It is reported from Haichéng to the effect that there are something like one hundred thousand Russians and that along the Ul nese side of the Yalu river at every three four miles there are forts bristling with guns to dispute the crossing of the river by Japanese. The city of Fénghuangchén; is now almost entirely deserted by the inhabitants, forced to go away in order to make room' for the Russian. troops who are also filling a large number of houses in that city with coresls and ammunition.
General Ma Vu-Kun, commanding the Chinese forces west of the Liao river, in a report to the Throne other day states that prior to the arriv his troops outside Shanhaikuan, inhabitants living west. of the Lixo river were more or less panic-stricken owing to the hostilities between Japan and Russia. Since his arrival there and the arrangements made for the enforcing of Chinese neutrality, the people are becoming calmer, especially as his troops are constantly patrolling along the river banks in strong force to prevent irruptions of roving bands wf Russian Enforcing Neutral Regulation:
Northern dispatch reports the seiave by the Chinese authorities at Chinwangta. of sixteen junks laden with cereals, sweet potatoes arid cabbage on the point of sailing for Port Arthur. The cargo was conf'scated. At Tientsin, also, a certain Rus Sian lady who desired to'take with her by rail from that port to Manchuria, no less than fifty bogs of flour found that, she could not [do so, the railway authorities refusing to transport the cargo on the ground that it was contraband of war.
Chinese Uniforms for Russian soldiers.
It is reported from Newchwang that, the Russian authorities there are making a large number of Chinese soldiers' uniforms and flags for the purpose, it is suid, of clutiins enlisted Chinese banditti and Cossacks in proportion of one thousand bandits to six hundred Cossacks. The intention of the Russian military authorities, it is believed, is to spring their Chinese-uniformed trop3 upon the Japanese whenever occasion offers, s0 as to cause confusion during critical tumes of a battle between the belligerent armies.
5th April:
Russians in Manchuria, It is reported at Peking that among the numerous leigh handed demands made by Russians upon Tseng Chi, the Tater General of Lower Manchuria, and his colleague Ting Chih, the Civil Governor, wus that of right to control and direst the movements of the Chinese troops in that, province, of whom there are about 10,000, all told. The Tartar General with his usual tind and abject fear of the Russians was willing firmly OP by the Civil Governor, 50 to grant even this, but the demand was
that, so far, the troops ure still an independent unit under their own officers' control.
'The Waiwupu have received a dispatch from M. Lessar, the Russian Minister, asking that the entire con trol of the Government of the Manchuria' provinces be temporarily (sic) given to the Russian officials ther in order to enable the latter to have the utmost freedom fu dealing with the numerous mountd banditti now overspreding Manchuria, who have shown great hostility against the stus-ian forces operating there and have ben using great inconvenience to them. ai consent to this demand—diploniatically couch a4 a request—by the Chinese Government, the Russian Minister asks the former what they intend to do in dealing with the vexed question, and "a reply 1s earnestly desiied for the information of the Russian. military authorities in Manchuria." Evidently cho Russians are finding the Hunyhuts banditti a. troublesome thorn in their side and it is stated that the hostility. of these dashing Chinese rowe! riders, by the way mostly natives of Uhilili and Shantung with only a mere spring of M against the invaders tempting offers and promis to do what please in t! country so. Jong as they he Ip the Russians, the Hinghutse have so far rejected all offers of friendship from the Muscovites. Hen the cause of M. Lessar's dispatch to Waiwupu.
A Dispatch from Moukden orts that both the Tartar General ('T<ér Chi) and the Civil Governor, (Ting Chie} of Lower Manchuria (Féngtien} are now practically imprisoned in their respexive yamens by the Russians, who place strony guards around the two places in order prevent the two mandarins from coi municating with their adherents outside and versa. The dispatch further states th: Moukden is now surrounded by a lo of newly constructed forts strongly gorrisone by Russians and bristling with artillers.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.