RUSSIA AND JAPAN.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 183, 6 August 1904, Page 3

RUSSIA AND JAPAN.

YESTERDAY'S CABLE SUMMARY. i RUSSIA'S NORTHWARD MARCH . CONTINUES. "... LONDON, August 4. Traill loads of munitions and provisions are hurrying to Mukden, preparatory to the continued Russian reteestt northwards. ( Renter's agency reports that it is . stated in military circles in St. Petersburg ' that General Kuropatkin intends to 'evacuate Liao-yang, but not without fighting. " - It is expected in St. Petersburg ■: that General Kuropatkin will evacuate Li ao-yang l when heavy accumulation o' war material embarrasses his ' movements. The victors of Tomu-chan have occupied Hai-chenjg. SYDNEY, August 5. A cable received Iby the Japanese ' > Consul states that Prince Alexiert led the Russians, consisting of two divisions of infantry and five batteries of artillery, at the battle of To-mu- , chan. The Japanese captured six field guns. Their casualties were nearly 400, while the Russians left , 150 dead on the field. (Received August 5, 10 p.m.) LONDON, August 0. General Sakharoff reports that 29 ' Russian officers and 1000 men were killed or wounded in the lighting on July 30th and 31st. \ An unconfirmed report is circulated , in St. Petersburg that a battle is in progress northwards of Hai-chemg. (Received August 6, 1 a.m.) i* LONDON, August 5. General Kuroki, with 100,000 men ; Is IjeKind or northwards of the retreating Russians, and General Oku, with 50,000 men, is in front of them, vj While General Nodzu, with 50,000, .. is on their left flank. (: NEW ARMIES. ' , REINFORCEMENTS FROM EAST AND WEST.

LONDON, August 4. Twenty thousand freeb troops lately landed at Ying-kow are advancing on Liao-yang. ; The Berliner TageMatt states that •ft new army iB forming under tihe : 6(^iid-" l DtAe Nicholas Nicholaivitch to strengthen Kuropatkin. »■ -THE RAIDING SQUADRON,. RECEIVES A WELCOME HOME TO VLADIVOSTOK. LONDON, August 4. The 9q|iaxJron returned to Vladivostok on Sunday, and received an en- I thusiastic welcome. SQRTIE FROM FORT ARTHUR. " TORPEDO FLOTILLA'S UNSUCCESSFUL SALLY. v LONDON, August 4. " v Router's agency at Tokio reports ' that twelve torpedo boat destroyers, tour torpedo boats, and some gunboats made a sortie from Port Arthur on Monday night, but were driven back. , '^j;J (Received August 5, 10 p.m.) , LONDON, August 5. "• • In pursuance of the Mikado's in- , gtructions to sacrifice as few lives - as* possible when Port Arthur is finally assaulted, the Japanese are slpwly but surely tightening their grip, using 360 guns to pour a fire - -into the diminishing circle, in order to reduce the garrison prior to its '• capture. THE MALACCA SEIZURE. EXAMINATION OF NEUTRAL SHIPS GOING EAST. LONDON, August 4. In connection with the Russian official justification that the seizure of jlthe Malacca was due to the refusal to show her papers, the Peninsula Company state that the papers and inan tests were given up, uiwi that (the officers were sent aboard the Saint Petersburg for examination. The Russians offered them induce--1 memts to make statements to justify the seizure. St. PETERSBURG, August 4. A semi-official suggestion has been made here that an International Commission should be appointed at Port Said to examine neutral ships going to the Far East. JAPANESE STRATEGY. A good deal has already been said about the strategy of the Japanese. following, written by " T.C." •/or the Kobe Chronicle, from Chulienoheng, shows how they secured ■their victories at the Yalu River On April 26th the Japanese sent a l)ody of several hundred troops ' across the Yalu, at a point about four miles above Wiju, and attacked tt chain of small Russian outposts on some low islands there, at a junction of a large tributary of the Yalu. This move again illustrated the enormous value of the superior Japanese Intelligence Department. Any belligerent trying to act On the decisive along a very extended line is obviously unable to have a very' large force ®t every point, and so ;■ the Japanese simply ascertain what force there is at any place, and send an attacking party overwhelmingly superior. This is quite easy when the Russians leave themselves so , '' poorly informed of the Japanese movements, and wait to be attacked instead of attacking. The Japanese had bo%ts enough [or a force outnumbering these Russian outposts by three to one, but the Russians never knew this until the figiit was practically decided. The Japanese got across the water in the pitchy darkness of 3 a.m., and had landed on the Russian side ibefore they were discovered. The firing immediately became brisk on all sides, but whereas * the Russians were mostly aiming at random into the 'blackness of the night, the Japanese had a fairly good idea , where to aim. Artillery of course was out of in these circumstances, and as the Russians do not have a deep-rooted tradition as the Japanese have against running away in battlo, the islands were entirely left to the attacking party by ■ 7 o'clock that morning. From these islands, the Japanese pushed on and occuiriod the little town of Li-tsu-yuen, which is divided from Chuliesncheng by the tributary of the Yalu mentioned above, and threatens the north (lank of the

Tiger Head position. 'ln another portion of t/He letter the > writer says :—I do not protend to decide whether the passage of the Yaluwas in itself of much or little importance, but the Important thing about this tattle is that it has shown how the two armies compare in strategy, mobility and efficiency tof men and weapons in actual combat. And the verdict on all points is decisively against the Russians. These are considerations far more , ■ important than the loss or gain of ' this or that, place; such tangible lesultfl are merely the illustrations emthe teson and they are not as valuable as the lesson itself.