July 25, 1904.]
IN BOUTH-EASTERN MANCHURIA.
The Japanese occupied Chingchang on the 6th inst, north-east of Saimachi, without loss, driving away 800 Russian cavalry. On the 5th inst. the Japanese repulsed 1,300 Russian cavalry who appeared in the vicinity of the north of Fengshuiling. The Japanese had four killed and three wounded.
RUSSIAN CRUISER DAMAGED.
Torpedo-boat No. 58 torpedoed the Russian cruiser Askold off Port Arthur on the night of the 8th. Owing to fog, the Japanese were unable to make certain of the result, but they believe that the Askold was more or less damaged.
SEA-FIGHT AT PORT ARTHUR.
The ironclad Poltava, and the cruisers Bayan, Diana, Novik, and Pallada, with two gunboats and seven destroyers, led by a number of clear- ing ships, emerged from Port Arthur on the morning of the 9th as far as Lungwangtang. The Japanese destroyers exchanged fire with them for the purpose of obstructing the clearing operations. A portion of the third fighting division engaged the enemy off Siaopingtao. At 4 p.m. the Russians retired into the harbour. This was telegraphed to the N.-C. Daily News on the 11th inst.
ANOTHER VIEW.
It is reported that the Russians have re- occupied the position to the east of Port Arthur recently captured by the Japanese, says the Chefoo correspondent of the Shanghai Mercury. One battalion of infantry attacked the position, and was assisted by the second-class cruiser Novik and the gunboats Gilyak, Gremiastchy and Otvazny, whose shells forced the Japanese to retire. The Japanese fleet subsequently appeared, but prevent the Russian warships regaining the harbour.
PRISONERS.
Was
unable to
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
July 14th from Chefoo reported that the C. E.! and M. Company's str. Isiping had been captured by the Japanese.
THOSE FLOATING MINES.
Why do we read that “the X.Y.Z." passed a floating mine, latitude and longitude so and so asks Mr. A. L. Anderson in the N.-C. Daily News. Why is it that the captain of the
steamer, who in nine cases out of ten would
+1
wrecked natives, does not expend a little time. risk lives and lose time to rescue a few ship- and without risk. destroy that which an hour later may cost a hundred people their lives? It would surely be very simple to approach the X.Y.Z." as near as 100 yards to the mine and with the rifles which nearly all the coast boats carry fire at it until two or three perforations in the envelope admit the water and sink the mine. In the unlikely event of the explosion of the fulminate by a jar or contact, the ship at 100 yards' distance would be in no danger-or even at 50 yards, if bow on. I feel sure that the ordinary rifle bullet would pierce " or
oft iron at 100 yards' distance, and the envelopes are not thicker than that. In the improbable event of there being no fire-arms on board, or of the weather being too rough to permit of accurate shooting, a log of wood or bundle of dunnage at the end of 75 or 80 fathoms of rope could be veered astern and by a quick change of helm made to explode the mine.
THE KAIMON'S Fate.
CHINESE NEUTRALITY THREATENED.
63
The Foreign Office at Peking, acting under instructions of the Empress Dowager, recently applied to M. Lessar, the Russian Minister at Peking, asking that measures be taken to put « stop to the violence of the Russian troops, when It was retreating from the field of battle. alleged that the retreating troops would violate women and plunder the Chinese houses which they passed. M. Lessar is reported to have taken no notice of the protest, and the Govern ment issued instructions to its representative at St. Petersburg, ordering him to apply to the Russian Minister for Foreign Affairs to instruct Viceroy Alexeieff to take immediate measures for the suppression of the outrages. The Chi- nese Government impressed upon its Ambassa- dor the fact that the question had close relations to the neutrality of China.
HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE
COUNCIL.
A meeting of the Hongkong Legislative Council was held on the 19th instant in the Council Chamber. Present ;--
HIS EXCELLENCY THE OFFICER ADMINI- GOVERNMENT, F. H. MAY,
STERING THE
C.M.G.
HIS EXCELLENCY MAJOR-GENERAL VIL- LIERS HATTON, C. B. (Commanding the Troops). Hon. A. M. THOMSON (Colonial Secretary); Hon. L. A. M. JOHNSTON (Colonial
Hon. A. W. BREWIN (Registrar General). Hon. Captain L. A. W. BARNES-Lawrence R.N. (Harbour Master).
Hon. P. N. H. JONES (Director of Public Works).
A dispatch reached the Imperial Head Treasurer). Bobr.
quarters from Admiral Togo stating that while working on special service on the 5th instant, the gunboat Kaimon during a dense fog struck a mine laid by the enemy outside Talien- wan, and sank. Most of the crew were saved. Commander Takahashi, Chief Gunner Matsu- shita, and 19 men were missing. Commander Takahashi ordered the crew to leave the vessel, but refused to leave himself, despite the entrea- ties of the officers and men under his command. He remained on the bridge to the last, and appears to have gone down with the ship. with a speed of 12 knots.
The Kaimon was a gun-boat of 1,367 tons, She was built in 1882.
The Tehlisz prisoners, 339 in number, have arrived at Matsuyams, where there are now about 900 in all. Among the last batch there are 94 wounded.
PUZZLING EVERYBODY.
Military experts in London, says a correspon. dent of the N.-C. Daily News, are puzzled by the conflicting accounts received as to the latest progress of the armies in Manchuria.
CHEFOO'Z SOURCE OF NEWS.
It is alleged that a Russian destroyer has made its way from Port Arthur to Newchwang, carrying intelligence. Rumour also states that secret correspondence is still held between Port Arthur and Chefoo by means of junks. There is certainly some avenue of intelligence.
MINES.
The Russian ships are suspected of having laid mechanical mines off Wonsan during their stay there on the 30th ult. while the torpedoes were at work in the harbour. That would be, says the Japan Mail, another interesting operation from an international point of view
THREE PORT ARTHUR FORTS TAKEN.
Telegrams to the Times of India on June 30th say it was unofficially reported in Tokyo that the Japanese bad captured three of Port Arthur's south-eastern defences. It was an all day fight, and began with an artillery duel, Forty Russians and a hundred Japanese killed. Two guns captured.
WAR FLOTSAM,
Seven corpses of Japanese and two carcases of horses, evidently from the ill-fated transports, were washed up on the coast of Tottori prefec ture during Sunday and Monday last, says the Kobe Chronicle of the 8th instant.
MORE MINES.
The U.S. Consul-General at Shanghai has received telegraphic information of five mines and two derelict junks adrift in various parts
of the Gulf of Pechili.
KUROPATKIN'S PLANS.
A Tokyo telegram to the N.-C. Daily News on the 18th inst. said: The Russian main line now extend from Tashihchiao to Haicheng and Liaoyang, along the railway.
It is considered not improbable that the Russians at Tashihchino will again fall back to concentrate between Anshantien and Liaoyang, where there are semi-permanent defences in existence, with the view of having a big battle- field, where the Russian flanks will not be menaced by sundry Japanese columns.
REPORTED CAPTURE OF A BRITISH COLLIER.
A private telegram received at Shanghai
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Her complement was 230 men.
PORT ARTHUR DATE FIXED.
Mr. F. Hori. of Shanghai, writing to the Daily News on the 12th. concludes:
I, as a Japanese, may not be in a proper posi- tion to judge such a case, but judging by com- mon-sense, would it not yet be absurd to suppose that General Nogi has sent more than 28,000 men to the front for the preparatory operation of the general attack on Port Arthur which, as your Tokyo telegram hinted, and I myself also have been informed from a reliable source, will not be commenced until after about ten days? **
FALLEN BACK.
There are now very few traces of Russians in the direction of Yingkou, says the N.-C. Daily News correspondent on the 12th.
MORE TORPEDOING.
This Tokyo telegram appeared in the N.-C. Daily Nece on the 13th-The sixth torpedo flotilla, approaching the booms outside Port Arthur last night, torpedoed a first-class cruiser of the Diana type (6.630 tons), but the result was not ascertained. The Japanese
suffered no loss.
NOGI'S ASSIGNMENT.
The actual reduction of Port Arthur has been confided to General Nogi's army, which has landed on the peninsula south of General Oku's position, and considerably nearer Port Arthur.
RUSSIAN REINFORCEMENTS.
A special cable from the Pioneer's corres- pondent, dated London, 7th July, says that General Khilkoff states that General Kuro- patkin is receiving daily reinforcements of 4,500 men.
THE "SADO-MARU."
The Sado-maru, which was one of the tran- sports recently torpedoed by the Vladivostock Squadron, was docked on the 11th inst. at the Mitsu Bishi Yard, Nagasaki. The steamer has a large hole in her side amidships as the result of the torpedo.
PRESSING IN
It is learnt that the Japanese have already occupied Hsuangtaikon on the west side of Port Arthur, says the N-C Daily News Tokyo correspondent on the 19th inst.
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Hon. Sir C. P. CHATER, C.M.G. Hon. Dr. Ho KAI, C.M.G. Hon. WEI A YUK. Hon. R. SHEWAN.
Hon. GERSHom Stewart. Hon. W. J. GRESSON.
Mr. S. B. C. Ross (Clerk of Councils). Absent-Hon. ATTORNEY-GENERAL.
FINANCIAL.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY laid on the table the report of the Finance Committee (No. 8) and moved its adoption.
The COLONIAL TREASURER seconded and the motion was agreed to.
EXTENSION TO SISTERS QUARTERS. There was laid on the table the following report of Proceedings of the Public Works Com- mittee at a meeting held on the 12th July (the Director of Public Works presiding) :
The Chairman explained that, in view of the large rent which has to be paid for “Stowford," the property of Mr. M. J. D. Stephens, in the neighbourhood, at present utilised for housing the sisters, and the excessive repairs necessary from time to time, it was considered inadvisable to extend the lease, which expires on 30th April, 1905, beyond one year from that date, and to consider the desirability of erecting a wing to the present hospital staff quarters, especially 88 accommodation for a larger staff has become necessary. He now submitted a plan showing an extension to the present staff quarters which was estimated would cost $26,000 and would meet present require- ments. Sir Paul Chater stated that this was the scheme that was promised by the Govern- ment to the Jubilee Fund subscribers and sanctioned by the Secretary of State for the house for the nursing sisters, and that, although he was in accord with the suggestion of exten. sion of accommodation for Government nurses if it was required, before he agreed to the arrangement proposed he would like to have matters explained and the position cleared up.— With the consent of the other members the Chairman withdrew the plan and informed them that he would submit Sir Paul Chater's remarka to the Government and ask for an explanation of the position.
PRESKEVATION OF WILD BIRDS AND GAME. The first item on the Orders of the Day was the first reading of a Bill entitled an Ordinance to amend the Wild Birds and Game Preservation Ordinance, 1885.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY said-This Bill, Sir, is hardly ready yet, and I would ask leave to withdraw it in the meantime.
This was agreed to.
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