Owing to the supervision of the telegraphs leading from Moukden into Shanhaikuan by the Russians, thereby rendering the dispatch of important telegrams between Moukden and Peking and vice verse constantly liable to be tampered with, the Chinese Government are using couriers riding on swift ponies to carry dispatches. The couriers do not travel on the high roads and so escape detention by Russian patrols and this is how the Peking Government manages at present to find out what the Russians are doing in Manchuria.
Reported French Movements at Lungehou.
The "Universal Gazette" published the following yesterday:—Our Peking correspondent telegraphs that Commissioner Caéng, commanding a brigade of foreign-modelled Hupeh troops stationed near the treaty port of Lungchou, Kuangsi province, repens the arrival at Lungchou of a body of French troops with the evident object of staying there. Commissioner Cheng has asked the Government for instructions, but none have as yet been given.
18th April.
Russian Proceedings in Moukden.
'The "Sinwénpao" has the following which we translate:—A letter from North Chinchou (outside Shanhaikuan) dated the 12th inst., states that the Russian military authorities have demanded from the Tartar General at Moukden (Tseng Eh') that all Chinese troops now in the Manchurian provinces shall be sent without delay inside the neutral Tine west of the Lino river or if this bbe not done that the troops be disarmed and their arms and ammunition handed over to the Russians, Naturally the timorous Tartar General tried his utmost to get the Muscovite demand modified, but to no avail. When the Russians found that their demand was unheeded they took the law into their own hands and started by first disarming any Chinese soldiers found on the streets and soon will visit the Chinese-camps with the sume object. Indeed at Liaoyang and Haicheng a general disarmament of the Chinese military police there has already begun, while on the 11th instant as a detachment of the Tartar Genern!'s -body guards was leaving the city gates for the pur pose of searching for a body of bandits in the suburbs they were suddenly surrounded by a regiment of Russians and speedily dispossessed of their arms and accoutrements.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.