It is reported from Seoul that a draft convention between France and Corea with regard to the propagation of the Roman Catholic religion in the peninsula is awaiting the signature of the parties concerned. The draft provides, among other things, that the Catholic missionaries shall not purchase land or establish churches thereon without permission from the Corean authorities, and that the missionaries shall not be allowed to inter-fore with the legal cases brought before the native Courts for trial.
'A Seoul dispatch of the 3rd_ in: reports that Yi Pom-chin, Corean Mi ter to Ru who recently withdrew from St. Petersburg to Berlin, again returned to the Russian capital towards the ond.of May, owing to some unexplained reason, 10th Juno.
The Military Situation.
Wo received word of the occupation of Saimachi on the 7th and of Heiuyon on the 8th inst, In the two skirmi near Tungyienfu, about fifteen miles south of Lienshankuan the Japanese were also victorious. These successes have apparently rendered impracticable General Kuropatkin's movement southward, to the relief of Port Arthur. Some critics here suggest that the clamour for such a movement to save Russian prestige at home, is intended also to maintain the quotations of her securities on the Continent.
The work of clearing Talienwan Bay has been going on satisfactorily. Warships are not now used for these operation, but other; vessols have replaced them. The repeated reconnaissances in force of Port Arthur have led to important results, which, however, I am forbidden to disclose explicitly.
The Taking of Kinchou "Castle."
The hospital ship Yokohama Mara arrived at Moji on the 8th inst., havin, on board a number of wounded officers and men of the Tokio Division, who fought at Nanshan and Nankuanling. They have given interesting accounts of the fighting. At 6 p.m. on the 25th May the order to attack Nanshan was issued and the Tokio (First) Division advanced on the northern heights of Kinchou while the Osaka (Fourth) Division made a night attack on Kinchou castle. The Japanese movements were harassed both by heavy lightning, which was prevailing at the time, and the Russian reconnaissance by means of search-lights and rockets. The Fourth Division, which arranged to occupy the castle by dawn on the 26th, starting operations at midnight, was obliged to weaken its attack, as. bullets from Japanese reinforcements fell in front and to the rear of that Division owing to the darkness. It was at this time that a section of the 4th Enginoering Battalion approached the castle gate in order to blow it up, but they were killed by the Russians. On the following morning, when a regiment of the First Division succeeded in entering the castle, the bodies of the unfortunate soldiers were found in a horrible condition, being flayed. The successful force was the First Regiment of the Division (Tokio) which sent the four ongineers ito the eastern gate of the Kinchou Castle. The Tokio engineers this time accomplished their task under. the enemy's fire but sustained injury from the explosion, there being no time to withdraw. Thereupon the whole troops of the First Regiment made their way into the castle at double-march, causing the enemy to retreat from the southern gate. Enthusiastic cheers of " Banzai" shook the castle of Kinchou at 6.30 a.m.
The Fourth Division forced a portion of the retreating enemy, about 500 strong, into the Kinchou Bay and almost annihilated them, though they. offered nce to the Japanese with only their heads above the water.
Heroism.
It may be also noted that on the ocean sion of the attack on Nanshan the 3rd Regiment. of the First Division selected those soldiers who wore to be commissioned to set off the enemy's mines in advance of the charging forces. Every man in the Regiment was an enthusiastic applicant for this deadly task, thus rivalling the brave men who volunteered for the blocking crews in the Navy. Eventually five men were picked from each company and they pushed forwards through the uncovered field amidst the enemy's hot fire, Though they, of course, wore killed or wounded, fortunately no was exploded, the dangerous lines havi 8 been cut by the Japanese artillery fire.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.