The Shanghai harbour assumed an ominous appearance of readiness for warfare yesterday. All the way from the strange-looking Nantao blockade to Woosung, Japanese destroyers wore stationed at intervals of about one mille, "Even beyond Woosung. three Japanese destroyers were stationed, While more men-of-war patrolled mouth of the Yangtze keeping a close watch on the channels leading out fo sea, Sharply at 4 o'clock the Japanese dlostroyer at the Naval buoy was se clearing. for action—the same. time that shelling began between Japanese ud Chinese forees in Chapel behind the Japanese barracks in' Hongkew. Ammunition was brought up for the uns, all railings on decks were torn down, canvas coverings pulled off the guns,'and all superfluous gear on the decks went below as the crews hurried to their stations, Merchant vessels seonted to creep about timidly, under the threat of an imposing array of naval strength, There was comparatively. little merchant trame, owing to the fact that all comunfeation betwoon Shang-al and river ports was suspended.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.