April 9, 1904.]
THE WAR.
(FROM OUR CORRESPONDENTS.
KOBE, 4th April. The Russians have evacuated the village of Sensen, to the north of Chengju,
LONDON, 5th April. There is reported to be dissension between Admiral Alexieff and General Kuropatkin, the former wanting rapid action on the part of Russia, whereas General Kuropatkin is more cautious.
A Russian transport bound for Vladivos. tock, with a cargo of provisions on board, has been captured by the Japanese.
J
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT. while the master of the vessel and two seamen escaped in a junk and succeeded in reaching Chefoo on the 29th. It is stated that the Rus- sian vessels numbered uine, including destro- yers. A later report, issued by the Asaki, says at the time was chartered by the Chefoo corres- the Hanyei-marn was a steamer of 75 tons, and pondent of the Osaka ournal, who used it with the object of watching the naval operations. -
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PORT ARTHUR'S DEFENCE,
277
ap the duty of gate-keepers at the Siberian again. Will Japanese be so stupid as to take frontier all the year round! We must remem- ber that this duty will require hundreds of thousands of men and several millions of dollars. Therefore the only way for us to take is to recognise the authority of the Chinese Govern- ment in Manchuria and at the same time to induce the other Powers to take the responsibi- interference lity of guarding Manchuria against Russian if an equal chance for commerce and industry is given to all the Powers, they will not decline to share the responsibility with 114. Whether the war result. Let us hope that our Government may turns out to be a righteous one or not may only be judged by the
politicians so as to bring disgrace and disaster not be influenced by soldiers and short-sighted
what it has professed before the world." upon the nation by acting in contradiction to
THE TORPEDO-BOAT DUEL.
The Japanese vanguard had a slight skir- mish on Saturday with Russian troops at Thyolsan, west of Sensen, and in the result! The following (from the Kobe Chronicle) the Russians filed towards Wiju.
amplifies what
have already revived by telegraph
The Commander of the fortificatious at Port. men of the forts and to the inhabitants of the Arthur has issued a notice to the officers and town which reads grimly and suggests the pardonable fears that are entertained by the people as the result of continued attacks by the Japanese. Addressing the officers and men of the forts and of the lines of defence and also that judging from the enemy's contioned the inhabitants of the Province, the notice says Writing of the torpedo-boat engagement on attacks the Japanese are doing their utmost to
the 10th ulf, the Times correspondent states break through the Russian defence. Their telegram describing the
that the Japanese Admiral, in a wireless and occupy the forts or to destroy the forts and superior numbers, were defeated by the better intention evidently is to land on the peninsula engagement, says that the Russians, despite their torpedo-destroyer retreat in their war-ships. It must be remem-shooting of the Japanese, who were armed with bered, continues the proclamation, that the six-pound rs against the Russian pounders. Japanese consider the taking of Port Arthur a question bearing upon the national honour. Up to the present the Japanese have realised the difficulty of their task. The inhabitants are in- formed that the fortifications will never abandoned, and that the Commander will never give the order to retreat. There can be no
SHANGHAI, 7th April.
The Russian cruiser Bayan yesterday (Wednesday) stopped the Press steamer Haimun in the Chili Strait. It is learnt that the Bayan male a search for the Japanese fleet within a distance of thirty miles from Port Arthur, but failed to discover
any of their ships.
NORTHERN TELEGRAMS.
We take the following telegrams from the N.-C. Daily News :-
Tokyo, 31st March.
In the engagement at Chongju on the 28th of March, five Russian officers were severely wounded, and three Cossacks killed and twelve wounded. Major-General Mischenko was present at the engagement.
The Russian attempt to neutralise New chwang has failed, owing to the British state- ment that it must be dependent on the with- drawal of the Russian troops.
The Russian administration at Newchwang having issued preliminary regulations with regard to the military control of the port. the Foreign Consuls on the 28th of March asked their home governments for instructions on doubtful points.
Tokyo, 1st April.
It is stated on good authority that the Rus sian force between Chinliencheng and Feng huangcheng has now reached about one army corps. Relays consisting of five or six men each are posted every one or two li between Chiuliencheng and Antunglsien.
The Russians are hastily erecting entreuch ments in the Yalu valley with the object of keeping open their communications. Seven have been finished at Antunghsien, and five or six more are under construction.
[Chiulienchêng is on the north side of the Yalu, opposite Wiji. Fenghuangcheng is about 35 miles north-west of Chiulienchèng].
Tokyo. 3rd April.
The Yalu is thawing. It is reported that the Russians have withdrawn from Shonchnyou. midway between Chongju and Wiju.
The Japanese advanced guard has come into collision with the enemy at Thyolsan, north of Shonchhyon.
16 THE VARYAG."
The Japan Mail reports :-The raising of the Varyag is said to be proceeding most successful ly, but as the Kokumin's correspondent, by whom the intelligence is conveyed, speaks of 12 inch guns having been already raised from the vessel, his details are obviously coloured by his imagination. At all events 8 guns of sorts have been taken out of her. They are all said to be serviceable, and it is now certain that the ship can be saved. She will make an addition to the Japanese navy, since she is a fine pro- tected cruiser of 6,500 tons, with a nominal
speed of 23 knots.
SINKING OF ANOTHER JAPANESE STEAMER.
A telegram dated Chefoo. 29th ult., and re- ported to be received by the Japanese War Department, states that the small steamer Hanyei maru, plying on the Chefoo coast, was chased on the morning of the 26th by Russian vessels and afterwards sunk. Ten Japaness of the crew and seven Chinese were captured,
be
retreat. It is necessary for all to be determined and to fight till death. There is no retreat, for retreat is cut off, on three sides of them is the sea, and their land If the defence shows courage the enemy will be defeated. The inhabitants of the peninsula are exhorted to be brave and earn everlasting ren wu.
JAPAN'S OBJECT IN THE WAR.
The foreign column of the Japanese Socialist article on the object of the war-whether it be organ, Heimin Shimbun, has au interesting
expausion and the preservation of Chinese and empire expansion or the checking of Russian Corean_integrity.
for territorial expansion, or is she fighting for Is Japan fighting," the writer asks," merely something else? From the beginning of the war it has been repeatedly stated by the Government that Japan plunge into war
was compelled to with Russia in order to preserve the independence of Chiua aud Corea as well as her own. war without any recompense, Japan ought not If a righteous war means a
to look forward to the possession of she comes ont victorious. any piece of land in Manchuria or Siberia when our Government, at last on our enlightened We may depend ou statesmen, to live up to what they profess, but it is extremely doubtful whether soldiers or victory which brings no spoils. It was about pseudo-statesman would be satisfied with a ten days ago that Mr. Oishi, a prominent leader of the Progressist party, spoke on the war at the when the war shall have proved victorious for general meeting of the party. He declared that us, we must take possession of the two provinces Peninsula, in order to prevent the advance of along the Amur River, as well as Liaotung the Russian army to the East again, and his speech was received with loud applause. It is uo wonder to bear such a statement from the mouth of a statesman, if it is admissible that war is nothing but robbery and statesmen are nothing but robbers. against the idea expressed in the Declaration But despoiling is so much of War' by the Emperor, that no statesman would dare to insist on it in the face of the world. Is not the integrity of the Chinese and the Corean dominions the most prominent cause for which Japan is fighting? If so, it is au unfaithful and shameful act on our part to try to add a part of the Chinese dominions to our own. Moreover, we must oppose the idea of despoiling, as a matter of expediency, because it will bring us into a perpetual conflict with Russia instead of preventing her advance to the East. Suppose we have driven the Russian army out of Manchuris. Does it mean an end of the war? Not at all. The Russians will withdraw to Western Siberia and even to the other side of the Urals, if it is necessary, but they will never give up attempting to come back
RUSSIAN SCHEME OF DEFENCE I ! MANCHURIA.
Reuter's correspondent at Yingkow wrote on the 3rd ult:- "On account of the impossibility of defending the coast here until a thaw permits of the Russians are prepared to fall back on the intrenchment being made and forts constructed main railway. There are practically no defences, and, although the shifting and reshifting of troops and artillery to the small forts at the mouth of the Liao River gives the appearance of au intention to defend the port, the adminis- tration evidently depends on an engagement inland to arrest the Japanese advance. It is understood that the only plans as yet determined on are the following:-
"1. That General Kuropatkin's headquarters shall be at Moukden, where Admiral Alexieff proposes to remain indefinitely, on account of the place being the centre of the Chinese ad- ministration of Manchuria.
“2. That the almost indefensible plain to the west of Tashibchiao shall be held, if possible, for the sake of the railway connecting Moukden with Port Arthur
"3. That the Haicheng-Liaoyang line shall be the extreme limit of withdrawal. It seems, railway at this point, and the almost certain however, that in view of the exposure of the arrival of the Japanese before the construction of defences, the Russian authorities fully anti- cipate that Port Arthur will be isolated and besieged."
It may be that this scheme does not recom- mend itself to Viceroy Alexieff, now reported at variance with G neral Kuropatkin.
RELEASE OF A COLLIER, The Japanese Prize Court at Sasebo has released the Norwegian steamer' Hermes and also her cargo of coal. The ship was seized on February 9th off Port Arthur, but the Court, while holding the seizure to be justifiable, ordered ground that the evidence showed the ship's the release of the vessel and her cargo on the
officers to be unaware of the commencement of hostilities prior to starting on her voyaga from Moji.
A DRY DOCK for port ARTHUR. Seventy shipwrights and artificers left Sevastopol recently for Moscow, where they will be joined by two thousand men from the by rail to Port Arthur. It is stated that Baltic yards, the whole party then proceeding Professor M. J. Timanoff was also leaving for the Far Eastern port. He has a plan for the dock at Port Arthur, capable of taking in the immediate construction of & temporary dry injured warships for repairs. The Professor's project is to close in by a dam an inner corner of the harbour, go to work with the powerful dredgers, and then pump out the enclosure. ready to hand, says the correspondent, but it is There is no lack of appliances and material doubtful whether the dry dock can be constructed Arthur squadron, and the constructive work in time to be of material service to the Port
may possibly be retarded or stopped by the long-range fire of the enemy's guns.
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