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THE CAPITULATION 287
The Russian artillery officer who was in charge
of the laboratories of the arsenal pointed out to
me, in a private conversation, that these numbers,
though presumably perfectly correct, must be
taken cum grano salis. Of the 80,000 shells by
far the greater part was either 37 millimetre (i|-
in.) quick-firer shells or old Chinese shells, which,
even if they could be re-turned or re-filled, would be
of very little use ;
of larger calibre shells ready
for use, there remained only about 5,000. The
insignificant part which the artillery had played
at the capture of Sungshuh and the battery
positions seems to bear out this statement. As to
the thirty tons of gunpowder, he pointed out that
several magazines, containing considerably larger
quantities, had already been blown up by the shells
of the besiegers, and that the same fate most pro-
bably was in store for the remainder ;
besides the
last day’s shelling had practically destroyed the
whole arsenal, and when the old town was given up
the small factory on the Tiger’s Tail would not be
of much use for the purpose. But even admitting
this, the ammunition would be sufficient to carry
on the defence for at least another month,
3. The statements concerning the sanitary
situation were also partly misleading. There were
no real “epidemics” of typhoid or dysentery, the
total number of cases being forty-three of the
former, and of the latter 460. Neither is it true
that the stock of medicine and disinfectants had
given out. But in other respects the Russian
statements are perfectly correct, and the condition
of the hospitals and the state of health of the
garrison undoubtedly greatly influenced the
decision of General Stoessel.
The state of the hospitals was very bad, they
were overcrowded and new sick came in, in
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