passing Ta-Lien-Whan Bay where the Japanese landed troops to take Port Arthur, 1895. 'Tonga; Heiyei; Fuso; Fort; Japanese Men-of-War and Torpedo-boats; Teiyei; H.M.S. Centurion, with Admiral Fremantle. From a Sketch by Mr. B. Meadows-Taylor, H.M.S. "Centurion"... Admiral Ito came on board the flag-ship, and was received with all honours. Permission was obtained for officers to land and inspect the forts, etc. The town of Port Arthur presents an extraordinary appearance, having been looted from end to end. In some quarters of the town were numbers of dead; most of them appeared to be coolies and townspeople. There were also a few women killed and mutilated, but the majority of women and children had been sent away to Chefoo and other places before the town was invested. There had evidently been a lot of savage fighting. There are very few Chinese left in the town now. I saw only one old man; he was wandering about, looking very miserable. There is a great deal of excuse for the Japanese, as the Chinese have behaved in a most barbarous manner to the few prisoners they have caught. Some days before the fall of the garrison a skirmish took place, in which several Japanese were killed'. From "Illustrated London News", 1895.