17th September.
From the mass of reports more or less sectional and confused in regard to the fighting at Livoyang it is possible to extract with some clearness the general nature of the series of enzayements and the approximate result. Liawyany was not the finally crushing blow delivered at the Russians, which it was first imagined to be; still loss was it a Russian success in any sense of the term. It was a desperately-tough' succession of actions between forces nearly in number, Dut with all the advantages of strongly fortified positions "ud freshness of troops on the part of the def riders. There can be little question that the intention of General Kuropatkin was to hold Linoyang and make it the turning point in the war to which he has been bidding us look forward patiently. The impetuous irresistible. onslaughts of the Japanese made the capture of the place certain avd the Russian Commander-in-Chief then mide ths best of his defeat by effecting whut even his opponents declare tohave een " musterly executed re-rear before =n enemy too exh. sted to p ess mak the victory right home, General parkin's army survives in great part to fight avotier day, but Lisoyany can give the Russians no hope that they will be more suecessfal when that "'other day" arrives than they have been already.
In spite of the accounts sent home by their war correspondents who have their own quarrel to settle with the Japanese, who have unfortunately allow-d their prejudices to outweigh their judement, the leading journals of Europe and Americ: would appear to have formed a very fair impression of the Sight and of its importance in the war. Summaries of English pinions have "already appeared in our columns. 'The '*N-w York Sun" ma' one highly pertinent remark which here be quoted, Io is that " whereas in Japan the arts of peace have progressed side by side with the art of war, in Kussia the former have been neglected, and as a result the art of war itself ba nov attained degrees of progress necessary for ensure ing ssu-cess in war. Had Russia possessed the freedom of education, the freedom of the Press and other liberal institutions which Japan has possessed for thirty years, Russia's "Army and Navy would have acquitted themselves bert-r tian they have done."
the inexhanstibls resources of Russia are still a last rest with those who cannot bring themselves: to believe in the possibility of her vefent at the hands of an Asiatic power. But these foreigners' forget that Japan has very big reserves yet draw upon, and that she has the immense advantage of being able to make use of those rosery s, whereas " great pari of Russia's army, like her navy, is l-cked up uselessly in Europe. The " Kokumin" ponts out that there is yet in Japan an army of serviceable men, who, with those in the field, will namber between 890,000 1,'00,000, which can be quickly ed, so that it is impossible for la to outuuwber the Japanese. Other advantages of the Japanese are the absolute unanimity: of the national mind and purpose and the geographic: position. 'These of Japen, will greatly augment the fighting expacity in this connection it may be ment that the raising of some eigh' division form the Firs National Army has already been commenced and it' is anticipated by well-informed judges that in something under a month this will place some 120,000 more men at the disposal of Marshal Oyama. The men are newtly all time-expired veterans between the ages of thirty-two and forty, men thereto e tried and experienced in the art of warfare.
'There is much being printed abo it Port Arthur bat the real news, such as it is, that has leaked out con be' put into a few lines There is a well-defined impression abroad that th" next veneral assault will not take place till about five or six days hence. The three divisions which have bern attacking the forts on he land sida have suffered very severely. especially the eleventh division on the Diluy side. One regiment of artillery in the ninth division which has been engaging the centra! positions lost every officer it possessed and this has not been a solitary instance. But the vim and enthusiasm of the attackers remain unabated. Witness the followin story which reaches us on good authority of ths manner in which the Vanluugshan fort was captured. Que on-commissioned officer uni two men crept up to the entrenchments and thew into them several explosive mines which wrought such destruction that th> Russians were obliged to abandon the fort and the Japanese (auk possession. reduced its size for a time has resumed its usual appearance. The temporary alter tion was due, it is said, to damage 10 the printing press ca ised by a Japanese shell, ing necessary the use of a smaller press till that ordinarily employed could be repaired. Copies of the japer make their way aer 8:10 Chefoo with fair r gularity by means of ju k-, but the severe cen-or-ship to which the conte ts are evidently subject, reduces the ne-s for the most part record of unimp~rtant. in-idants, und petty fighting, which is practically unintelligible outside the fortress, In front of the port the patrol for acme time has been maintained chiefly by second-class ships while the battle. ships and fir t-class cruisers have been taking a well-euned rest after their arduous services. Althouh the bombardment has been practically in cevsition f-r a time the blockade has been well kept, us the capture of many junks laden with' food has proved. Accorling to the "Japan Times," it is reported that the recent capture of a junk by the war-vessels blockading Port Arthur led to the discovery of ametho! used by the Russians in communicating with the outside world. Le'ters ure wrappe! in oiled paper, then enclosed in a tin roll, and fastened to the keel ofa junk. After this disowvery, all suspicious junks are now strictly examined.
20th September.
The Gremiastchy, which is reported sunk by a mine at Port Arthur was a sister ship of the Otvajoy, which lately meta similar fate. Both vessels were well known in Shanghai in the peaceful days before the 9th of February. They were launched together on the 19th of May 1802 from the Baltic Works, St. Petersburg, and belonged to the type known as coast defence ironclad. Their displacement was 1,492 tons and indicated horse power 2,000=13.5 knots. They carried each a 9-in. breechloader forward, a 6-in, breechloader aft, ton small quickfirers and two torpedo tubes.
The unfortunate "Novi Kral" had scarcely recovered from the effects of the Japanese shell which disturbed its machinery when a more effectual bomb—in the shape of an order from General Stessel—stopped its publication altogether. This jooms unkind and uncalled-for, though we can imagine that the diminished and hard-worked garrison can have little spare time for newspaper reading, Wo take the following mysterious paragraph from the Newchwang correspond. ence of the "China Times:" " Near Hsinmintun, on the east bank of the Liao, a body of Russian troops, about 8,000 strong, has been encamped for some time. They are said to be travel-worn and weary—wearing nondescript motley garments and grateful for any scraps of food supplied by the native villagers. Just what they are there to do isa mystery. Some think their business ay be to control the river traffic and prevent the beans coming here to the Japanose—others that they may be looking after the brigands—but anyhow they themselves are in a parlous state."
The German mail which arrived on Sunday brought the full accounts of the Reschitchelnij incident as they were wired home from Chefoo at the time. The special correspondent of the "Daily Telegraph" (Mr. Lawton) was out in his launch in the harbour at Lam. on the 12th August, when the two Japanese dlestroyers creptin without lights, rounding the northern promontory. One of them anchored and showed single light. Mr. Lawton's. account continues proceeded to a spot a hundred yards away from her, but my launch was ordered off.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.