Private letters from Manchuria received here state that Chinete merchants and traders are leaving Moukden daily in large numbers, bound for Shantung, and various places in Chihli provinces. There seems to be no doubt amongst. the people of Man churia that war cannot be avoided either between China and Russia or Japan and Russia.
According to a Peking dispatch the Japanese Minister called on Prince Ching on the 2nd instant and shortly afterwards the two were joined by the Grand Councillors Chi ung-chi and Lu Ch'uanlin, and the two Viceroys Yuan Shih-kai and Chang Chih-tung, "The conference was a very secret une and lasted two hours and a-hall.
16th November.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.