The San Francisco call., 1904-03-27
General Kuropat- t.
kin HrriOeS at
the Front.

ST PETERSBURG, March 26.-T
shall feel relieved when General Kuro-
patkin assumes command" remarked
the Car yesterday at the winter pal
ace.
Tonight the Emperor received tele-
grams announcing the generals arrival
at Harbin and bringing word that mob
ilization Of the Manchurian army was
completed. 1t is said that tomorrow
General Kuropatkin will review the
Mukden troops and will read to them
a message expressing the imperial con-
f1dence that the soldiers will display
valor and fortitude BETTING the tradi-
tions of the Russian army General
Kuropatkin will afterward proceed to
Liaoyang. Thence he will make a fly
ing visit to Port Arthur to inspect the
fortress.
1t is rumored here that the Russian
forces will not withdraw to the strong
line of defense prepared at Fenghuang
if General Kuropatkin decides that he
can get together a sufficient number Of
men to make stand at the Yalu River
advisable.
Important news is drifting to st. Pc
3
draws a picture of its defenseless con-
dition when the Japanese attacked
Port Arthur. The correspondent says
that the smallest Japanese force could
easily have captured Dalny and de-
stroyed enormous stores of coal, 100000
pounds of tea and six Russian mer-
chantmen lying in the harbor. AS the
Japanese failed to attack Dalny, the
Russians at once mined the approach,
the haste with which the work was
performed being the cause Of the blow
ing up of the Yenisei. Many of the
mines were badly laid. SO that the
protected cruiser Boyarin struck one
Of them during q storm. The corre-
spondent says the Boyarin was not
sunk Immediately. Her captain sue
ceeded IN placing collision mat In
position so that the Boyarin was beach
ed. The Boyarin has since been taken
to Port Arthur, where she has been re-
paired, the correspondent says.
A Port Arthur correspondent writes
that repairs to the battleship Retvizan
and the protected cruiser Pallada have
now been completed, the battleship
Cesarevitch being the only remaining
lame ship in the squadron.
The preservation Of Admiral Maka-
roff's squadron intact is regarded as
of vital Importance, as 1t is now GER
tain that the Admiralty plans contem-
plate sending powerful reinforcements
from the Baltic during the summer.
Six battleships and three cruisers will
be ready to sail in July, joining the
squadron of Admiral Wirenius in the
Mediterranean, and, with the torpedo
boats, reach Port Arthur In Sep
temher The arrival of such a fleet
would give the Russians an over
whelming preponderance in numbers.
The Russian plans all look forward to
the time when, with the cooperation
of the fleet, the Japanese communica-
tions can be cut off Then General
Kuropatkin, according TO Russian cal
culations, will be in a position to take
the offensive on land and settle the
fate of the campaign and the war.
A statement comes from Vladivostok
to the effect that Captain Reitzen-
STEMS squadron returned to port tow
ing a second-class Japanese cruiser.
The inhabitants and the garrison, he
added. gave a reception to the victors.
The capture, however, is not confirmed
in official circles.
The departure of naval reinforce-
ments from the Baltic will leave a fair
ly strong squadron of coast defense
and other ships to protect Russia S
! European coast line.