L
July 11, 1904.]
14 men were killed by the first firing at the Idzumi.-Kobe Chronicle,
WAR ITEMS.
The campaign, as far as the Japanese are concerned, is really about three weeks ahead of what may, without levity, perhaps be described as schedule time, so that the elements must have been one of the factors taken into consideration at the beginning of the war. General Wheeler. says an American exchange, says the Japanese must be experiencing enormous difficulty in getting their larger field guns to the front, owing to the condition of the roads, which must be like morasses in many places, but he does not doubt that they will
get there all right." This is the general view taken here.
Three Russian warships re-appeared off Tsushima' on the 2nd instant, according to a
44
Tokyo correspondent. The Echo de Chine
reports the squadron off Gensan on the same date. The Vladivostock ships will probably share a sort of Flying Dutchman character
for a time.
A Chefoo story refers to a Greek arrival who declared that the Admiral of the Port Arthur fleet was an elderly gentleman who hadn't been to sea for many years. The military officers The garrison. were therefore mistrusting him. it is also said, were pessimistic as to the fate of Port Arthur.
The enormous disproportion between the number of troops which ought, according.
to
to
be
now
sug-
the Russian calculation, at the disposal of General Kuropatkin and the number of those believed to be actually under his command, is explained. it is gested, by the probability that the missing men have been stranded at intermediate stations on the Siberian railway. It has also been explained in ways less complimentary to
Russian historians.
THE YALU VICTORY AND GERMAN
INSTRUCTION,
Major-General Meckel, formerly military instructor in Japan, received & telegram from Baron Kodama. Chief of the Japanesa General Staff, saying that the Yalu victory was won "by officers whom you instructed.' Baron Sayematsu, writing to the Times, explains the motive of the telegram. General Meckel, he says, was in Japan for several years as a military instructor. He was then an officer of the German army, but not a general, and was chiefly en aged in the exposition of the theory of strategy and tactics in our military college. Beside the occasional manœuvres he often made excursions with a number of the officers to different parts of the country, and made imaginary battles by means of fictitious campaign plans of the opposing armies for the purpose of practising his theory, which benefited our officers very much. Baron Kodama was one of those officers. No doubt he felt, after the battle of the Yalu, special interest in the importance of strategy, and per- sonal recollection of General Meckel's service revived in his mind vividly; hence the telegram.
ALLEGED RUSSIAN PROPOSALS TO CHINA.
The Tientsin correspondent of the London Daily Express telegraphing on May 29th stated that M. de Lessar, on behalf of the St. Peters- burg Government, had informed Prince Ching at Peking that Russia would finally evacuate Newchwang if China would give her formal assent to the concession for the railway. 770 miles long, running from Kalgan across Chinese Mongolia to Kiakhta, eighty miles from Lake Baikal. M. de Lessar further proposed to evacuate Manchuria outright if China would grant Russia a lease for a fixed term of the Ili territory. Prince Ching laid these proposals before the Chinese Government, but had not made an official reply to the Russian Minister.
The same correspondent also reported that the Chinese Viceroys, Chang Chi Tung, Wei Kwan Tao, and Shang Kung Pao, the heads of the war party, who recently had a conference at Nanking, memorialised the Emperor to abandon the policy of neutrality. They urged that all the Chinese treaties with Russia be annalled forthwith, including those of Ner- chinsk. Aigun, Peking, and St. Petersburg, the Telegraph and Railway Conventions, and the Indemnity Protocol of 1901.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
THE LATE ADMIRAL MAKAROFF AND PORT
ARTHUR.
The Warsaw Dnevnik has published a number of letters written from Port Arthur by Colonel Agupyieff, who perished in the Petropavlovsk. The last of the series contains an interesting account of an attempt made by Admiral Makaroff to prevent the sealing of Port Arthur It was decided to sink by Japanese fire-ships. a number of vessels outside the entrance in an almost certain to strike and sink, the vessels of S-shaped line so that while fire-ships would be the Russian squadron might pass out at need. The plan was to a certain extent, actually carried into effect. On March 27 (April 9) & steamer called the Edward Barry, purchased from the North-Eastern Steam Navigation Company at a cost of 475,000 roubles (£50,538) was sunk at a spot where one of the Japanese fire-ships had been sunk, and on the following day another steamer called the Shilka was sunk these two vessels would be sufficient to prevent near the Edward Barry. It was hoped that
any damage from being effected by Japanese fire-ships.
The war is being carried on in little-known regions, and the names of places mentioned in telegrams and in the letters of correspondents are variously expressed on paper by writers to whom they represent nothing but sounds imperfectly heard. An explanation of their
•
SUPREME COURT.
Monday, 4th July.
IN ORIGINAL JURISDICTION.
23
BEFORE HIS HONOUR SIR WILLIAM.M. GOODMAN (CHIEF JUSTICE).
SEQUEL TO A FLOUR CONTRACT. The Wing Chong Lee firm sued the Kwong Tak Wing firm for 87,547, being the balance between the price of flour ordered by the defen- dants and not accepted and the price which the flour realised when put up for auction. Hon. H. E. Pollock, K.C. (instructed by Mr. John Hays, of Me srs. Johnson, Stokes and Master, solicitors), appeared for the plaintiffs. The defendant; did not appear.
he plaintiffs in their statement of claim business at 21, Queen's Street, and the defen- stated that they were merchants carrying on
dants were merchants, or were until lately. carrying on business at 86, Wing Lok Street. They (the plaintiffs) had suffered damages to the extent of $7,547 by reason of the defendants breach of contract for the pur-
chase of
defendants
the
certain flour which did not accept or pay for; therefore plaintiffs were compelled to sell by public auction, and it realised $45,598, which was $7,547 below the contract price. For this sum they sued.
His Lordship gave judgment for the plaintiffs with costs.
In another case the Wing Chong Fat firm sued the Kwong Tak Wing firm for $1,803. also for damages caused by the non-accept- ance of flour, the defendants being mer- chants lately carrying on business at 86, Wing Lok Street. The price was agreed upon at $11,550. The plaintiffs were compelled to sell by public auction, when the price realised was 89,747, and they sued for the difference, $1803.
His Lordship gave judgment for plaintiffa with costs.
hard syllables not only gives an interest to them, but serves to promote a uniformity of spelling. Professor Douglas in a letter to the Times in- stances a few. Following in the wake of the Japanese (he says) we find that in passing into Manchuria they crossed the Yalu. The
"Duck- reen, meaning of the word Yalu is and this name may possibly have been given to the stream from the number of ducks on its surface, or from some peculiarity in the colour of its waters. From this point the apanese marched on to, and took possession of. Chiu-lien- cheng," the nine-linked city," which has been variously written Kiu-lien-cheng, and by the Russians Tu-ren-cheng. The next town that was occupied was Feng-hwangch'eng, or
"the city of male and female Phoenixes." This has usually appeared in the newspapers as Feng- hwang-chenn. Later we are told that Japanese scouts have been seen on the Mo-t'ien. ling, or "the sky-scraping' range," so named from the height of its peaks. It is probable that BEFORE HIS HONOUR T. SERCOMBE SMITH if the Japanese succeed in crossing this range they will advance on Haich'enr city," and may eventually reach Liao-yang cheng, which would appear to mean
the city on the distant southern slopes."
1
the ocean
·
IMPORTANT JAPANESE MILITARY APPOINTMENTS.
Marshal Marquis Oyama. on the 23rd ult., was appointed Commander-in-Chief of all the forces in Manchuria; General Baron Kodama. Supreme Superintendent of the General Staff Office in Manchuria; while Marshal Marquis Yamagata has been appointed Superintendent of the General Staff Office (Tokyo), with Major-General Nagaoka Vice-Superintendent.
19
TRE “SADO-MARU LESS DAMAGED THAN ANTICIPATED.
The Sado-maru has arrived at Matsure, Island, at the entrance to the Shimonoseki Straits. Operations were at once begun to pump the water out of the vessel, a measn e that was necessary to prevent the ship from sinking. It is stated that the stern was almost submerged, while forward the ball was six fest above water. The damage was all under water and invisible. Apparently no damage was done to the upper works. The masts remained intact, and the boats except one were missing. The Japanese flag was at the stern. Down below horses were beard neighing with fear and bunger. Three dead bodies were found on board. Sixteen sigualmen remained on the Sado when the military officers left the ship and these men arrived by the steamer. damage, it is added, is much less than anticipated, and the vessel can be used in the service again upon being repaired.
The
was
The Buddhist priests of the temples, and the nuns of the convents in Canton and elsewhere. possess considerable property, upon the rent of which they live practically in idleness. The Viceroy has ordered this property to be assessed for taxation purposes, the proceeds being devoted to the maintenance of schools in Canton,
|
Wednesday, 6th July.
IN SUMMARY JURISDICTION.
(PUISNE JUDGE.)
▲ PAINTER'S CLAIM. The I Hop firm, painters, sued Chan Wa Lung, building contractor, for $189.53 in respect of work done and material supplied. Mr. O. D. Thomson, solicitor, appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr. P. W. Goldring, solicitor, of Mr. John Hastings's office, was for the defence.
Mr. Thomson stated that the amount claimed was the alance due on a contract account, the
full amount having been $625. Defendant did not admit several items in the account. The whole of the transactions between the parties were verbal ones, there being no documents at all.
After hearing evidence,
His Lordship gave judgment for the plain- tiffs for $102.53 with costs.
PROMISSORY NOTES.
Chin Wing San sued Chiu Man Young for the return of two promissory notes. Mr. Otto Kong Sing. solicitor, appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr. E. J. Grist, of Messrs. Wilkinson and Grist, solicitors, for the defendant.
Mr. Kong Sing said that the action was for the return of two documents in Chinese pur- porting to be promissory notes and which, it was claimed, had been paid off.
Mr. Grist said he appeared, under protest, for the defendant. He objected that the Court had no jurisdiction in this case, because the action did not arrive in any way in Hongkong, nor was defendant at the time of the issue of the writ in Hongkong; therefore the Court had no jurisdiction in the matter. Its jurisdiction was confined to actions which arose within the Colony or actions in which the defendants were at the time of the writ within the jurisdiction.
His Lordship. What about service? Mr. Grist said that service could only be ordered if an action arose within the jurisdic- The question of jurisdiction was in tion. ordinary cases weighed by appearance in a case, but he appeared under protest.
4