THE BALTIC FLEET

Otago Witness, Issue 2650, 28 December 1904, Page 19

THE BALTIC FLEET

ATTEMPT TO BRIBEs WITNESSES. BRIBING THE WITNESSES. LONDON, December 19. Commander.'Mizzenoff, who 'escaped from Port ArtEur- i]± a -Boat to Cfiifu, repoits* that . the garrison^ expects the arrival of Admiral Rozhdestvensky's fleet' within. 10' days. J - - _ Admiral- Birileff,' writing to the Novoe Vremya-j^urges the > cessation of- the ' agitation for the despatch of a third squadron; He describes^ the Baltic fleet as- an enormously strong- one^,. and" equal^to the .Japanese squadron. He declares- that Admiral Rozhdestvensky has every chance of success, since Admiral Togo's vessels and- personnel have evidently suffered severely. v December. 201 sixteen vessels of" the Baltic fleet passed. Cape- Point-on- the 19th. . Four colliers arej awaiting, them, at Lorenzo Marquez., . Emissaries - of- the Russian Government are said<;to have offered drink and. liberal bribes- to- the Hull fishermen for statements* . that. there were?torpedoers among, the-fish-ing fleet. A. trap was ladd to get the _ evidence ■which- Great Britain -will submit to the Commission of Inquiry. December 21. Russian, emissaries boasted that 13 trawlers, had signed statements that torpedoers* were- among, the -fishings fleet, andthat they had . torpedoes ~ aboard-; The trawlers-,were paid considerable' sums, and were -offered much more. In one case £250 was offered if the men would- so 'testify before the Paris Commission. The- Russianagents agreed to move- the men- and- their families" anywhere they pleased- if they were molested" in Hull. When their mission was divulged the emissaries left. December 22. " The boatswain of the Gamecock trawlers admits that_after he^ Sad. been' drinking he accepted' money from, the Russian agents, and that' he-- made a statement before the Russian- Consub When: sober he repented ' of his folly," and informed' his employers. Two- of the agents were traced to~ London. They justified' their action." The Russian Consul,, whilst disclaiming- all knowledge' of subornation, acknowledges that he had received^ certain statements. The' commission- has elected an admiral--of Spain as fifth commissioner. i Frenchmen report • that' Admiral -Rozhr ; destvensky remained 12 days, at Dakar coaling from 10 colliers. December 23. The Russian Consul at Hull states thatthe boatswahr^was sober when: he signed the statement that he saw a torpedoer among the lines of the fishing fleet just before the firing commenced. He received £2 as -payment. Three others refused to sign their statements at the last moment. Admiral Rozhdestvensky has sent to Paris three of the Demeferi Donski's j officers, together with Lieutenant; Valrond, of. the transport Kamschatka,- as ■witnesses before the International Commission. Lieutenant Valrond is the bearer of the Russian admiral's second and very circumstantial report on the Dogger Bank incident. The lieutenant declares that he personally saw' two torpedoers, greyish incolour, and is certain that they were not Russian. The Paris correspondent of the Standard says that a wireless message from the Russian fleet was intercepted, and has come into the possession of the British Government. It is said to have a grave bearing on the Dogger Bank incident, and will be laid before the International Commission. The fifth member of the North— Sea Commission is Admiral Baron Yon Spaun, Commander-in-Chief of the AustrianHungarian navy. December 26. The British colliers Yeddo and Claverley unloaded 10,000 tons of coal at the Hamburg-American line's depot at Port Said. The German collier Secunda took

portion to Mozambique- for the Baltic fleet. PARIS, December 21. , President Loubet received and M. Delcasse entertained in Paris the members of the Dogger Bank Inquiry Commission. The British claims for the Dogger Bank outrage amount to £120,000. CAPETOWN, December 23. ' The« steamer Speranza has arrived at Durban with a cargo of meat for the Baltic fleet. She was not allowed bunker ; coal.