Fros'tie " Curva Tistes."
The first sign of anything unusual in Viadivostock Was the arrival of the Afridi on 2nd February, fitted up to take large numbers of Japanese away. On her arrival the Japanese Commercial Agent telegraphed to the various outlying districts and the Japanese began to stream in. Some, however, asked the Russian officials in the various towns who told them that there was no
affair was obviously a commercial speculation danger of war at premet and that the whole on the part of the Japanese Commercial Agent. Whion one considered, the charter Trend an well 4s. the 200 tons of food on ty, the fittings 1e sanitary arrange-
board -it was difficult quite to see where the profits of such a speculation would be obtained.
In three days' time some 2,500 Japanese had collected and embarked and the Japanese Commercial Agent's wife also went by the Afridi. AN the other Commercial Agents and many high officials came to see her off and the Governor inspected the boat and then made a speech saying how foolish was to run off in such a manner, that month they would all be back, but that he wotild do what he could to fill their positions for them, so that on their return they would find no situations vacant. Easier said than done, when the respective merits of Japanese and Russian artisans and servants are considered.
On the morning after the Afridi left, that was Sunday the 7th, the Japanese Commercial Agent sent notice round saying that he had been instructed to withdraw. This fell like a bombshell among the officials, and was met by blank incredulity, but was only too soon supported by the attack on Port Arthur. Marual law was proclaimed and a scene of the wildest confusion and panic ensued. All the Japanese and English were ordered out Yice-Consul boone wore commandeered and in three days, this order including the British
exodus began. Every house in Nicolsk and Khabarovsk was taken by telegram and the civilians began to leave. The railway was taken over by the military authorities, all the waggons were sent to Manchuria and only one train left every three days; tickets were all bought up days before and as no baggage but a hand-bag was allowed to be taken away, it was impossible to find sitting accommodation in the cars, as every comer was filled with the so-called hand-bags!
On the 9th the Commandant of the fortress, Major-General Voronetz, who had taken supreme command of the town, thus super-ling the Governor, called on the British Vice-Consul and Commercial Agent and informed him that, owing to a change in his orders, English subjects might have eleven days' grace in which to berake themselves forty versts from the town. As there was neither accommodation nor food in the surrounding district this order was equivalent to leaving the country.
In the meanwhile " heavy snow storm raged, covering the ground with two feet of snow and forming drifts up to 6 and 8 feet. This greatly impeded the traffic and the departure of the people; it brought about, however, a rise in temperature, and this was utilised by the fleet to don' their war paint, The cruisers Gromoboi, Rosta, Rurik and Bogatyr had their search-lights going all night and in we morning the greater portion was dark grey, their funnels and parts of their bow being yet unfinished, presenting a dazzling contrast. They were all anished by thi gas well as the large transport Lena. This Lena used to be the Volunteer Fleet boat the Moscow, but her engines are not in good repair and her chief engineer expressed grave doubts as to whether she could go to sea or not. It seems extraordinary how these ships could have been left apparently forgotten up till the last. moment.
The ice breaker amused herself breaking all the ice in the harbour and towing it out so that the ingress and egress of vessels could be managed with the greatest celerity and easiness.
The Japanese Commercial Agent left in the str, Batavia on the 13th instant but before this the food question had become most ing. Nothing could be bought. There were only 17,000 sacks of flour in the town for the civil population, very litle sugar and no meat at all. One could only buy 5-Ibs. of sugar at a time and that at thirty-two cents Russian Ib., where it had been sixteen cents the day before.
The panic increased greatly at a no! of the Commandant, that only those who had eight months' provisions might stay, and those provisions were liable to be commandeered at any moment. Then indeed dil the rush begin. The scenes at the railway station were most heart-rending, families cot separated and people fought for seats.
The fest in the meanwhile had left for Hakodate, but on approaching that, fortress decided to return, on account of the rouzhness of the sea and a snow storm. On their way back they fell in with two Japanese merchant vessels, one of which one of which they fired on. kilim the crew and transferring the remainder the Gromoboi. where ther were fed snd clothed warm: Ther then sank the chant vessel which had a cargo of rice. On their return io Viadivostock these prisoners freets amid the mingled derision and execrsere paraded under a guard through the tions of the populace—they consisted of two {old women, four children and thirty-tive {sailors, all of them wearing felt boots and Chinese hats and coats given them by their captors. The morning wat the fleet left some very sad scenes were witnessed on tne admiral's wharf. The wives and betrothed jof many of the officers watching the departure of the ships saw the four black vessels slowly leaving the harbour under salute from the fortresses, and their felines became too much for them, so that erying and sobbing they clung to each other, while some fainted and had to be carried to their homes.
The next blow to the inhabitants who were Joft_ was the rumour that the banks were closing. The Russo-Chinese Bank w: unable to meet its calls and so closed, hopi to receive a lance remittance from the Harbin branch. This did not arrive, so they obtained Joan from the States bank and had their cash department open for three hours each day, Much arcater consternation wis. how. ever, caused when the States bank' itself closed and departed with its money and staff to" Khabarorsk—only those who ure conversant with Russian business methods realise what a blow this would be. One of the directors of the Russo-Chinese Rank Wad in the first panic rushed off 10 Khabarovsk and he secured rooms there for the bonk end sent urvert messages that, th should came to lain the branch of their the Eventually sammonine wu sift courage he returned to Viadivostock secured three warrens with which to ort the stoff of the hank. its mar books, Startine at six in the mornin tradeing through the snow this was town ta seme bye! house, Ju the moun also had settted to Tone on that d they unloaded the bank's effects and piled themselves and their luggage into the waggons. On the Bank's start reappearing the gone may be better imagined than described It eventually ended in the two parties gor off together, sitting on each other's knee and on boxes and bales, a most amusing and undignified assemblage.
For some days no meat was obtainable and the soldiers were sent out to the outlying islands of Popoff, Askold and Vutjatin bring any cows and horses there might be there and to kill all the deer—Askold alone having some hundreds on it. Putjatin be-Jonged to an old Tientsin resident, the tate Mr. A. D. Startseff, and a clean sweep was made of everything' on it. On the arrival of the carcasses of the deer, they were met by crowds of people on the beach, och laying hold of a launch or shoulder, plying what was asked and running off to their hones with it. Most of the cows were reserved for the muitary but a few fortunate civilians got some for eating purposes at about, 300 roubles apiece.
A few of the staff of the Russo-Chinese Bank remained in Viadivostock to look after the godowns which contained many valuable things sent there by the refugees, and (o transact the most urgent business, but the thing that did more than anything to reduce people to a state of helplessness was the fact that on the 15th, under orders from the Viceroy, the telegraph office was closed indefinitely for receiving telegrams, so that people could not communicate with their relations or friends—a truly paralysing arrangement. The British Vice-Consul hail received the approval of his Government leave with the rest of the British inhabitants for Japan, and most of the British left with him in the Stollberg on the evening of the 16th. On board were the prisoners of war, some Jepanese and 1,500 Chinese—near the mouth of the harbour she ran into some mines that were being law and reversing her screw she only just backed in time to avoid being blown up. She then Kept to the right near Russian Island when a gun was fired to stop her departure: at ~\the same moment she ran on a rock and quivering shock ran through the ship causing much commotion on her crowded decks. She
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.