THE MOVEMENTS OF THE RUSSIAN FLEET.

Otago Witness, Issue 2672, 31 May 1905, Page 76

THE MOVEMENTS OF THE RUSSIAN FLEET.

I suppose you ywant to follow the fleet as well as you can. Of course, most often cables "sent are purely conjectural, but a general idea can be got of the probable course. I intended to submit some conjectures of my own, but at the last moment news comes that the two fleets have met and are engaged in a desperate sea fight, so my conjectures would be of 710 use whatever ; and some of the remarks which follow are now not quite up to date Until the Russian fleet is defeated Russia has a fleet which, owing to international complications, may be of great value to her, supposing she should have an ally to take her part. Again, a fleet, though inferior to its opponents, may keep that opponent inactive ; and this seems to be the case just now. Once we : were allied to the Dutch against the French, and our admiral, apparently acting the part of a coward, seeing that it was possible that the allied fleets might get destroyed, made sail for port. The consequence wag that the Dutch "was beaten ; but, at the same time, the French ' fleet was so knocked about that it could ,do nothing further. England still had j a fleet in being, and this, reinforced, if I remember rightly, brought the allies through two wars victorious. So the Russian admiral's apparent sluggishness must not necessarily be put down to cowardice or want of enterprise. But I was going to place the geographical names for you. The Japanese are reported to be watching ' the Soya Strait. This lies between Saghalien and Tesso ; the Tsugara Strait, be- , tween Yesso and Niphon ; and the TsaI chima Strait, which I cannot place. These i three straits, however, evidently are the outlets from thf Japan Sea to the Pacific, and they are being watched to prevent a junction between the Vladivostok squadron and Rozhdestvensky. As I write, I read that a fleet of 50 ships, supposedly Russian, are making their way through the Batan Strait. Between Formosa and the Philippines there are two groups of islands — the Bashi and the Batan Islands. The Bashi Strait is between Formosa and the Bashi group ; and the Batan Strait is between the Bashi and the Batan groups ; south of this again is the Balintang Island, between the Batan Island and the Philippines. Wusung is also mentioned. This is really the modern port for Shanghai. The Yangtse, l : ke many other rivers, brings down an enormous quantity of silt, and what was sea not many years ago is now cultivated fields. I This deposition of silt has made Shanghai, once an ocean-porfc, now really a riverport. A.t Shanghai there axe three Rus-

sian ships interned ; and it is quite pos- ] sible these may make the attempt to , escape. Russia doesn't consider herself bound by any rules that fetter her — \ ultimate success is the only measure of what is right or wrong. Were it not. that the action would result in crippling a Japanese ship or two, and perhaps cause international complications, I imagine j the Japanese admiral would tell China that these ships had to be dismantled and their crews removed, with the alternative of allowing him to come in and do the work himself. I suppose if they escape, the Japanese can hold China responsible for the consequences. Russia, hay- j ing gained her immediate — and possible j ultimate end, too — wouldn't care.