The record-union., 1895-01-07
Now Very Solicitous That Peace
May be Brought About.
ALL HOPES OF RESISTANCE TO
JAPAN BROKEN DOWN.
1he Fall of Port Arthur Causes the
Flowery Kingdom Government to
Realize That Immediate Action
Toward Peace Was Necessary in
Order to Check the Advance of the
Island Armies Into Her Cherished
Territory.
Special to the RECoRD-UNIoN.

Territory.
Special to the RECoRD-UNIoN.
| SAN FRANCISCO. Jan. 6.-The steam
ship China arrived to-day from Yoko-
hama bringing the following advices:
TOXIC (Japan). Dec. 2l.-All trust
worthy signs now point to a speedy peace
! Events have marched with great rapidity
! in the last two weeks. Tho Chinese
| hopes of resistance have broken down,
and formal offer OF direct negotiation
has been made. Some time ago the Japan
ese Government consented to receive
communications rendered by China
| through agencies of the American Lega-
tions in Peking and Toxic, and Ministers
! Dunn and DENLY have since served as
! mediums for conveying the views of the
contending parties.
Little progress was made until after the
the capture of Port Arthur, when the
! Chinese at last appeared TO realize the
necessity Tor Immediate action, and they
! declared their readiness to appoint rep
| resentatlve OF sufficient rank and TO in
vest him with full powers from the central
Government. The choice of an appropri-
ate place OF meeting remains to be con-
! sldered. The Chinese have designated
one of their own ports, Shanghai, as de-
slraDIe rendezvous, but to this Japan will
! not consent, and considerable time has
been lost in discussing the locality. but
! the movement toward peace is proceed
! ing, however, apparently in good faith
| on the Chinese side and with sincerity
! on the Japanese side.
The Japanese Ministers are thoroughly
aware that the interests OF their country
Will be most worthily served by bringing
| the war to an end with the least possible
delay. The task before them is not an
easy one, for the strong and active mill
tary class is bent upon further conquest
on large scale, and the public feeling is
all IN favor OF lnf1lcting additional pun
| lshment on the enemy and demanding
lnordlnate terms of settlement.
! Until the proper occasion for proclaim
ing an armlstice presents itself the mill
tary operations will continue with an
abated vlgor. Japan will not be tempted
to relax her aggressive energy, nor Will
she he automatically maneuvered out of
any advantages she holds.
General amagata has returned from
| Manchuria, leaving the command of the
nrst army to Lieutenant General Nozu,
| and is now in attendance upon the EN-
| peror at hiroshima. Although uudoubt-
! edly suffering from illness, it is believed
| that the main purpose CT his recall was
to secure his influence IN restraining the
| Intemperate ardor of the military faction
and facilitating the arrangements for an
| early restoration of peace.
| To inquiries whether additional facts
| have been received bearing upon the ex-
! cesseS OF the Japanese soldiers at Port
Arthur, the Government replied that the
| reports are not completed and that it pre-
| fers to wait until full record can be pre-
| pared. However, 1t authorizes the state
| ment that no new discoveries of atrocities
committed by the Chinese or of acts of
treachery which may have incited the
Japanese troops to revengeful violence
! Will lessen in the slightest degree its con-
| domination of misdeeds, which are stain
| upon the national credit and for which
the country was wholly unprepared. The
| Government believes that discipline was
| so thoroughly established In the army
that no conceivable circumstance could
| provoke the troops to disorder, much
less that indulgence in ferocity and cru
! city. 1t has suffered bitter disappoint-
| ment in the discovery that the high
| standard it hoped TO maintain without
| blemish has been forgotten on one occa-
| sion of fierce excitement and passion by
| inen to whom the empire prestige had
| been confined.
Chinese merchants are returning in
! great numbers from their own country
To the Japanese ports and are seeking
registration on the same footing as Japan
| eSe subjects.
On December 9th an immense festival
was held in Toxic to celebrate the cap
! ture OF Port Arthur. With a single ex-
ceptlon this was the only purely popular
demonstration ever attempted in japan
| The hrst was IN honor OF General Grant
during his memorable visit TO the capital
| IN 1879.
| From the army of General Oyama, on
! the Lla-Iung Peninsula, little news of
! importance Is received. On December
/ 9TH the Japanese entered the walled town
| of Foo Chow, on the road 10 New
Chwang, without meeting the resistance
| which had been anticipated. The Japan
| eS9 at once feSum ed the uort N ward ,,,rnl,
and at latest accounts were close upon
hal Ping. large town only thirty miles
| from New Chwang. Wherever the jap
anese flag is raised the inhabitants sig
nlfy their desire to live under its protec-
| ton.
Many of the most prosperous citizens of
| Port Arthur and Kin Chow, on returning
to the homes from which they had tied
during the last days OF Chinese military
cccu patton. have posted signs upon their
walls giving their names and addresses
as residents in the new dominion of
Japan"
Since the beginning of December the
course OF the campaign in Central Man
churla has been completely changed. For
several weeks 1t has been reported that
the advance columns of the first army,
! which at one time had sent out scouting
parties TO within forty miles of Moukden
on the north and New Chwang on the
| southwest, were drawing back toward
! General Iamagata's headquarters at Kiu
Lin. These reports are now confirmed.
and are explained by the appearance on the
| scene OF new unexpected Chinese force.
\ corps OF the army which China perma-
! nently maintains in the Amoor region.
on the border of Siberia was detached
about the middle Of November and sent
| by slow marches in the direction of
| Moukden, with orders to relieve that city
| by attacking the japanese troops believed
TO be on the way thither The new BODY
| of combatants was understood to number
from 10000 to 10, 000, and to be composed
wholly of hardy Tartars
Pnnctually apprised of their intention.
| the Japanese commanders made such dis
position OF their forces as the occasion
| demanded. Major 6 eneral Tatsulni was
sent to Tai Cha Pao, a strategetic point in
| the mountains some twenty miles north
east OF the Molten Pass. Here. on No
vember 18th, he met largely superior
| body of the enemy led by a Tartar CEN
| eral and sharp skirmish scattered the
| newcomers, who lett twenty five dead
| upon the field and a considerable ouan-
tity of arms and ammunition, The Ian
anese loss was two killed and fonr
wounded.
This engagement put stop to the at
tempt OF the Tartars to cooperate with
the Chinese troops at or near Moukden-
! The Tartars continued to advance. turn.
ing their attention, however, from the
original point and southwark, with the