RUSSIA AND JAPAN.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 207, 5 September 1904, Page 3

RUSSIA AND JAPAN.

THE FIGHTING AT LIAO-YANG. HEAVY LOSSES. LONDON September 2. Military circles in Tokio emphasise the strength of Port Arthur, and urge patience and persistency. Tokio admits that the battle round liao-yang was drawn when the soldiers bivouacked on Wednesday, At dawn on Thursday, alter a fierce and daring assault, they Captured the Shau-chan heights, piercing the Russian line, whereupon the Rusaans south oi Liao-yang commenced to retreat, the Japanese vigorously pursuing. The Marquis Oyama has reported that the Japanese losses were heavy, General Kuroki's alone from the 24th to tihe 28th numbering 2225. Military critics concur that the object oi the furious encounters on the southern front were intended to hold the Russians while General Kuroki crossed the Tai-tse unopposed, in under to block the Russian retreat.

Japan injaists that China must follow Germany's example and intern crews of Russian .warships refuging in her ports*

RUSSIANS BEING PRESSED BACK,

LONDON September 2. It is officially reported at Tokio that the Japanese losses since the 29th are below 10,000. The headquarters of the Japanese armies forthwith will' be liao-yang. A fire is raging at Liao-yang. Generals Oku and Nodzu are pressing the Russians along tha liai-tse River. ;

General Kuropatkin's forces have been thrown into confusion. There ore indications tliut at Yental ibe Japanese pressed 35,000 Russians bask.

RUSSIAN REINFORCEMENTS. RUSSIAN STEAMER DESTROYED. REJOICING AT TOKIO, LONDON September 2. Advices, from St. Petersburg say that General Kuropatkin is drawing the Japanese northwards, and intends to crush them between his and General Linevitch's (army. It ia expected that the Fifth and Sixth army corps, with adequate mountain artillery, .will reach Mukden in a fortnight^ General Kuropatkin admits that his losses in two days totalled 5000 that ibis right has fallen back, and (hat Gtaheral Kuroki has crossed the Tai-tae River and is advancing westJHWfc

Admiral Prince Ukhtomsgy regained Port Arthur after the naval fight on the 10th. He .will shortly be court-nmrtiaßod for disobeying the Czar's orders that the fleet should not return.

Pursuant to orders of the British Arobassadotat Peking (Sir E. Satow), repairs to the AskoLd and Grosovoi have been stopped, and China has ordered the crew to be repatriated oil parole. The Japanese have notified thi neutral Powers that the Japanese .will capture any vessel removing thi. Russian refugee crews. LONDON, September 2.

The Japanese used Russian cannon against the Liao-yaag railway station.

Harqjuis Oyama's right attacked yesterday a large force at Yentai, twelve miles north-east of Liao-yang A Russian steamer clearing the channel at Port Arthur struck a .mine and was destroyed. There have been jubilations at Tobio over the recent successes.

The German gunboat Tiger terminated a fruitless search for a junk -containing a French attache at •Port Arthur.

FIRE AT LIAO-YANG. LONDON, September 2. The conflagration is still raging at liiao-yaog. 'lt is believed to bo amongst the stores. KUROPATKIN SOUTH OF THE TAI-TSE. JAPANESE CAPTURE FOIITS. <Received September 4, 9.18 a.m.) LONDON, September 8. The -bombardment of the station prevented the Russians entering. The salient fact dn to-day's messages is that the bulk of Kuropatkin's army was at dawn yesterduy still south of the Ta;-tse. Nothing official has been .received since. Chinese refugees report that Japanese junks landed a force and captured Hwang-chin-stan coast forts opposite Tiger's Tail. The Japanese captured 26 Chinese junks attempting tq convey provisions to Port Arthur.

The capture of Shan-Shan was due to a night surprise attack.

A THE TAI-TSE IN FLOOD. RUSSIAN LOSS ESTIMATED AT 30,000 JAPANESE LOSE 20,000. (Recoivod September 4, 9.18 a.m.) LONDON, September 3. The Tai-tse was flooded and unSorda'ble yesterday. General Oku pressed the Russians into the river, and it is believed that ai number, were drowned. An unofficial estimate states that there are 15 divisions of 15,000 each at liao-yang and vicinity. Their casualties since the battle began on the 23rd are estimated at 30,000, the .Japanese losing from 15,000 to 20,000.

General Kuroki's troops attacked the Russiad centre spiritedly and aad sought ground to enable the guna to dominate .the railway.

REPORT FROM GENERAL OYAMA RUSSIANS CONTINUE RjjTRgAT. ' LIAO-YANG ALMOST EVACUATED. {Received September 4, 5.9 p.m.) LONDON, September 3. ■OyAnia reports that tbe Russians fronting Oku and Nodzu continued On Friday the retreat across the .TTai-tse except a portion occupying the <l e * ence works from the south to the' » orth " we3t o f Liao-yang and the hcigj" 4B ontte northeast of NiuCl =i, on Friday mowing r tof Neiyang-tae, near *«*•■ . °>' a m" adds tUt at nine on* SatU S y m r °'" ning the remnant were J ? U j v army is still resisting o " U flnd Ned "

zu outside Liao-yang. According to St. Peter.'ibii. "*£, " :l . respondents' messages in 1 , , newspapers Kuropatkin telegrap. u \ t that the Russians on Thursda. retired from their main position across Tai-tse, almost evacuating Liao-yang, though a very strong rearguard was left to check Oku and Nodzu.

KTJROKI THREATENED IN THE REAR. JAPANESE CAPTURE GUNS. SAGHALIEN ISLAND TO HE SEIZED. (Received September 4, 5.9 p.m.) LONDON, September 3. Japanese shells destroyed the railway station, but another was established on the north side of the river. The field telegraph was removed 13 miles northward. Kuropatkin has sent a large force to Yenttfen to attack Kuroki's roar. - St, Petersburg authorities allege ihftt uotew Kuroki has 150,000

CABLE NEWS.

(United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph Copyright.).

men with him he certainly will fail. Tokio believes that Oyama's main strength crossed the Tai-tse on Saturday morning. Kuropatkin's statement that he is retreating to the right bank of the Tai-tse is interpreted to mean that |» has abandoned Mukden Road and is trying to escape westward across the river Liao, possibly entering Chinese territory. Oku has captured several 10} centimetre cannon. The Japanese arc about to seize Saghalien Island, as a baso against Vladivostok.

FURTHER JAPANESE SUCCESS. RUSSIANS DRIVEN BACK. LIAO-YANG TO HE EVACUATED. RUSSIANS CONCENTRATING AT • YENTAI. (Received September 5, 0,49 a.m.) LONDON, September 4. Kuropatkin reports that Kuroki attacked him at Spywantun, 16 versts east of Liao-yang, on Thursday night. The Japanese captured most of the positions, and on Friday night a further attack forced the defenders to retire eight versts upon the rearguard position between the villages of Shan-sun-tun and Shitshan/.a. The same night the first .Siberian army corps was driven westward, and Kuropatkin therefore ordered the evacuation ofLiuo-yang. Tokio reports that on Saturday Kuroki captured the last line of hills between the Japanese and the Sevel ' e fi ® htin g continues. Ihe Russians are concentrating ®t

CLIPPINGS FROM THE WORLD'S PRESS.

. u S*'est feature of the present gloomy outlook is that, should anything happen to Admiral Skrydloff and General lvuropaitkin, there are really no capable officers to put in their places. The best of the leading commanders we had in the last l'urkish war are dead, or retired old men.—A st all officer to the Standord s Kiefl correspondent. Kuropatkin has had to contend with every form of administrative and executive breakdown, and to reap the harvest of long years of official corruption. Rut his main difficulty, which ia becoming daily more apparent, is want of men. —Ulotip.

According to Uie Moscow Gazette, Russia will only giant peace to Japan on tihe following terms :—Every Japanese to withdraw from Slanchuria and Korea; Japan to pay the cost of the war which she began ; and J aparn to cede to Russia the land of Tsushima, which lies dangerously near the mainland, thus tempting tihe Japanese to venturesome undertakings beyond their proper sphere. According to the World, the Czar, when he was told of the Petropavlovsk disaster, sobbed aloud, so terrible was his grief, and when he heard of the ' sinking of the Japanese transports, heard how his own ships had stood by without ever giving a helping hand, he broke down completely—he would have given all he possessed gladly to undo what was done.

By this time the Russians are probably beginning to understand what kind of, treatment they may expect as prisoners in Japanese hainds. Hitherto their notions seem to have been strange. They appear to have regarded tihe Japanese as savages. 1 Thus, when a shipload of prisoners was recently en route for Japan, two of them attempted to drown themselves, their idea being that on arrival they would be pu,t to death with horrible tortures.—Times' correspondent. General Ma complains that the Russian troops in neutral 'territory are grossly insulting, and are even shooting his men . west of the Liao River. The Chinese General believes that the Russians are trying to provoke his troops to make reprisals, and fears that it will soon be impossible to control them. Telegraph's Shanghai correspondent. The Paris press are sanguine. They ■tnsider the Russian prospects are improving daily." The Figaro says : "The Japanese have .been too slow. They committed an error by dividing! their army between Feng-huangmhaig and Port Arthur, thus giving General Kuropatkin two months' unexpected grace, instead of putting their entire strength against that of the Russians, which was then capable of serious resistance—Exchange Telegraph Company. Oh, these prophets ! News has been received of a fearful revenge taken by the governor ol the prison of Kalisa, Poland, who was dismissed for barbarously treating the prisoners. He enlisted the services of 270 Cossacks, majde them mad drunk with repeated libations of vodka, and then turned them loose in the prison. Maddened by the fiery spirit, the Cossacks ran amuk among the political suspects, committing fearful atrocities. This barbarous orgy lasted from eight o'clock in the evening until sunrise. The exact number of killed is not ascertainable, but the next morning seventy victims, all horribly mutilated, were in hospital.—Express' Berlin correspondent.