THE RUSSO – JAPANESE WAR.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXVII, Issue 5311, 24 June 1904, Page 5

THE RUSSO - JAPANESE WAR.

.JAPANESE VESSELS CAPTURED. EIGHT THOUSAND RUSSIANS AMBUSHED. REPORT OF THE HAICHENG FIGHT CONFlßMEDstaom:elberg almost surrounded. UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION. BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH. —COPYRIGHT

(Received June ;23, 10.23 p.m.) LOhvDON, Juno 23. Reuter’s eorrespon dent at tiao-yang mentions that the Jrapuueso arc holding Yentai, and are pushing thenco towards Kaiping, doubtless lor the purpose of forming a complete circle round General Stackelber.j. The correspondent confirms the report oi a great battle in the neighbourhood or Haicherg and Tashi-chao, but is unable to furnish details. Tho “ Drily Mail’s ” Newchwang correspondent reports that tho .Japanese artillery ambushed. General Kondratovitch’s force of 80C0 from AVafangkau in a ravine, nine miles south-east of Kaiping.

COAL FOR PORT ARTHUR. BRITISH' STEAMER. FOUNDERS. INTENDED TO RUN THE BLOCKADE. (Received Juno 53. 10.53 xwni-) „ LONDON. June 53. An explosion caused the British steamer La Porto, laden with Oudi(i coal, to founder at Port Nollotii, on the oast coast of Cape Colony. The crew were saved. The La Porte was bound for Kinchau, but it is said she. intended to run liio blockade at Port Arthur. “ VOLUNTARY ” SUBSCRIPTIONS._ MILLIONAIRES - NIGGARDLY. LONDON, June 22. Russian officials in the villages are putting pressure on the people to contribute so-called voluntary subscriptions to the war fund. The amount the communes are expected to contribute has been fixed beforehand. The millionaires at Moscow are contributing niggardly. M. Mozoroff, one of the richest men, said the manufacturers preferred paying many thousand roubles daily in wages to keep the Socialist workers busy, to assisting io continue a frivolous and useless War, which was destined to inflict endless miseries.

Advices received at St. Petersburg and Xew York state that General Kouropatkin. the Russian Commaudcr-in-Clief, personally directed the movement from Liao-yang southwards. Generals Kuroki- and Oko functioned, and presented a solid front to the column ootween Haicheng and liao-yang, driving the column to Liao-yang, perhaps beyond. Russian reports state that Japanese troops are eighteen miles east of Kiupin'g, in tho northern part of the Liaotung peninsula. It is inferred in London that General Xodzu’s apparent route is via kau along a road following the pili river to Wangfuchwang, thence crossing tho mountains to Kaiping. South-east of Kaiping is a valley between hills rising to four thousand feet. OKO’S ARMY OX THE COAST LINE. WARSHIPS' CO-OPERATING. RUSSIAN LOSSES AT TkiLESZE. (Received June 23, 10.23 p.m.) LONDON, June 23. A division of General Oko’s army, following the coast lino, occupied Siung-yuen-cheng unopposed. The Japanese have a fleet co-operat-ing with the army. The vessels protect and feed the troops, and rigorously report movements at the front to those further down the coast. The Russian correspondents admit that the Japanese are adepts at turning positions and concentrating on points where they are least expected. Tho correspondents declare that the Russians were overwhelmingly outnumbered at Telesze, and accuse the Chinese of signalling the Japanese throughout the war with mirrors fixed on long poles. General Kouropatkin reports that ■e Fifth Division of the East Siberian Rifles alone lost at Telesze 15 officers killed and 49 wounded, 356 soldiers killed and 992 wounded, besides 12 officers and 563- men left- on the battlefield killed or wounded. Tho First Artillery Brigade had 10 officers wounded and 102 men killed. Other regiments had an enonhous proportion of officers disabled (by the Japanese sharpshooters. Some of tho Russian detachments lost all their officers.

OPERATIONS ON THE WATER. JAPANESE VESSELS CAPTURED. (Received June 23, 10.23 p.m.) LONDON, Juno 23. Admiral Skrydloff, Russian naval commander in the Far East, reports that Captain Vinogradsky’s division of tbrpedo vessels were sent to the coasts of Japan on the 15th instant, and returned to Vladivostock on the 21st (last Tuesday). Fog prevented the fleet from entering Bshashi. Several trading and transport schooners were, however, captured while taking fish and rice from Sasebo and Shimoneski.. V IN DEFENCE OF KAMIMURA. LONDON, Juno 23. It is argued in London in defence of Admiral Kamimura —who failed to discover the Vladivostock squadron under Vice-Admiral Bezabrazoff, which made a successful raid in Japanese waters and destroyed tho enemy’s transports, and was severely criticised in Japan—that his first duty was to secure the safety of communications across the Straits of Korea. . The Japanese captured a junk near Port Arthur. The Chinese aboard report that two Russian destroyers and the steamer Shintaping struck mines at tho entrance and sank. One hundred and forty men were killed.

SYDNEY CONSUL’S TELEGRAM. (Received June 23, 11.53 p.m.) SYDNEY, June 23. The Japanese Consul at Sydney, Mr Iwasaki, has received the following cable message from the authorities at Tokio;—

“Tho Japanese army which landed at Taknshan reports that a combined party of scouts from the cavalry and infantry ia?it Saturday night encountered the enemy thirty miles west of Shichihantei, and at many other points. 1 “The scouts captbred one officer and two men and killed fifty. Many rifles and lances were captured. “Our casualties were one man killed and five wounded.” CORRESPONDENT REPORTED SHOT. MISTAKEN FOR A SPY. ' LONDON, June. 22. It is reported that the Russians, who were retreating from Wafangkan, mistook Mr Emerson, the “New York World’s’’ correspondent, for a spy, and shot liiitti"