19th March.
The news we gave before as coming fiom some of the officers of the three Norwegian steamers which arrived here on Wednesday is confirmed by farther enquiries. The damage done by the Japanese shells is alluded to almost con. temptuously, but on the other hand it admitted; that!'some two hundred people have been killed there altogether. All the men-of-war that were slightly damaged are reported patched up and the Pallada has been repaired in the only dock, The Tsarevitch and Retvizan, however, are too large for this dock, and it is now proposed to get them into the East Basin, fulup the entrancoto the basin, and pump it out; a "large order," but pumps for the purpose have been brought from Harbin and Vladivostock. The only fear is that the sides of the basin, on which an enormous quantity of coal is stored, may slip in when the water is pumped out. There is likely to be a good deal of leakage too, as there is already in the dock.
It has alrendy been reported that one of the Japanese stone-hulks was sunk on the left side of the entrance to the har-hour, close to where the Retvizan lay beached. The Russians have now sunk two Chinese Eastern Railwaysteamers, the Hailar and Harbin, in a line north-eastward from the Japanese steamer in order to narrow the mouth of the harbour. Another steamer was tobe sunk on the other side of the entrance, so that only a very narrow channel would be left, which is to be so protected with mines, and possibly a boom, that there may be no more fear of Japanese torpedo-boats getting into the harbour again at night.
Generally it' is stated that there is plenty of food and ammunition in Port Arthur, and no apparent apprehension there that it will have to be evacuated.
Dalny is now-so well protected by mines that there is no fear of the enemy being able to reach the harbour.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.