The following extracts from Russian letters intercepted by the blockading squadron have been published by the Naval Department at Tokio and are reprinted by the "Japan Daily Mail"
"This month we shall either be saved from the hands of the enemy or Port Arthur will be occupied by the Japanese army."
"Our lives are daily more endangered. I fear that this is the last letter I shall write." that the end of th approaching. We cannot judge what the end will be, but we fear that it will be bad."
"Our staff office has been destroyed and we seem as though wa are hourly awaiting death."
"We wait and wait for the Baltic Fleet, but it doos not come. Isis impossible to say how greatly the capture of the 203-metre hill affects the forts the bill w: ridicule, From the moment th into the enemy's possession the doom of the squadron was sealed. The capt: of the hill presages the fate of Port Arthur. From this position the fortress can be overlooked as though one held it in his hand. Its possession gives the enemy power over the fate of the Now Town, and the Old Town alone remains to us. Our groat wants are, first, fu for lack of which we can seldom light our stoves, and the cold is intense. Secondly, we have neither wireless telegraphy nor carrier depend on chance vehicles of news. We groatly fool the want of official reports. For ten months we have had no imports of ammunition. The master of the steamer King Arthur is a fool; he brought nothing but barley."
"The Sevaswpul covelved four torpedoes in her hull; one of them wounded her so badly that she could not move and is now anchored with a heavy list. If she be further attacked there will be nothing for it but to go ashore and de-fond ourselves there. On the night of the nttrek the enemy's torpedo-boats pushed up to the shortest range and moved as accurately as if they were on parade. When the ship sinks we are to go on shore, and a place has "lready been selected for the purpose. We intend to fight to the last. -If we survive there will be nothing to be ashamed of. On our one ship now depends the reputation of the whole Russian squadron.
Better, that she should sink than yield."
"Since Ist December three 11-in, shells pierced the ship (noth ship, not the Sebastopol). Who responsible for having placed us in this terrible condition we do not know, but presumably it is the officer responsible for the order to prevent the landing of the Japanese army on Kuantung. Our high officials are careful only to escape death they hide themselves and sometimes they are not to be found. Two-thirds of the Naval Brigade were lost at the capture of 203-metre hill. The Sebastopol was fired on day and night. On the 18th of December, during thenight, she made her way out of the harbour, through the sunken ships without the aid of a tug, Instead of 620 men she had only 1llon board. She rigged out nets, but, being hit by two torpedoes there was nothing for her but to run on shore, There is no hope of saving her."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.