WAR IN THE EAST.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 82, 11 April 1904, Page 3

WAR IN THE EAST.

REPORTED RUSSIAN REVERSE. JAPANESE LOSSES. BARBED WIRE PROTECTION. LONDON, April 8. Unofficial advices from St. Petersburg indicate a Russian reverse on the Ya-lu. Naval reservists at Sevastopol are mobilising. (Received April 10, 9.3 a.m.) LONDON, April 9. An official report published at Tokio states that in the various attacks on Port Arthur the Japanese lost fourteen killed, and nine died ol wounds. Of 91 others wounded 40 havo alraedy recovered. The Daily Chronicle's Toklo correspondent reports that a moat has been constructed four miles long covered and protected with barbed wire two miles north of Port Arthur. CANADIANS FOR THE JAPANESE ARMY. A THOUGHTFUL EMPRESS.

(Received April 10, 9.3' a.m.) LONDON, April 9. Japan has engaged two hundred Cana-dihns to servo with the medical and bearer corps. They served similarly in the South African war. The Standard states that the Empress of Japan presented the Russian wounded in the Chemul-pho fight with artificial eyes and limbs.

RUSSIAN CORRUPTION. FEARS OF A REVOLUTION, (Correspondent Otago Daily Times.) LONDON, Feb. 26. So little is known of life in Russia, and so divergent are the opinions held concerning it, that one evening this wet*. 1 took the opportunity, of having a chat with a friend who has lived in that country for years, and who is well acquainted with tho Russians, \heir language, and t/hvir moxte of lifo. Prior to the outbreak of war between Russia and Japan ho had expressed opimons to me that have b|oen subsequently bforno out to the letter. I felt, therefore, that his views were of more than average value* One of his opinions was that in all probability the Russian fleet would be. found "wanting" when required, and that it might be looked upon as likely to do almost as much .damage to its own ships as the Japanese would do to them..

"Russians are not engineers," hg said, "And now they have got rid of both their. English and Scotch engineers they are worse off than they were before. Their high military officers are strategists ; they have almost; unlimited command of men—of a sort—for the army. But when it comes to ships, one cannot think much of them. Take their I'eter the Great. They finished, or were supposed to finish, that ship, and she went for bee trial trip* Two hours later she was towed back into port disabled* One never hears anything of her. now. Then, yeara ago, I saw the Duke of Edinburgh in the process of building. The keel of the vessel was laid down on the aay of the marriage of the late Duke of Edinburgh to the daughter of the Czar, Alexander 11, Snc is on the stockH now ; at any rate she was there when I left Russia not so very long ago—still 'being built.'That will give you an idea of what the Russians are as shipbuilders and engineers. Now take them when they gpt on bonW a shi|p at se-a. The Emperor, manifests great interest in his fleet, and gave orders i'hat certain important manoeuvres should be carried out. There was a great flourish of trumpets, and tha Czar himself went to witness the proceedings. But before they. had been in progress two hours two ships had been nearly sunk, others were damaged, some 40 men had been killed, and the whole thing had to be shopped, the 'fleet bieiwg ordered back to port. Nothing was heard of manoeuvres after that. As countrymen forgather, I often met and conversed with British engineers in Russian employ/' •••What about, the army '!" I asked.

"As I have said," he replied, "the Russian generals r are gjood strategists—lat any rate they have that reputation,. And no doubt Russia can put 500,000 men into the field. These men are strong, patient, emeoaWo to fllsclpllne, but 'soft.' And if Russia sends a big army to the Far East there will be fearful work through disease* I am wondering,' too, how many of the bags of 'flour' at Port Arthur will turn out to he bags of sand." "Is Russia to'win eventually, do jou think ?" t "It is.hard to say," was the reply. "Of course, it is difficult to judge, from what I know of them, the Russians simply brought 'things to the pass they did with Japan to draw off attention from domestic trouble. This is an old game of theirs. There iB more than a suspicion that that was at the iwttom of their fighting in Crimea, and there is not a shadow of doubt that it was at tho bottom of the Russo-Turkish war. But in this case Japan has struck before Russia was ready. They wanted to delay until after 'General February" had given up command for a year. My opinion is that, should Russia meet with many reverses at the start she will Me almost pjaralysed <tfy internal dissension. The revolutionary party is as active as over, secretly ; the members of it are the most Intelligent and daring of the whole community ; and at the least chance of success, or even without that chance, a revolution may break out. If you want to see what is going to happen in Russia, don't keep both eyes on Port Arthur. Keen one for St. Petersburg and Moscow," said my friend us the conversation closed.

And, strangely enough, a few hours after the chat the news reached Lonl don that there had been bomb throwing in the Cathedral of Russia's capital ; and, further at the seat of war Russia has blown i„, one of her own torpedo bQiltl) wU h much loss of life !

HEFTJGEES FROM PORT ARTHUR

Mr A. IT. Jervis, a Shanghai merchant who arrived a few days ago at Brisbane, stated in the course of an interview that Shanghai at the time he left "was inundated with Russians, male and female, of a very undesirable class, who had been 'sent away by tho Russian authorities at a moment's notice from Port. Arthur and Dalny. owing to shortage of food at those places. The British' feeling in Shanghai was entirely in favour of the Japanese, but the French in the placo were so extremely pro-Russian that a French paper there, 'The Echo de Chine,' goes to the length of publishing expresses, contradicting all the reports of war in Japanese ajid other journals." Mr Jervis stated that' the war was affectinjj trade at Shanghai very badly, exchange being very hic'-h on account of short exports, and the need of banks for money to remit. Trade from Shanghai to Manchuria had been completely blocked, and so had that between Shanghai and Newchwang, but between Shanghai and the rich part af Yang-tse'valley the trade was still good. I Asked if he thought tht Australian trade with the East sould suffer very much through the! war, he replied in the negative. He seemed to think that, another outlet might b>> found fr>r the disposal <f Australian meat for the British licet in Eastern waters, but scarcely for the Japanese troops, whose! appetite would We satisfied witht" ration chiefly composed of rice,; ■

THB RUSSIAN KITCHENER, Under. '-(this ti,tle the Pajrls corrcßpondent of the Daily News refers.to the present Commander-in-Chief of the (Russian army in the Eafctr-Ocn-eral KouropJUkin : —"lie was some years ago a well-known unci popular figure in Paris. I have heard him compared with Lord Kitchener. And for resourcefulness and tremendous energy, as also regarding their rapid advancement in the service, then i» between them a great resemblance. Amusing) storiesi ajre tiold of Kourtoj>atkin's adventures in Franco in 1874, when he went about the country studying the battlefields of the Franco-German war, jotting down notes and taking sketches. The French authorities even helped the young lieutenant, as he then was. But the peasantry were suspicious. The cry of "Gorman spy" was still sounding in their ears, and poor young Kouropatkin was often shadowed and chased, often refused food and lodgings, and compelled to sleep with the sky or a blanket. It is just twenty years since I first heard of General Koumplatkin—captain, as he then was, I think. There was a scare about a threatened Russian invasion of Turkish Armenia. So two or three weeks later I. was in Kars, and talking with the Goveriv nr-Gencrnl, General Grossman, who had much to say aMout, the RussoTurkish war. Among the' Russian officers whom ho named as having distinguished themselves in it was Kouropatkin. Kouropatkin was a great favourite with Skobelefl', who said of him tlrat, if a lV lle t did not bowl him over, ho would 'go a long way." All the same, Kouropatkin has not faced a formidable foe since Plevna, and there have been great changes in lighting ways and arms since then. Some of those who saw the Japanese and Russians outside Pekin thought there were grave errors in formation witl\ both, whicu if repeated now in action would mean heavy loss.