20th May.
A few notes supplementary to those contained in our Tokio correspondent's letter may be added from the papers to band by the mail. A particularly interesting story in connection with the sealing of Port Arthur comes from the "Japan Daily Mail."
'A Chinese subject, connected with the Port, Arthur dock, who left the place on the 4th instant, reports that on the night of the Qnd-3rd he was in the dock buildings as usual when, at 1 a.m., he heed the sound of cannon. 'Ascending a height, he observed three steamers making for the mouth of the harbour. The foremost struck the boom, and almost immediately an elec-trio mine' was fired from the shore. It seemed to strike the vessel. Her head came round suddenly to the west and she sank, almost touching the boom. The two next were swept round in a similar manner by the wave of the explosion, and were sunk in a line with the first, the three going down between the middle of the channel and the Tiger's Tail spit. Part of the boom seemed to be fractured by the mine. Two other steamers made their way inside the boom. One of them went ashore on the Tiger's Tail spit, and sank, heading north. The other sank on the side of the Golden Hill Fort between the two vessels which had first gone down and nearly parallel to the boom. Of the remaining steamers, two went down outside the harbour to the cast of the Tiger's Tail Spit, and another sank on the south of Golden Hill. The result of this blocking operation was to render the channel of exit so narrow and so intricate that not even a torpedo-best could navigate it. The twelve men forming the crew of the Golden Hill vessel all fought fiercely until they were killed. Judging from the number of corpses floating the next morning in the harbour, it would seem that the crews of the three vessels which went down at the boom were all lost. Those that were soved ore said to have belonged to the vessels which went down outside. This was the most fearful fight witnessed since the beginning.
Another story of desnernte fighting comes from the "Kobe Ubronicle." This time it concerned the battle at Kiulienchéng. Ati an early stage in the operations the main body of Russians were almost completely surrounded and had only one avenue of es-cane which three companies. the fifth, tenth and eleventh of the second battalion of the Baroda Reviment were sent to hold.
Retreating before the Tmnerial Guards and Second Divisions, the Russians, on discovering that their further retreat beyond Kobakuto was cut off, apparently" decided Yo make a-last stand, if they could-not: break way. These appear to have been ata disadvantage, having not' a'single -piece of "The three companies heroic stand. For three hours fire, answered by the Japanese ride fire}: tinued. 'At length the Japanese ran': of ammunition. "The Russians were" about ten times as strong as the the history of warfare. The Ji vanced at the double, when suddenly from behind a hill a body of Cossick cavalry rushed upon them with lances set. A terrible encounter ensued, witnessed by the main Russian force, in' which' the Cossack lance was pitted against the Jepanese 'The, flash gud. crash "of the weapons, followed by the frightful confusion of falling men and horses, was' waldhed by the Russians, unable to fire because their gyn mon were mised up i the hléa The three companies fought to desperation, an¢ was. impossible, to' have predicted. the rosult of the battle if the Japanese lidd not, been reinforced. The second company of the Fujimuro Regiment of Artillery went to the rescue, upon which the retired in great i disorder.
The "Kobe Herald" contains the following concerning a much discussed incident.
An official dispatch to the Foreign Depart meat states that on the 6th inst, when the Japanese troops approached Palanten, 'a train was seen coming from Port Arthur at full speed. - There was nothing about the train to indicate that it was engaged in Red Cross work. On the contrary the. men on board the train opened fire on the Japanese as soon as they came within sight. The Japanese force returned fire, and then the train came to a standstill, hoisting a Red Cross flag. The Japanese immediately stop. ped firing and moved forward to inspect the train, They had not gone far, however, when the train was seen to be moving and a few seconds later it dashed northward fall speed." The paper to comment strongly on the "abuse of the red
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.