I4th July.
The most dramatic account of the recent engagement outside Port Arthur that has so far been published, is contained in the narrative of Lieut.-Commander Hazama, of the destroyer Sh: kuo. little vessel has arrived at Saseho bearing terrible marks of the hot experience through which it passed. It was cruising, early on the morning of the 22nd ult., watching the mouth of Port Arthur, when the Russian fleet unexpectedly emerged. The Shirakumo hastened to inform the picket-ships and then returned to the cruising ground, where it remained unnoticed for some time. On the arrival of the main Japanese fleet, and several torpedo flotillas, the Shirakumo joined an attack on the Novik, which was supported by four Russian destroyers, At this time, however, the Russians retreated, the Japanese torpedoes pursuing them to the harbour mouth, At 8 p.m. the following general order was hoisted on the flagship Mikaza: "Make night attack. The fate of the Empire depends on this action, and we hope: you will exert yourselves to the utmost." There was a bright moon shining, but the dense columns of smoke from the Russian ships obscured the surface of the sea for milos round, and greatly facilitated the night attack. At 8.20 p.m. the flotillas advanced at full speed, against a fire go fierce that it was impossible {to see a distance of more than fifty or sixty yards, owing to the columns of water raised by the enemy's falling shells. For the same cause it was impossible to see what result followed the discharge of the torpedoes. The, engagement was kept up till 3 am, when the moon set, the Shirakumo with the first destroyer flotilla, then made a rush for the Russian battleships. She got separated from the others, and so was able to approach a battleship of the Pobieda type without being perceived, and discharged two torpedoes in quick succession against her. The rest of the narrative may be told in Commander Hazana'sown words: " Porceivi that these torpedoes had effectively tol on the battleships, we raised three shouts of banzai, and were turning the destroyer round, when a shot hit the steering rod and exploded in the officers' quarters. Instantly our destroyer was set on fire, and the whole of the crow worked hard to control it by pouring water from pump and buckets. ' But the blaze afforded, the anomy a target, and shots and shell from the enemy's ships and forts showered on our vessel and greatly harassed our_work in controlling the fire, which burned until all the articles in the officers' quarters were destroyed. During this time the captain stood calmly on the bridge and ordered the course of the destroyer to be changed, which, however, was impossible owing to the fact that the steering gear was damaged. 'The Captain then ordered the crow to run the destroyer against one of the gnemy's ships, Just then another shot hit the deck, causing several casualties. A fourteen' year-old boy, named Kichitaro Okano, who was attached to Captain Assai, Commander of the flotilla, was on board the destroyer, and he fortunately perceived that a shot which had pierced the aft hold was causing a fire.
oung as he was, ho grasped: the gravity of the danger, pluckily put out the fire by smothering it with a blanket, and did not forget to report the matter to the Onptain. This brave four was performed in spite of a bruise he had sustained on the left arm by a fragment of a shell. The shots became thicker and thicker as the destroyer steamed on, and it seemed inevitable that she would sink before she could ram the enemy's ship. The Captain, consequently, ordered the steering gear to be repaired, and to make for the open soa. Happily the repairs to the gear were effected and we retreated, firing our machine guns, By the time we had exhausted our ammunition, we wore out-of the range of the enemy's Tt was at 4.29 a.m, When we joined the main floot, we found there our torpedo destroyers and boats, which we dolioved had gone to the bottom."
Another story of gallantry which has just boon brought to light by the "Japan Timos," takes us back to the sinking of the Hatsuse. Above 500 metres behind the ill-fated battleship, was the torpodogunboat Tatsuta, which picked up 200 mon from the Hatsuso including Admiral Nashiwa. No sooner had the Admiral boarded the gunboat than ho strode up to the bridge and resumed charge of the squadron. The Tatsuta subsequently joined in the pursuit of the Russian torpedo boats which wore soon after the disaster, and opened a heavy fire on them, but, the latter having soon that theirrotroat might be cut off, steamed rapidly away and made the harbour.
the Moscow correspondent of the "Standard" writes:—The letters of Russian correspondents at the front are now coming in, and although thoro is naturally a tendency to give predominance to minor affrays in which the Russian proved victorious, there is much of general interest in the accounts. Thus the accounts given by Russians who wore captured by the Japanese at the Yalu fight and after recovering from their wounds managed to escape, give high praise to the culture, humanity, and generosity of their foos.° "The Japanese," says one account, "treated us 80 well that there is every possibility of a close friendship following upon our enmity, as was the case with the French after Sebastopol. Japanese doctors. tended our wounded equally with their own, in return for which Russian doctors taken prisoners readily attended to the Japanese, As for food, the Japanese at
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.