The banks of the river at Sabyang are lined with gunboats in all manner of positions having a good overhauling and some new paint.
Red Sugar is now arriving from Shashi. Coming overland it escapes half-a-dozen likin stations, and although coolie hire is much ments of the fleet, but it is generally understood that out of deference to Russian susceptibilities the visit of the China fleet to the usual summer headquarters was deferred. The fleet had not been here many days when orders were received to keep out of the Pechili gulf. Admiral Sir Gerard Noel obeyed instructions to the letter when he chose Yungehing Bay as the rendezvous—distant about 40 miles. Several reasons were given for this move. Some said that the Russian fleet at Port Arthur was about to break out and surrender here to a neutral Power, and that our ships vacated the harbour to leave room for the Russians. Another report is that Russia protested against the presence of the British fleet here, as being a " moral support" to the Japanese, and, perhaps, open to misconstruction by the Chinese government.
It was understood that the fleet would not return until something decisive happened at Port Arthur. Wo assume that the recent high-handed action of Russian naval commanders towards British ships on the high seas renders it unnecessary to pay any attention to Muscovite suscoptibilities or protests.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.