On the 8th instant, at 11.30 p.m., we were lying in quarantine outside of the entrance The Russian fleet was lying in three lines outside us, and on the eastern side of the entrance there were also a few ships, gunboats, training ships and torpedo-boats cruising in the same line with ourselves. making a fourth line. Suddenly we felt a heavy submarine explosion, with two more in quick succession. The Russian fleet then began firing from the outer line with lic guns, their drums beating to quarters, while the search-lights of every ship were turned on. Steam launches and torpedo-boats begin rushing about, but in a few minutes the firing died down and we thought it was only cam um again whea the firing broke out uiresh. sseuween half-past twelve and one viclock tae two Russian battleships passed in and took up @ position right across we narrow entrance, while one of the larger cruisers took up @ position close to tne entrance under the light-house. seemed to us a strange manquvre for such large ships at night-time, so we stayed on deck to watch further developments. As 1 was cold, however, and things became a trifle slow, we.turned in about 2am. At 235 um. we were culled out again us we very excited naval officers bourded us and in a mixture of French aad English asked nur names, etc. We got un news from them as they leit in about is minute. At 5.30 a.m. another naval oiticer bourded us and we learned that the Viceroy had ordered that no ship was to leave or enter the harbour unal further notice. After that I resumed on deck with one passenger, and at daylight we made out that one of the owtreships was all down by the head and another by, the stern, while the big cruiser had list to port, all of them having learned later, been tory and now lying aground. Turning round and looking ward, we saw outside the deer a ring of torpedo-boats, and farther out we saw some of the Russian cruisers that we knew to the westward, while several masts showed on the horizon beyond them. These we judged to be cruisers look for what had disturbed them the night before. Between six and seven o'clock the inner cruisers came back and took up their old positions with the fleet, and those hull down came slowly into sight (they were three two-funnelled cruisers) and lay in line, stern on. about 6 or 7 miles off. Then we noticed numbers of men on the forts overhead, looking out. to sea, while the decks of the stranded cruiser were crowded with men all looking in the same direction. About 7.45 a.m. the three cruisers turned and slowly steamed across {the front of the Russian fleet, to the east ward. and probably about 6 miles off. At 1.55 I saw distinctly with the telescope that the Rising Sun of Japan was flying from their mast-heads and gaffs. It was like electric shock to us and we understood ai once the meaning of the night manoeuvres, though we had been looking on for nearly two hours. thinking that. as the Clines board said, there had been a bad collision amongst the fleet the night before. The whole Russian fleet was now weighing slowly and clumsily, and by 8.20 were under way and steaming after Japanese cruisers, but, forthes wards Dalny. In a few minutes the dapanese were out of sight to the S.F. ward and at 9.15 a.m. the Russian fleet returned to anchor, actually dropping the same great mooring anchors, although it had taken them so long to get them up before. They were perfectly certain, and said so openly, that the Japs would' never dare to attack Port Arthur. Afterwards they sent a couple of cruisers out scouting in the dive tion in which the enemy's cruisers had dis. appeared. At 10.50 a.m. we were cleared from quarantine and at the same time one of the cruisers returned at great speed, firing heavily astern, the others having returned previously. se were then ordered to shift our berth for the training ship, but were not assigned to any special position. We started to weigh anchor and moved to the westward, close to the str. Ningoota, which haa only "just got in, having slipped in close shore round the promontory, from the westward. At 10.55, or just as we took up our ber.-, we saw the Japanese fleet, sixteen ships in number, coming up full speed from the eastward. The battleships were leading, then came the armoured cruisers. with the' remaining cruisers in the rear. all in single file. The Russian fleet were weighing anchor slowly. washing their chains and trying to cet their wooden-stocked monro ing anchors fished. instead of slipping them and getting their shins under command. Tt was really amazing. the Jupanese fleet ho-ing almost on top of them.
About 11.15 the first Japanese shell-124m. one—dropped among the Russian be! tle ships right off the entrance and close to where 17 torpedo-beals were lying together, about one-third of a mile away from us. The torpedo-boats, training ship, and a small gun-vessel wheeled and went into harbour, {While those on the big ships continued wash" ing their chains and trying to get their anchers secured, the shower of shell in the meantime beginning to thicken. We started Greottnoalied "battehip" aod. the stall to weigh, having for pleasant companions a
cruiser Novik. The former, abreast of us, distant about 300 yards, was throwing beds and bedding and lumber of all sorts through her amidship gun ports as she got her headjway on her, while we raced close in shore away to the westward. At first this battleship also hauled to the westward ab-least of us, but about a mile further out, with the Novik a little ahead of her, while the forts were over our head. Thus being directly in the line of fire, the shells [fell thick in the water around us, on the beach, the hill-side, and over the forts.
Looking back, the fleet were bunched to: gether and fairly helpless, as until then, with the exception of our three-funnelled {iriend, only the cruisers bad got properly lurider' way, though they were all firing their heavy guns as they were able. A Russian Volunteer ship, armed as a cruiser, got Funder way as soon as any of them,' and passing out through the battleships and halt Ya-mile beyond, found things so hot that she turned and passed back inside them again, though how she escaped, while broadside on, is a marvel.
Just then 1 suw a shell burst right ut the {stern of a battleship, when they were still Fwashing the anchor and some twenty men wore tying to drag w heavy fish-hook ior ward to the anchor. 1t blotted out everything in dense, black smoke, and before the smoke cleared away she was shut in by the next in line advancing, so we could nob see ithe damage done. Then another battleship was struck broadside, abreast of her forward funnel, and then another on her port quarter, and the cruiser Askold hud her after funnel and main topmast carried away These were all hewy shells bursting on th outside and were plainly noticeable from ti alumes of black smoke which they sent. up. JOf course we could not see those which petrated and burst inside, though doubt ces, many that struck the water alongside must have hit the vessels as well. The cruisers, strange to say, fought most of the time outside the battleships and on the wing, Dut retired on them towards the end of the action.
'All this time we were racing along tie cleuch to the westward, while the shells were failing thickly round' us, but fortunately bursting in the water. One heavy shell that burst alt covered our stern with smoke and spray, so that looking from forwards 1 thought our stern was blown away. A second later one burst under our bows and sent a shower up forward, and so things went on, the concussion taking away our \breath and shaking the ship like a leaf. Looking ahead and astern, you could see the shells plainly going for the forts. One large shell that passed close over us must, have {been nearly spent, as it zig-zagged from site {to side, changing' its course as it went; but when it struck the base of tue hill and exploded it shifted a pile of sand and stones.
Tt was principally owing to the cruiser Novik that we came in for such a hot time, fas the battleship retuned to the rest of the fleet shortly after the fight began, and they never went out any distance, but foundered about, it seemed very much in each other's way, under the guns of their heavy forts. ("The commander of the Novik, on the con-\trary, handled his ship very pluckily, having advanced far outside the others to the westward along our line of retreat. He kept dodging at great speed backwards and forwards, while his guns were served well and quickly. I am afraid, however, they were too light to have mach effect on the battle. ships they were opposed to, and at that end of the Tine, towards the finish, he drew such concentrated fire from the heavy ships [that he had to retire amidst " regular storm of shell, one of which burst right at the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.