From an absolutely reliable account of the Japanese attack on Port Arthur on the 8th and 9th of February, an attack which has keen described by the Russians as cowardly and treacherous, because it forestalled an intended surprise attack on Japan by the Russian squadron under Admiral Stark, we learn that on the evening of the 8th the Japanese fleet under Admiral Togo, consisting of six battleships, six first-class cruisers, four second-class cruisers, two dispatch-boats, and eighteen destroyers, was lying some 60 miles from Port Arthur, The destroyers were in five divisions, and it is well to record their names for the benefit of the future historian. The 1st division then comprised the Shirakumo, Asa-suiwo, Kasumi, ant Akatsuki; the second, the Ikadzuchi, Inadzuma, Oboro, and Akebono; the third, the Usugumo, Murakumo, and Sizanami the fourth, the Shinonome, Yugiri, Shiranui, and Kagero; and the tift the Murasame, Hagatori, Asag and Harusame.
The two last divisions were told off to attack any vessel that might be found at Dalny. They got to Talienwan Bay shortly after midnight and searched it thoroughly, but there were no Russian warships there, and the only experience they had before..eturning to their rendezvous was that they underwent a rifle fire from the sentries on one of the forts, It may be mentioned to show the completeness with which, as usual, all the preparations were made, that all the small arms on board the destroyers were loaded, every man of the crew had his havre-sack filled with biscuit and his water-bottle fall, gun spikes were provided, and a Japanese flag with a man to carry it, so that if the boats were so damaged that they had to be beached, the men were to rush the nearest fort and hold i! until they could be relieved.
The first three divisions, eleven destroyers in all, proceeded towards the headland of Liaotishan, at a 13-knot speed, through the darkness and haze, At about 10.30 p.m. two Russian destroyers passed through the Japanese line only 200 yards from the Akatsuki, In the endeavour to avoid being prematurely discovered by the Russians, the Japanese destroyers lost their formation and got all mixed up, and when they got into order again, the second and third divisions had lost touch with the first division, while the Oboro went off on her own accent, The first division, now alone, sighted the lights at the entrance to Port Arthur
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.