The Hawaiian gazette., 1904-12-02

fortress it is many times stronger than
Plevna. and has the additional advan-
tage of strong permanent forts. You
must remember that at Plevna the Rus
SLAMS lost nearly 10000 men by their
various assaults and then they, had to
sit down and wait until the Tyfks came
out. This will not take place with Port
Arthur. The IaDanese will take it; they
will not sit down. 1t is now simply a
matter of sappng, which may take a
long or short period, but the final fall
of the fortress is absolutely inevitable"
Asked to give his opinion as to the
probable date of the fall, Mr.. Villiers
said no layman could have foundation
for any estimate and he certainly, could
not express an opinion.
On the matter of the advance of
winter, the eminent war correspondent
said he did not think the winter would
affect the Japanese army very much, be-
cause they were well provided for The
neiRhborhood of Port Arthur was a
district where the men could be easily
sheltered bv means of burrowng in the
ground, which would make them snug
and comfortable.
THE USAGES OF WAR.
AS there have been occasional stories
of breaches of the laws of war, the in
terviewer nut some queries on these sub
jects. Mr.. Villiers said: 81 have seen
no dum-dum bullets. | have seen many
Russian bullets, but none OF them were
dum-dums. | know of no instances of
the white flag being abused and as far
as the Japanese are concerned my own
experience has been that they show the
greatest courtesy and kindness towards
their prisoners. heard OF some charges
of Russians killing the wounded, but
was unable to verify them. The Japa-
neSe hospitals are fitted with most COM
plete appliances. Considering the ire
mendous strain on the hospital service,
] think the work accomplished most
remarkable. Many of the hospitals are
close to the firing lines, In one or two
instances they have been struck by
Shells but | do not think il was done
Intentionally. The Japanese are remark
able for keeping uD to the front, as close
as possible to the enemy"
On the general question of the military
situation outside Port Arthur, Mr.. Vii
liers said lie had nothing but praise.
Il saw nothing done that was not in
full accordance with the best tactical
methods. War is of course very large
ly game of chance, but the Japanese
have done all that is possible to ensure
victory and the generalshp leaves
nothing to be desired. The Japanese
have broken through the outer chain of
forts in several places and are close up
to the inner line They have captured
Russian forts, and in some instances are
using the guns contained i'll then. work
ing them with ammunition they have
also captured Considering the wonder
full strength of Port Arthur | know OF
no army that could have done more
than the Japanese i'll the same time If
the outside world could see Port Arthur
and the enormous strength of the posi-
lions. they would be amazed that the
Japanese have accomplished as much as
they have succeeded in doing"
WHAT THE RUSSIANS THOUGHT
Have you had any opportunities OF
getting any expression OF Russian opin-
ion?" was a question that launched
Mr.. Villers on a description of an in
| terview with two Russians captured
| just before he came away. "They, in
| their ignorance" he said, Imagined
that the Japanese We're barbarians and
they expected to be mutilated as If
they had fallen into the hands of the
| Chinese, but instead of having their
toes and fingers cut off and being con-
| demned to a lingering death they were
treated in the kindest manner, and the
soldiers thrust gifts of cigarettes upon
them, which was indeed a luxury. They
| seemed to be very happy and If the
news of their treatment reached the
| Russian lines 1t might cause many
| more to leave Port Arthur"