9th August.
Port Arthur still remains the most interesting war-contre as far as the public is concerned, though the news of its fall, which is now daily expected, may not be so completely advantageous to the Japanese as is commonly supposed. While it remains untaken, but helpless, it at least serves to distract the Russian Commander-in-Chief in his general plan of campaign, and although it is Impracticable now to send another army to its relief, the fact that it still flies the Russian flag has to be reckoned with by General Kuropatkin. 'The indications are, however, that he will not be troubled with' this disturbing influence beyond the end of the present week. Prophesying in an unprofitable business, but the precision with which the Japanese have hitherto carried out their plans as previously arranged, gives interest at least to the frequently expressed conviction that from the 10th to the 12th August would see the grand assault on the Russiai stronghold.—Non-combatants continue to escape as frequently as they can, and the recent action of the torpedo-boats appears to indicate an attempt on the part of some at least of the combat tants to follow their example.
Meantime the Japan Daily Herald" has been drawing attention to the big stakes in naval fighting material, for which, among other things, Admiral Togo has been fighting. On the 8th February, there were sixty-eight: effective naval units in the Pacific between Vladivostock and Shanghai. There were seven first-class battleships, four first-class: armonred cruisers, five first-class. protected cruisers, two protected second-class cruisers, three other smaller cruisers, seven gunboats, three mino transports or mine-sowers, two torpedo cruisers, thir-toon torpedo-boat destroyers of the B and V types, twelve torpedo-boat destroyers of the (Sokol) and R types, and ten torpedo-boats of the 200 class. The minimum value of the seven first-class battleships, with their armaments and equipment, was 103,600,000 roubles (£11,023,040); the minimum combined value of the eleven armoured and first and second class protected cruisers was,000 roubles (£9,580,000); and the mum value of the remaining effective ships, numbering 55, 87,400,000 roubles (£9,300,000). The total ' value was 279,250,000 roubles (£29,903,000).. No account is here taken of Government harbour vessels, regular military transports, Volunteer Fleet transports tually flying the Russian naval Volunteer Fleet transports in the vicinity of the zone of hostilities on the 8th February, or vessels of the subsidised Chinese Eastern (Manchurian) Company, or private Russian shipping companies plying on that date in the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.