18th August. The Russian Destroyer, Reschitjelnij, which fled to Chefoo on the 11th inst., from Port Arthur, is reported from Chefoo to have brought over, amongst others, the wife of General Stoessel, the Russian Commandant of Port Arthur, It is further reported that the destroyer was really trying to get to Tsingtao, but was prevented by the serious damages she had received from some of the Japanese blockading fleet off Port Arthur when making the dash for liberty. The Russian Forces around Linoyang, commanded by General Kuropatkin in person, according to advices received by the authorities of the Peiyang Administration, numbered on the Oth inst., 175,000 men, composed of all three arms with ninety-six field, eighteen mountain, and thirty-four machine guns. Of this large number of men nearly 13,000 are in hospital, or so ill that their fighting value is a negligible quantity. About 60,000, however, are fresh from European' Russia and in good spirits, while the balance of the troops is com: posed of men of the Siberian Army who have been beaten again and again by the Tapanse, tasted the quality of the terrible Shimose powder, and are practically down on their luck and entirely dispirited.
The Denunciation of the Exclusion Act.
With reference to the denunciation inthe early part of this year, as chronicled in these "Notes" at the time, by H. E. Sir Chontung Liang Cheng, K.O.M.G. Chinese Minister at Washington, of the Chinese Exclusion Act of the United States, which ceases and determines at the end of this year (after operating for twenty years), a Peking dispatch states that it is possible that the Imperial Government will send 4. E. Wu Ting-fang to the United States as special Commissioner to confer, in conjunction with Sir Liang Cheng, with the United States Government regarding a now treaty.
Prince Pu Liu The local mandarins received a telegram yesterday from Hongkong stating that his highness Prince Pu Lun, Chinese Chief Commissioner to. the St. Louis Exposition, loft Hongkong for Shanghai yesterday en route for Tientsin.
15th August. Increase of Briga' hai District.
A raid by banditti, numbering over thirty men, fully armed with carbines, revolvers and swords, occurred on Friday night (12th inst.) at a place called Ch'énchiatu, a few miles west of Jessfield and in the vicinity of the Sun God temple. The bandits broke into a wealthy cotton yarn hong, called Yih Chang-t'ai, and compelled the inmates to give up nearly $2,000 which had been brought from Shanghai to pay for raw cotton purchased the day before from the cotton growers in that vicinity. It is surmised that the spies of the bandits in Shanghai learning of the destination of the treasure informed their fellow bandits with the above result. Besides the money the bandits carried off several hundred dollars' worth of clothing, watches and jewelry. The country people living near the cotton yarn hong tried to call the attention of two gun, or guard, boats lying, a short way down the Soochow Creek, by beating gongs, but the crew strangely paid no attention to them, allowing the robbers to leave the place unmolested. On the same night a family living in the same western district, at the western end of Taku Road, was also visited by armed desperadoes, who carried of a quantity of jewellery and clothes. They are suspected of belonging to the same band whose exploits have been noted above.
Many of the Native Shops on the Maloo hung out their national flag yesterday, a report having been received that Prince Pu Lun, the Chinese Chief Commissioner to the St. Louis Exposition, would arrive in town from Hongkong, en route for Peking. The Bureau of Foreign Affairs, on the Bubbling Well Road, has been prepared for the Prince's reception.
The Canton-Hankow Railway.
'A Peking dispatch states that thanks to the energy and diplomatic ability of H.E. Sir Chéntung Liang Cheng, K.C.M.G., Chinese Minister at Washington, the U.S. Government have consented see about the entire withdrawal of Belgian capital, as well as Belgian management, from the Yteh-Han, or Canton-Hankow Railway.
The Regulations for the Registration of Trade Marks, drawn up by Sir Robert Hart, have been made the subject of a special memorial by the Shangpu to the Throne and the Imperial sanction is expected almost immediately.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.