18th May. precise geographical position of Port Arthur is "known to every schoolboy " by this time. Newchwang. and Dalny have long been household words, and the Liao River has become a spot for not a few mental meanderings. But in order to be prepared for the probable course of events in the near future, it is necessary to understand something of the physiography of the inland region north-east of Newchwang, The Russian troops have been driven out of Fénghuangcheng (Phoenix City), about. forty miles northwest of the mouth of the Yalu, and have retired from Newchwang. From both these cities they have retreated toward Liaoyang, which is situate at the apex of a A, as regards the two cities, Liaoyang has become the great Russian rendezvous, second in importance only to Harbin. But before the Japanese are likely to reach that point, they will have to fight their way northwards from the region of Haicheng Haichéng means Sea-city, just as Shanghai means Super-mare. Like Shanghai, the term Haichéng is an interesting instance of the Chinese nomenclature of " thereabouts." Like Shanghai, it is situate on the tr-butary of a river which flows into th" sea, but instead of being fourteen miles away, it is a full forty from the coast. There is, however, a tradition that in the T'ang dynasty, the sea penetrated to its very walls, and hence the name of the city, But the point which concerns the student of the situation is the fact that between Haichéng and Liaoyang is a flat country broken only by low hillocks called Saddles (Anshan). The Japanese land operations have hitherto been conducted amid hilly country, and "their difficulties on land are just beginning," as a resident. in Mukden, familiar with the region, lately assured us. They are wow leaving the hills northwest of Fénghnanghéng, by wha* is called the "northern road," and must soon emerge on to t'e plain,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.