Bist Ma Oficial news came to hand yesterday ut the first engagement, on land of any real iinportance. "The collision occurred during. the process of rolling back the Russians from Northern Corea to which the Japanese forces ave bringing their energies. "An advance guard had apparently marched from Ping-Fang along the lain coast read towards 0 main coast road towards Wiju_when outside the town of Chang-ju it, was met by a party of Cossacks 600 strong. The fight was stubborn and lasted two hours, but the Japanese gained their object inasmuch as their enemy retired lo-ving Chang-ju to be occupied.
It is rather amusing to note that the "Japan Herald" has been called over the coals by the censor for reproducing certain telegrams, originally -d from Tokio, and appearing in our columns. The pretext for objecting to the republication of these telegrams was that they contained details of movements of Japanese troops. It could not be said that the reproducing of this news assist Russia in any way and it is dificult to (old by the time it renched Japan) would understand why the Japanese. public should not have information in the possession of the rest of the world, Further details in connection with the sex fight outside Port Arthur on the 10th March, have come to hand with the last Japanese mail. According to an officer who took part in the fight and who contributed an account to the "Japan Mail," there were only four Japanese destroyers engaged and when six Russian destroyers came in sight, the commander of the attacking squadron signalled to his boats to steam of full speed a direction which would have cleared the Russian ling. But owing to the state of the weather this signal was not intelligible on board the Kasumi and the Akatsuki. Thus only the Asashiwo and the Shirakumo sueceeded in getting out of the zone of danger. Tt was a little later that the Akatsuki received a shell which burst a stam-pipe, and caused the death of four men by scald: ing. Finding herself surrounded by the enemy she concluded that it was over, and that nothing remained, but to die hard' such @ storm of shot and shell into the nev Her gunners worked vigorously, and poured est Russian destroyer that the latter, in turn, seems to have become desperate. She steamed at full speed for the Akatsuki, apparently intending to ram or at any rate to torpedo. But she missed the Akatsuki by about four yards, and the torpedo she discharged wa equally unsuccessful. As she passed, the Akatsuki's gunners gave her such a dose that she never made another effort to fight but steamed away at top speed. At this' moment two other Russian boats were within 200 yards of the Akatsuki und a fierce fire was interchanged. Just then three Russian cruisers emerged from the harbour, and the enemy's destroyers seem to have ongged them by mistake, affording the Akatsuki an opportunity' to escape. She had five men killed and two wounded, so that the Russians' fire was of poor quality after all. The episode closed at 5.30 a.m. so far as concerned the Akatsuki.
The following account which appeurcd in the Novi Kral,," shows the Russian loss to have been severer than hitherto reported The destroyers Stregustchi and Riesitelini took part in the action for two hours and whalf, at the end of which the Stregustehi was sunk and her officers and men, 49 in number, were lost. The Riesitelini exploded after entering the harbour. The casualties on the destroyer Urastoni (7) were four officers and two men killed and twelve nen wounded. On Gold Hill an officer and two men, 2 man each in the 12th battalion and in the search light station, and two men in the Zith regiment were wounded.
The "Japan Times" prints a message from Chefoo that there are no Russian troop: at Dalny, except volunteers, and that, the mines laid in, the harbour "have all een aivay' by a gale, The same paper has elegtam stating that shortly after the conclusion of the naval battle on the 10ti March off Port Arthur a certain Japanese cruiser proceeded near the entrance of the harbour with the object of reconnoitring the enemy. While thus cruising, the men on board the cruiser sighted what they thowsht be a wine. They at: once fired at the object with their rifles when it exploded with considerable force. In connection with the above, the report further says a Japanese aval oticer declared that the object of the Russians in sinking two Russian steer the entrance to that port, under the. tion of Vice-Admiral Makaroff, was probably to prevent the drifting of mines, since current wb the entrance is extremely strong.
Other news from the "Japan Times" is that Port Arthur is now garrisoned by about 5,000 men in the forts and a small number of cavalry and artillery. In addition there are also in and about Port Arthur three fantry regiments. Defences are being erected in the rear of the port.—The Asahi's Tientsin correspondent says that Russia formerly
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.