RUSSIA AND JAPAN.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 118, 23 May 1904, Page 3

RUSSIA AND JAPAN.

A RUSSIAN DIPLOMATIC CONCESSION. LONDON, May 20. The Paris journal l'Echo de Paris states that Russia has decided to moke all Pacific porta free, for the purpose of meeting Great Britain's ami America's objections to her occupation of Manchuria. A JAPANESE CHECK. LONDON, May 20. Two news agencies report from Niu-chwang and Tien-tsin that the Japanese sustained a defeat, falling back on Feng-hwang-cheng. A later message states that twenty thousand Japanese on Monday finding thirty-two thousand Russians in a strong position west of Feng-hwang-cheng, retreated in an orderly way, very rapidly, and without fighting. -'- .JAPAN'S NAVAL LOSSES. LONDON, May 20. Private Japanese advices from Che-foo state that besides the losses cabled 1 , two Japanese warships were ! damaged at Dalny on Sunday, The Russians insist that another warship was disabled at Port Arthur. It Is estimated that 651 men were drowned in the double disaster off Port Arthur. The Hatsuse's drowned included three commanders, five second lieutenants, two surgeons, six* midshipmen, and ten non-com-missioned officers; and the Yoshino s the captain, one commander, three first and five second lieutenants, five midshipmen, and eight boatswains. 'ANOTHER RUSSIAN CRUISER STRANDED, LONDON, May 20. Advices received in Paris stats that the Russian cruiser Bogatyr is on the rocks at the entrance to Vladivostok, and is likely to become a total loss. (The Bogatyr is a protected cruiser, of 6100 tons, with a speed of 23.8 knot 9, and carries twelve 6in. gunsi] MORS! JAPANESE LANDING. LONDON, May 20. Tlw Japanese commenced landing troop# at Taku-shan (a port at the mouth of a river westward of the Ya-lu-) yesterday. BRITISH WARSHIP FOR NIO-CH-WANO. LONDON, May 20. The British sloop-of-war, which is at* Wei-hifi-wei, has been ordered to proceed to Niu-chwang. JAPAN'S LOST WARSHIPS. PARTICULARS OF THE DISASTERS.

(Received May 22, 0.5 a.m.) LONDON, May 21. Admiral Togo, in his report, says that be received, at 5 a.m. on Sun- _ day, an ethergram despatched Irom Admiral Dewa's ship. This stated that while the squadron was returning from the blocking of Fort Arthur, a dense fog was encountered northward of the Shanv tung Promontory. While the ships .were enveloped in this mist the cruiser Kasuga collided with the cruiser YosMno, striking her on the port quarter. The Yoshino Bank, and ninety of her crew were saved by the Xasuga's boats. "This has been a most unfortunate day for our navy,"'the report continues. ''While the fleet was watching the enemy off Port Arthur the battleship Hatsuse struck one of the enemy's mines. Her rudder was t, damaged, and a message was sent lor a ship to tow her. One was being sent when the lamentable report came that the Hatsuse had struck another mine and $ foundered, ten knots from the Liao-tl-shan Promontory. None of the enemy were visible. The loss was due to a mine or submarine. The Hatsuse sank in half an hour, and whilo she was sinking sixteen of the enemy's torpedo craft appeared, but were driven off by the fleeW fJorrespondents agree with this report* v- There Is not a word of exultation in St. Petersburg, but evident sorrow at the deaths of brave men. The Times Tokio correspondent reports that the losses of trte vessels did not cause any excitemuot there. <Beceived May 22, 9.12 a.m.) LONDON. May 21. According to later details Admiral Dewa was returning from the blockade with the third fleet. Captain Nakao, who was on board the Hatsuse, was saved. Admiral Togo's report confirms the theory that the loss of the Hatsuse was due to a mine. The battleship's drowned include Commandera Viscount Nile, Arimori, and Bakamoto, and the Yoshino's Captain Sayeki and Commander Hirowaheri. THE BOGATYB. ' (Received May 22, 9.12 a.m.) LONDON, May 21. It is now stated that the Russian cruiser Bogatyr, stranded at Vladivostok, was not damaged. SKIRMISHING NEAR FENG-WHANG-CHENG. JAPANESE RETREAT. .CONTINENTAL MILITARY OPIN- •~ lON. ■> LONDON, May 21. •Geseral Kuropatkin, in his reports, •describes a sharp skirmish which - look place north and north-west of Feng-whang-chcng. The Russian Commander-in-Chiei 'states that the .Japanese were dislodged from four positions, and retired a distance of twelve miles to To-tien-tsze. f This reported retreat is interpreted Tn Berlin as a concentration movement, for the purpose of strengtbentowards Niu-chwang. The Japanese advance in the direction of Liaoyang is considered a feint, the real intention being to form an outer ring extending from An-tung (on the western side of the estuary of the Ya-lu) to Ifiu-chwang. These towns would form the bases for the northward march. Viewed In this light a Japanese f diversion northwards of Mukden, by jL ," «n advance by way of Kirin, would fe"- ' be a brilliant move. Some signific--1:., *nce 1« also attached to the publication in Tokio of reports of the Ian- "• 'givf of troopj *i Ttku-fhan.

CABLE NEWS.

United Press Association.—By Telegraph.—Copyright. i I ' ]

THE FIGHTING AT KINCHAU. LONDON, May 21. According to statements made by prisoners the casualties among the Russian forces in the fighting near Kinchau on May 16th numbered three hundred. PORT ARTHUR TO BE STORMED. LONDON, May 21. According to information gleaned from the despatch boat Fawan it is the Intention of the Japanese to storm and capture Port Arthur at the earliest possible moment, to prevent the sending eastward of the Russian. Baltic fleet. JAPANESE SOUTH OF LIAOYANG. RAIN IMPEDES THEIR ADVANCE (Received May 23, 0.18 a.m.) LONDON, May 21. Reports received from tho Russian headquarders stall at Mukden state that General Kuroki's army, estimated to be about eighty thousand strong, remains south of the line of defence of the Russian force covering Uao-yang. The Japanese advance is apparently suspended. The inaction on the part of the Japanese commander causes surprise, since the Russian forces arc daily increasing. It is surmised that heavy rains must have hampered the movement of artillery. RUSSIANS HOLDING ON TO RAILWAY. LONDON, May 21. The Russians still hold the lint of railroad to Tashi-cho (? a river crossing the line near Liao-yang.) OPERATIONS NEAR KINCHAU. (Received May 23, 1.10 a.m.) LONDON, May 22. The Russians left thirty dead on the field after the recent skirmish at Kin-chau, On the 17th Instant a Japanese squadron bombarded public buildings, a railway bridge, and military trains at Kin-chau. Some Japanese infantry, while reconnoitring at Shan-shcssan, east of Kin-chau, had at fight 'lasting half an hour, which ended in their repelling tho Russians, who had one officer and forty-five men killed, and one officer and eight men wounded, RECONNOITRING PORT ARTnrjK. LONDON, May 22. Admiral Togo reports that a number od gun-'boats, destroyers, and torpedo-boats on Friday upproached Port Arthur, and reconnoitring operations were successfully effected , with little damage, despite a hot crossfire from the forts. There were no Japanese casualties. DOOLEY TALKS WAR. THE SCARCITY OF TRUTH. DESPOTIC TARTAR AND BELLICOSE JAP. '"Well," said Mr Hennessey, in tones of chastened joy, "th' devour in' Bear is in th' soup f'r onst. 'Tis a tumble day f'r th' Poles, Finns, Joos, Arrmanians, Chewtonguese, lab'r dimonsthrators, arychists, an' other pathriots who ar-re th' backbone iv tho Rooshan Impire." "Ye obtain y'r dcbilithated ideas fr'm th' milithrary experts in the pa-pares, an' there ye're wrong," said Mr Dooley. "In a couple iv years, maybe, th' tr-rue facts iv en' case will be befure us in popular for-rm. Thin we shall knaw whither th' Rooshan is bating th' wily Oritnthal with a pavin' block, or whither th' conquerin' Tartar has had th' stuffin' knocked out iv him with a loaded chrysanthemum."

"But fwhat about th's speshul coryspondints ?" asked Mr Hennessey, in great surprise. "Thira boys is all right," said Mr Dooley, '"Ye can bet on that. But <;eein' that they're naythur a flyin' masheen nor a Macaroni's tiligraph, how can they give, us th' noose with th' press cinsor goin' through copy with a fine-tooth comb in wan hand an* a club In th' ither ? No, sorr, th' despothic Tartar has not so much tr-ruth about him that he can afford to let.anny iv it go over th's wires; an' th' mild but bellicose Jap. isn't far'r behint him. "There has been a war-r at sea. Fwhat happened ? Ye doan't knaw, Hlnnissey. an' never will till th' man was there writes a book about it. I'm not sure ye will knaw thin. "Fwhat is it that we r-read in th' pa-apers ? First 'tis ould Alecthief that comes along with an officious repor-rt. 'This morning,' he says, the treach'rous an' uncivilised foe called in on Poort Arthur. I niver asked them. I don't knaw thim and doan't want to knaw thim. 'Tis strange how ye find this class of coarse, rude men pushin' their way into th' height iv societhy nowadays. "Me ships ar-rc not hurted,' he says 'Th' few holes blown into thim ar-re just fwhat me men required,' he says, f'r ventilation,' he says. 'Th' unworthy inimy after destroy in' us sunk thimselvcs in gr-reat numbers. I didn't see thim go under myself, but there ar-rc plenty here that did. I can write no more,' he says, as it's me busy day. Fwhat with me pathriotic proclimashuns, an' the piisintashun iv medals to th' brave officers that was ashore at the time, he says, 'I doan't knaw which way to tur-rn,' he says. 'But ye sh'd me proclimashuns, which I enclose herewith. They're great ' " •»•»*♦ "Thin do ye think that th' Rooshans got th' best iv it ?" asked Mr Hennessey anxiously. " I resarve me opinion afther reading the telegrams iv the speshvH-nr-ryspondint iv the ' Happy Despatch ' dated from Hohitohy," said Mr Dooley. " That sagacious young man, aided by th' press cinsor, kcaps himself well abr-reasl iv the things—or may be a little bpfure them. ' Th' Japs,' he says, ' have rejooced the fleet iv the haughty Rooshan. Yo cud pass what's lift iv it through a fine sipvp. Yc can see th' pieces ivrywhere. '■' 'The Rattyplan was blown into two halves, wan portion alighting at sea an' th' ither on th' LtingTonguo Peninsular. Th' captain hud not returned to earth at th' time [ left. Th' Rooshans in th' town ar-rc in a state iv turror on account iv th' br-'/ave sailors who have not yet done falling from th' heavens. Ould Alecthief has lit out i"r home as if th' dogs was afhter him. Cable me five thousand as this descriptive writin' is most expensive.' '"Tis the same r>n land, Hinnissey. Th' cinsors kape th' mind iv th' public in gr-reat confusion. OuW Alexthief has brought up four hundred million if th' crnme iv all Roosha by speshul excuhshun tr-rain. Ho has not. Th' presumpshuns Japs have landed eighteen armies at Poort Arthur, Tellemson, Hello, Ping Pong, an' Assoonas. 'Tis contradicted. They have desthroyed the cntoire forces iv the Czar in Manchewrai, which consisted iv four huudhrcd an/ lour men an' wan

drummer all told. *Tis grossly exaggherateu. " The Roushnns havo nuthing to eat baring th' gold resarvo in th' banks. Th' sufferings fr'm cold on Lake Bakeall is turrublc, though th' skatin' is good. Th' Japs will be crushed at wan blow. Ould Alexthief will permit no delay. He has said it, an' if he doan't knaw, who does ?" " I think the Rooshan is bate, anyway," s-aid Mr Hinnissoy. "I'm plazed to hear y'r views, Hinnisisey," replied Mr Dooley. " They're always inthercsting, if not conclusive. But with the press cinsor knocking out every 'must' and 'please rush' with a bjfue pencil as a patter iv principle an' patriotism, it can be no easy thing f'r ye to for-rm an opinion."— "1i.P.K.," in the London Daily Express.