To the Editor of the Norru-Cuima Darcy News."
Srr,—I shall feel obliged if you will publish the following letter, which I sent yesterday, under my own name, to the El of the "China Press", and which he has not published "The Editor of the "Dean Sin,—In your issue of October 25, you state on the confirmed authority of the "Ostasiawere killed in one rush at Tsingtao.
"You now state that the Japanese Consul-General is officially informed from Tokio that the Japanese casualties since the outbreak of war to November 5 are 900 killed and 878 wounded.
"How do you account for such a glaring difference?
"Yours truly, "D. M.' Gueoa In this connexion the China very unjust circumstances; it may occasion the loss of the lives of persons, who, if they were apprized of the real character of the cruiser, might, instead of resisting, implore protection.""
Thus to fire under false colours is, it would appear, quite illegal.
Similarly ae regards war upon land it is beld that soldiers clothed in the uniforms of their enemy must put on a conspicuous mark by which they can be recognized before attacking.
The rule both as regards maritime war, and war upon land, his been besed on the statement' that in actual battle enemies are bound to combat loyally and are not free to ensure victory by putting oe mark of friendship.
The question ie also dealt with in "The Laws of War" ae proposed by the "Institut de Droit International" at a session of the Institute held at Oxford in September 1880 under the following rule of conduct: "It is forbidden to make improper use of the national flag, of signa of military ranks, or of the uniform of the enemy, eto" All the great Powers (including Germany who had two represents tives) were represented on the Commission which drew up these rules.
Tam, eto, G. H. Warton.
Shanghai, Nov. 6.
Press' publishes to-day an estimate! of 6,000 Japanese casualties, on the authority of a foreign gentleman of undisclosed nationality.
Evidently the "China Press" is anxious to bear out the truthfulness of the " Ostasiatischer Lloyd" telegram of October 25."
prefer to believe the Japanese official telegrams. pebilan correspondence. n hat It in a rule of this paper not to
the conditions observed by Mr. Gubbay, appeared in another paper, oe that the letter should have first been sent Aication. subject dealt with by Mr. to the paper criticized and refused pub-Gubbay is one of great importance and further reference is made to it in to-day's leader.—Ed.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.