RUSSIA AND JAPAN.

Mataura Ensign, Issue 1416, 26 November 1904, Page 4

RUSSIA AND JAPAN.

A Chinese spy reports that the garrison of Fort Arthur are dying of dysentery at the rate of 70 per day. Three divisions of Russians have been moved into positions where they will be able to check Kuroki's turning movement. Heavy guns are now able to cross the frozen Hunho, Both armies are so strongly fortified at Shabo that they are disinclined to attack unless a sufficient preponderance of nunfbers would make successful a flanking movement. Both have received equal reinforcements. A lifeboat landed a Russian officer at Weihaiwei, bearing Stoessel's despatch. The British authorities detained the boat. A Russian loan of forty-eight million sterling will be offered in Germany in January at 96. Of the total amount £11,G00,000 will bs expended in Germany on warships. One of the conditions in connection with the issue of the Russian,loan in Germany is that Bussia will not oppose Germany's Bagdad rriilway. Renter's Agency reports that some officers of the Russian squadron participated in drunken riots at Canca. A Russian sailor was killed, and several wounded by comrades. Many seamen were left belling when the squadron departed. Advices from Mukden state that fifteen hundred Mongols and Chunchases, officered by Japanese, are harasing the Russian convoys.

The sea forts of Port Arthur do not fire if Japanese warships approach. The number of deserters from the town is increasing. Tho Japanese on Monday occiip!.\l a Russian bivouac ground north of Hsienchang, whioh (MO infantry, .SOO cavalry ami four guns tried to rec.ivcr but were repulsed. Thirty Russians were killed ; the Japanese casualties totalled twenty-nine. It is officially reported in Tokio that Japanese navrfl guns set tire to buildings in the vicinity of Port Arthur arsenal on Tuesday. Tlie buildings were ablaze after nine hours' bombardment. While the Russian siquadron was at Canea, Crete, ladies walking the streets had to take refuge in lite churches and were unable to appe.tr at their own windows. Drunken sailors were forcibly restrained from breaking into houses. The residents are furious. The deserters collect k1 will be shipped in the next Russian squadron calling at tlie island. Five submarines have reached Yokohama. Chefu reports that the Japanese chased the British steamer with thirty thousand cases rtf tin.i'd meats for Port Arthur. The captain's bonus if he ran the blockade was £4OOO. The 'Novoe Yrcniya' suggests tlie despatching of another Paeilie ron, including? ironclads, tho battleship Slavo. the best of the Black Sea fleet, and other vessels, also ufte-n new torpedoers. ...Russian, refugws who reached Weihaiwei in a lifeboat admit that they stole the boat and escaped from L'aotishan. They state that there are under two thousand efficients at Port Arthur, and twenty thousand sick raid wounded. There is much'typhoid, and water and ammunition are scarce. Military authorities at Harbin stale that General Okissimmo and Colon-'! Sibate, after distributing hundreds of thousauds of copies of a proclamation, appealing to the Chinese to fight with Japanese, opened a recruiting station at Shtailintui. The Chinese at first enlisted at the rate of seven thousand a day. which afterwards, owing 10 a misunderstanding, dwindled down to one thousand a day. The recruits are called voluntary militia, and are given uniforms and are drafted into the Japanese army. A base hospital to accommodate ton thousand has been established by the Japanese at Dalny. The 'Daily Express' states that Roche, an Englishman, who pureliascd for the Russian Government Yarrow's turbine torpedocr Caroline on the pretext of going on a yachting cruise, proceeding to Libau, is a brother of J. B. Roche, the ex-Com-moner, the heir of Lord I'Yrmoy. He wagered £501) with Russian officers that he would deliver at Libau any steamer they purchased. Tin; German Canal guardship twice fired upon the Caroline. The Caroline left the Yarrow yards forty minutes before the Thames police urrived to prevent lier departure, disregarding the coast signals to stop.