THE RUSSO-JAPANESE WAR

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1695, 24 August 1904, Page 31

THE RUSSO-JAPANESE WAR

THE DOOMED FO^TREnS.

HOW THE BELEAGUERED GARRISON FARES. S YNGUINARY FIGHTING AT ALL POINTS. BESIEGERS REPELLED. "TERMS OF SURRENDER.” TREMENDOUS BOMBARDMENT. TWO THOUSAND WOUNDED AT PORT ARTHUR. LONDON, August 19. .Major Yamaka met the Russian Chief of Staff under a flag of truce 500 metros north of Shosliiying, on Tuesday, the 16th. His offer included a suggestion that .women and child.-en. under sixteen years of age, and priests, diplomatists, and officers of neutral Powers, should be conveyed to Dalny, where their baggage would be examined. The terms of surrender included the

ba along the Chinese railway towards Sinminting. LONDON, August 19. The last signal of Admiral Withoeft, who was killed by a shell on the Czarevitch, was: "Remember the Emperor’s orders not to return to Port Arthur.” A thousand Russians belonging to the warships are interned at Kiaoohau. Chinese warships are expected at Shanghai. The Taotai at Shanghai will allow the Askold and Grosovoi to remain until Tuesday, the 23rd, when a day's notice will bo given them to quit or disarm. A Russian gunboat of the Otvazny type (1500 tons) struck a mine and sank off Liao-tishau Promontory (south, of Port Arthur). v Though the Admiral and the officers remain aboard the Baltic fleet, the prospects of sailing are small. “ The Times ” Odessa correspondent reports that the volunteer cruiser Saraloff is in the Black Sea, being fitted with ammunition hoists, and shortly passes through the Dardanelles. LONDON, August 20. At noon yesterday the Taotai at Shanghai, ordered the Russian gunboat Grosovoi to Leave in twenty-four hours. The cruiser Askold will complete repairs in forty-eight hours, and will af-

the Japanese Guards participated, was unsuccessful, it was continued on Saturday night and on Sunday. It is stated that the momentary check does not affect the Japanese plans, which contemplato a three days’ assault. The Japanese commander, it is stated, will be able to maintain the strength of the assaulting column at six thousand throughout. If this fails, a long siege will follow. EXCITEMENT AT SHANGHAI. FIFTEEN WARSHIPS ON THE SCENE. GERMAN, BRITISH, FRENCH, AND AMERICAN. ORDER TO DISARM RUSSIAN VESSELS. RUSSIAN CONSUL REFUSES. LONDON, August 22. One German, two British, four French, and eight American warships avo af Shanghai. Permission to repair the boilers of the Russian cruiser Askold was refused. The Japanese declare that the Askold and the gunboat Grosovoi are seaworthy, and are only seeking to gain

• i ™„ o n] r>l nr> nf flip. Russian defences at Tort Arthur. The English name for Etsesliau, The ajjove map gives an idea o ?■ When we hear chat the forts there are captured wo may know chat on the northern side of the ; s Fort is M Table Hill, and ang-tai on Hope Terrace. Passing eastfurther defenoe Arton . ~ i Uia t the enciente is completed by the Lao-1 ai-tse (Old Oyster Month). On \ wards there nxe other torts. is Lau-liu-wei (Tiger's Tail), there are several torts, including Bread Hill (Nanthe peninsula, at the enci. 01 \ inasmuch as it can fire across the harbour and protect the land defences, tou-slian), which is J; at Port Arthur number 400, and estimates of the garrison vary from 20,000 to 50,000. cen tracing the fire of 300 guns.

handing oyer of all Russian warships in the harbour. It is reported that when he heard the terms General Stoessel burst into . a storm of invective, but treated Major Yamaha courteously. He refused the Japanese request for a three days’ truce to bury the dead. Major Yamaha communioated the Kaiser's request that Japan should allow two German attaches to leave Port Arthur. LONDON, August 20. Chinese refugees report that the Japanese have been expelled from Palingching (two miles north of Port Arthur). Bombardment from the inner forts was then carried on, and the besiegers were driven further north-west to Shoshiving. Other accounts state that there is continual sanguinary fighting at all points. It is reported from Oliefoo that the Japanese army reached an abandoned Chinese arsenal, a mile and a quarter east of Port Arthur. According to advice from Liaoyang, the objective of the Japanese forces is now Mukden. Numerous reports have been received that the Ohunchuses are killing Russians, and that the latter are devastating villages and killing Chuncliusos as retribution. Manv Japanese troops are reported to

terwards depart within twenty-foui hours. . The alternative in each case is to disarm. . Japan has intimated that unless China is prepared to do so, Japan will enforce the decision. LONDON, August 21. A tremendous bombardment of Port Arthur occurred on Saturday. Unconfirmed reports received at CJliefoo state that the Japanese troops wore repulsed. Refugees state that there were over two thousand wounded lying at Port Arthur. Many of the public buildings have been converted into hospitals. Captain Hoffman, German naval attache at Port Arthur, has arrived at Kiaochau. A Japanese cruiser picked him up from a junk, thirty miles from Port Arthur. LONDON, August 22. General Stoessel, who commands the Russian garrison at Port Arthur, reports that the Japanese attacked his soldiers for two days in tlie mountains near Louisa Bay (six miles north-west of Port Arthur). Tlie Japanese were repulsed with heavy loss. Tlie Japanese have captured Fort No. 20, five miles north of Golden Hill. Tlie Russian garrison, twenty-three thousand strong, holds a line twelve miles long. Although Saturdav’s attack, wherein

time in order to increase their fighting capacity. The Taotai on Saturday notified the Russians that unless their vessels were disarmed China would disarm them and detain their crews throughout tlie war. The Russian Consul flatly refuses to disarm the warships or to order them to leave. There was great excitement yesterday when a Japanese torpedo boat, passing Wusung, the port of Shanghai, proceeded full steam to Shanghai. Tho United States destroyer Chaunoey, slipping her cable, followed and cleared for action. The torpedo boat anchored outside the Cosmopolitan Dock, and the Ohauncey anchored between the torpedo boat and the Askold. LONDON. August 22. The Taotai at Shanghai has telegraphed for a Chinese cruiser, but he has informed Mr J. G-oodnow, United States Consul, as senior Consul, that China is unable to effect a settlement. The Taotai adds: —'"Russia ignores China’s orders, and China is powerless. ’’ Mr Goodno-w lias summoned the various Consuls to protect foreign interests. The Standard Oil Trust, whose godowns (warehouses) adjoin the Cosmopolitan Dock, which is British property. has demanded protection from the United States. Two American destroyers have been

ordered to be in readiness to prelect the neutrality of Shanghai. Two Japanese crfTi.sers and a battleship have been sighted sixty miles jrom Wusung. A steamer reports having seen a Japanese squadron, without lights, off Gutzlaff Island (south of Shanghai). INTERFERENCE WITH SHIPPING. WHAT CONSTITUTES CONTRABAND ? LONDON. August 20. The Liverpool Steamship Owners’ Association has passed a strong resolution that an immediate and satisfactory set-, tlement of the question of what constitutes contraband is imperative. The resolution also urges the Government to protect the flag. "The Times” protests against the idea of specific instances or. wrongful seizure awaiting the closure of war for settlement. The St. Petersburg newspaper "Norco Vremya ; ’ says it is neither easy nor desirable to try to solve during the war the complicated question of contraband, owing to the difficulty of harmonising Russian views. It would, the journal adds, be better in the meanwhile to decide each case on its merits. LONDON. August 20. Count Cassini, the Russian Minister at Washington, stated, in tho course of an interview, that the grand scheme ol Colonel John Hay, American Secretary of State, to ensure China’s neutrality had gone to wreck. The entire Chinese question, added the Count, was open to all eventualities. LONDON, August 21. Mr W. Martin, the American Consul at Nankin, on arrival at San Francisco, stated that Japanese were drilling an immense body of soldiers in Central China, supplied with mausers, and thatChina was purchasing modern machine guns. The “Berliner Tageblatt” states that General Kouropafkin has dismissed General Stackelherg, who was entrusted with a force sent to relievo the garrison at Port Arthur, but was defeated by the Japanese. The volunteer fleet transports lying at Sebastopol have returned to Odessa. This is- interpreted to mean that the Baltic squadron will not sail, The Germans have sent one hundred men fifteen miles east of Kiaochau to pie vent the Japanese erecting wireless telegraph stations. The Japanese occupied Anshantien (south-west of Liaoyang) last Friday. The Russian troops are retreating towards Mukden. A telegram from Mukden states that the Novik has arrived at Karakovik, in the Saghalien district, and the Diana at Saigon (French Cochin-China). Later advices from other sources assert that the Japanese cruisers Tsushima and Chi tore pursued the Novik and engaged her. After defeating her, the Japanese drove tho Novik ashore at Karakovik. LONDON, August 22. The Japanese cruisers fought the Novik on Saturday and Sunday. The Novik was badly damaged, stranded, and partly sunk. Tho Tsu Shima was hit in the bunkers, but the damage was repaired. There were no Japanese casualties. Warships, believed to be Russian, have been seen off Cape Colony.