The record-union., 1895-02-18

mediate steps to Prevent the -
portatfon OF American Dead CGa ie.
Special to the RECoRD-UNIoN.
YOKOHAMA, Feb. I7.-An official is-
patch from Wei Hal Wei bearing date of
February 18th was received, here. 1t
states that in response to the offer made
by Admiral Ting, the Chinese naval COM
mander, to surrender his vessels on the
condluons OF amnesty We're granted.
Admiral ltO commander of the Japanese
forces, demanded that the naval stores be
turned over this Wednesday, morning.
4he messenger who conveyed this de-
mand returned to Admiral Ito and in
formed him that Admiral Ting had COM
mltted suicide on the night of February
Eth, and that his responsibility had been
transferred to Captain Mcclure, formerly
the Captain of British merchant vessel,
VINO had been appointed by the Chinese
Government as assistant to Admiral
ing. Admiral Ito, at the time the dis
patch was sent, was Conferring with Cap
tain Mcclure
A dispatch dated February I4th from
fleIu Marshal Oyama, who is in COM
w el hal WEI, announces that the Cap
TAIN surrendered the Chinese on land
and sea. He also announces that Admiral
ing and two other officers committed
suicide after addressing a letter to the
Japanese flagship accepting the Japanese
demands. The Chinese soldiers in the
garrison IN the forts of the island OF Liu
hang Lao, the last OF the deteuses Of Wei
11ai W Ell to hold out against the Japanese.
ana the sailors of the fleet were to be
taken TO the Japanese lines and liberated,
Whlle the captured officers and the
foreigners VIII be conveyed away by
snip before they are given their liberty.
n dispatch from General NOdzu, COM
mander of the First Japanese army in
ManchurIa, dated February IT, says that
lo,OOO Chinese with twelve guns, attacked
hal Cheng from Lao Yang New Chang
ana Chinoa roads. They were repulsed,
leaving over one hundred dead. The
Japanese loss was five killed or wounded.
ADVICEs FROM ADMIRAL. CARPENTER.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 1.-The Secretary
OF the Navy to-day received the following
dispatch from Admiral Carpenter, COM
mandlng the Asiatic squadron:
CHE Foo, Feb. l6.-The Chinese fleet
and the Chinese islands forts of Wei Hal
Wei, China have surrendered. The Chi
nese Admiral and the Chinese Generals
committed suicide. Have sent the United
States steamship Charleston 10 watch the
movements.
MERITS OF BATTLESHIPS.
WASHINGToN, Feb. 1.-THE Japanese
seem to nave solved for themselves the
question as to the relative merits of the
| battleshlps and the cruisers, which Is
now agitating Congress in connection
with the proposition to provide Tor the
construction of three new batUleships.
NhlIe their cruisers, owing to superior
strategy III their management and great
| warlness In attack, supplemented bV the
indispensable torpedo boat fleet, have
managed to obtain victories over the Chi
nese tleet III two cases, the batUleships of
the Chinese, even with inferior manage.
ment and personnel, have given such
good account OF themselves as to make il
apparent TO the Japanese that if ever Lhev
hope to meet another naval power i'll
combat with chance of success, they must
themselves possess some OF the great
battleships. 1t is regarded as a foregone
conclusion that they will acquire the
Chen Auen and Ting Huen (if the latter
can be raised) by conquest
But the Japanese Government is not
content TO rest there, for advices received
by the Navy Department show that they
have placed contracts for building two
great ships that will exceed the best of
our own ships III offensive and defensive
powers. The battie-ships will be of l.. 80
tons displacement, 80 feet long by y feet
DSdiHs An afIlOf plaLe eighteen. inches
thick will extend for 226 feet along the
sides over the vitals OF the ship, which
will be propelled by the engines of II,UOO
horse power, and carry two twelve-inch
guns, ten siX-inch guns and great num-
Der of smaller machine guns. 1t will re-
quire fully 5000 tons of nicllel-steel Har-
VeyiZed armor for these ships and these
last requirements. The Japanese Gov
ernment indicates how quickly their
naval officers profit and adopt the very
latest discoveries in naval construction,
for it is only very recently that the
United States developed this process OF
treating armor so as to add 30 per cent. to
its resisting power.
CHINA's PEACE ENVOY.
LONDON, Feb. IA dispatch to the
Times from TienTsin says that Lii Hung
Chang, who has been appointed peace
envoy to Japan, will go to Pekin on
February Dist To confer with the EN-
peror. He will return to TIen-Tsin in
two weeks, and will then proceed to
Kobe.