THE RUSSO-JAPANESE WAR.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13209, 16 February 1905, Page 7

THE RUSSO-JAPANESE WAR.

DAMAGING' THE UAiLWAI". DARING JAPANESE liAili A JAPANESE REPULSE. BUSSIANS BEADY TO BETIRE, THE BALTIC! FLEET COLLI IfBS. Piess Association-By Telegraph—Copyiight. TOGO AND lIIS FLEET. LONDON, February 14. (Received Feb. 15, at 9 a.m.) Admiral Togo lias sailed from Kure. It is presumed tlint lie is going south. \ A RAILWAY BRIwE DAMAGED. RUSSIAN DEFENSIVE WORKS. LONDON, February 14. (Received Feb. 15, at 8.35 a.m.) General Kourupatkin reports that 300 Japanese cavalry attacked the bridge at Feng-tse-tong, damaging 50 yards of the railway, which had since been repaired. The .Russians were energetically extending their defensive works on their right, and heavily fortifying Memtapan.

A DARING RAID,

CUTTING THE COMMUNICATIONS. J LONDON, February 15. (Received' Feb- 15, at 9.21 p.m.) French papers state that Japanese cavalry destroyed the railway bridge at j Feng-tse-tong, between Havbiiiand Mukden, by marching through Chinese terri- !. Tory like General Mistclienko's raiders. A JAPANESE REPULSE. SOME DESPERATE FIGHTING. (Received Feb. 35, at, 9.21 p.m.) General Sahkroff reports that three s companies nf Japanese on the 13th attacked the Chasseurs at Nan-shin-pu.. After a 1 desperate fight the Japanese were. repulsed, leaving many {lead. READY FOR A RETREAT. PREPARATIONS AT TIE-LING, * LONDON, February 14. i (Received Feb. 15, at 8.35 a.m.) An English visitor to Mukden states - that the army's encouragement is not in- : ■ tensified by the knowledge that General Kourapatkin's headquarters train is ready i to retreat, He also states that extensive 1 preparations are being made to give battle 1 at Tie-ling. A (FORCE SURROUNDED. LONDON, February 14.(Reraivcd Feb. 15, at 8.35 a.m.) The Japanese surrounded a detachment of Russian cavalry at Hein-cheng, killing three and wounding 11. A STATE OF SIEGE. RESIDENTS LEAVING VLADIVOSTOK. LONDON, February 14. (Received Feb. 15, at 8.25 a.m.) • Vndivostnek is declared to be in a state of siege. Many of the inhabitants are leaving. THE RIGHTS OF .NEUTRALS. DETAINING COLLIERS. LONDON, February 14^ (Received Feb. 15, at 9 a.m.) The Dutch East Indies authorities, exercising their right of neutrality, detained two Hamburg-American colliers, bad the coal landed, and sold it by auction. A BAD LOOK-OUT FOR COLLIERS. , WHAT JAPAN WILL DO. LONDON, February 15.' (Received Feb. 15, at 9.21 p.m.) A member of the Japanese Naval Staff states that the colliers accompanying the Baltic fleet will be sunk, regardless of nationality. A BAD DISASTER. 94 PERSONS DROWNED. LONDON, February 14, (Received Feb. 15, at 8.35 a.m.) The steamer Natagoricawa, during a ' fog, struck the harbour works at Osaka (Japan). Ninety-four persons were drowned. THE RUSSIAN RESERVES. ' SOME SERIOUS ENCOUNTERS. LONDON, February 14. (Received Pel). 15, at 9 a.m.) The affray at Kielf was most serious, Twelve hundred, armed reservists, detraining from the south-west, attacked their | escorts, killing several of them. They E then occupied and pillaged the railway i station. A battalion was summoned, and 1 volleyed into them twice, killing 50. The ' remainder then surrendered. j Four thousand reservists at Boloyoya \ revolted. A regiment from Novgorod was i summoned, ant) now surrounds them, j hoping to starve thcin into submission, | ® Captain Scott, Harden, war correspondent j for the London Daily Chronicle, who J, arrived in Dunedin yesterday, and, is to lccture to-morrow evening in tho Garrison ] Ilall on tho siege and fall of Port Arthur, jexpressed the opinion, in the course of con- ! versation witli a member of tho Otago J Daily Times staff, that the impending 'j battle between the Russians and Japanese, j which, ho thinks, will lie fought in a few n week's time, will bo the most important in . £ history. Liao-yang and Sha-ho, ho con- a . sillers, will' cease to possess importance . after it has taken place. ]?vcry thing depends upon it. Ho does not beliove there , is any doubt, that tho Japanese will win— j they have the finest infantry in the world, p and t.hey ar can intelligent an<) trained a ' army, led by highly-educated officers—and j, in tho event of Ms anticipations in this j, respect being realised ho looks for the occurrence of such a revolution in Russia 0 , as will lead to tho war being stopped. 110 does not consider that the Japanese wilhe.t-k is to advance farther north than Mukden, hut w he knows they have all their plans prepared for transporting a division from |i Japan to Manchuria for the purpose •of cvgrthmhuk( attacking Vladivostok by land simultane- £ ously with the institution of a, blockade, and T he says the investment of Vladivostok = would have been-commenced before this if Port Arthur had not fallen. He is firmly' of opinion that Port Arthur could have withstood the siege for at least six weeks longer—until, say, the present lime—but ho • questions whether much havo brci) gained from the Russian point of view by a prolongation of tho resiManco. As to the ultimate issues, he advances the that an alliance may be effected between Russia and Japan upon terms that would secure Port Arthur to Japan and preserve Korea . D from foreign agaression. apd thftt would leave- g Japan greater liberty of action in rpspect to the occupation bv Germany of the Shantung Peninsula. The Germany have ob- „ tapied a considerable footin? there, and there are considerable communities of them also tli in Japan, hut Captain Scott Harden jj believes it will be the aim of Japan to < " clcar them all out." - 1