The following official telegr published by the Japanese Mini of War is communicated to us by H.LJ.M. Consul-General The Rhenish Westphalian Coal Syndicate gives statistics showing that the output of coal during the month of September was 3,500,000 tons as compared with 5,500,000 tons during September last year.
Our Tsingtao attacking army ce! menced the volley of the heavy siege guns on the august occasion of our Emperor's birthday.
The effect of the bombardment of the day was strikingly successful. At 7 a.m. fire broke out in the neighbourhood of the Tsingtao shipyard. At 8am. oil tanks at the east end of the larger harbour were set on fire and flames were witnessed overspreading the hew ven. Besides our heavy military artillery, the fire from our war ves-was concentrated upon the Iltis battery and at noon great damage was already inflicted on the eastern fort of Iltis, Apparent'y the fort of Siaotunshan also sustained none the less destruction.
During the bombardment the response of the enemy not having been so brisk, our casualities are extremely slight. The forts of the enemy on the left bank of the Haipoho are estimated at about six and their construction seems to be considerably strong, surrounded by several wire entanglements, The number of patte: in the middle and rear together with those on the sea front are calculated to be from twenty to thirty and the total number of ordnance more than on hundred.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.