22nd November.
Tue "Current Comment" by the Editor, Mr. John Foord, in the October? number of this always interesting monthly opens with a note on the battle of Liaoyang; and it is pointed out thats the real object 'Y]of the stand made by General Kuropatkin was "to turn the tide of Japanese success and to assume the offensive. he criticisms that have been made, even in friendly quarters, of the failure of the Japanese to make the Russian defeat at Liaoyang a more crushing one, proceed on a forgetfulness of the solid reasons which the Russian Commander had to believe that defeat was impossible, on ground of his own choosing, and under conditions which gave him what, for all military purposes, wus a decided superiority over his assailants, The undeniably fine generalship which Kuropatkin displayed in saving his great army from utter rout and demoralization, and avoiding, for any important part of it, the risk of capture, merely brings out more strongly the fact that the Japanese victory was one of the most brilliant feats of military skill and prowess which has been witnessed in our time. The more highly we rate the military capacity of the Russian Generalissimo, the greater must be the credit accorded to the Japanese Commanders, who have been able to circumvent every move he has made, and to confine his conspicuous achievements to the conduct of well-ordered and timely retreats." The Japanese had published far and wide their hope that Oyama would be able to make Liaoyang a Sedan, and the inability of the latter to fulfil this, which was only a hope, has led to unfair disparagement of the great feat his army did perform.
Mr. Foord ¢-ngratulates Corea on scouring Mr. D. W. Stevens as diplomatic adviser of her Government. Mr. Foord mentions the criticisms that have been made recently of some of Japan's methods of administration at Seoul, and says that "there is certainly no
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.