The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-02-06
Said to be Conciliatory, But Viii
Evidently Not Prove Salts 5s9
factory to Japan. s585
CON GENERATING TROOPS
ON THE YAL U RIVER
These Are Said to be Destined
Y for a Dash Into Northern
Korea japanese Merchants
Said to- be- Leaving
Vladivostock kin a
Hurry. s553s.
ElBy Associated Press.

fQf
ST. PETERSBURG. Feb. 5--:As an.f
nounced in the Associated Press dis
patches, the draft of the Russian res;
sponse, tentatively approved by the Car
was telegrapheu to Viceroy Alexieff last I
night In this respect the document fol.$
lows the course of Its predecessors Tho Z
EViceroy, being on the ground will have. 4
an opportunity to examine \, the n phrase
5ologyEI and return any objections he may
have, before receiving final v Instructions
to deliver the reply o Baron De Rosen,$3
Russian minlser at Tokio,N for presenta-.
5tiona to Baron Komura, Japanese foreigns
minister 1t is expected that Viceroy
sAlexieff will respond without tESany delay
and send the sansWe eri to reach Japan on
Monday. n. ~ s5s2 Z, TX
While the contents of the response are
carefully guarded n hey are KIN oWnst osbeE
in "a conciliatory spirit and form, and to-
contain what are regarded II here as ss;int--a t-a
!portant concession, although mai aiming
RussIas S former position on; some OF the
main points covering ManchuriaS and ISo-sSs
&rea Stf saS
isS "A diplomat, who probably Is In closer
,to,lch Withs the RUSS ian side of the fnego-
gtit,tions :>ln my ot her person. formed (
1.-the Aasocia tetl sRrHsa.3 he Korea had
a gain become the mos tSsdd III tlcnlt attcr
for Justine en- t, Russia, he sal d, could not
agree TO apanese Notifications in South
5ern Korea. IF the Japanese Government
5is sincerely desirous OF avoiding war.
5he added ,s 1T will find in the reply. w hen
1T arrives a basis for an ARA nlgnment,
but If the authorities have; made up their 4
minds to remain unylelding, the negot tia.
tlons must end in an inlpasse. In an "
event, I do not see how j Japan can SbreakS
off the negotiations without reply ying y 70 To-
4 the Russian note and setting 5forth herS
minimum demands.
s. The news that the note had been sent
to Viceroy Alexieff became public here
this morning, stld caused an apprecta bic
Increase of anxiety over the future. On
the Bourse this was reflected by fur
ther fall in the prices of Imperial tollr
per cents and lottery bonds, In which
the public invest is heavily. It he fannounce-G
menl also created a stir mong the m : !;
bers OF the diplomatic corps. where there
was much activity and conferring I5
The people, for the first time, seemed
noticeably moved at the prospect Of war.
gathering in groups to discuss the situ-
alton. Increased activity also was ap.s
parent at the various ministries, but the
high officials, while not attempting to
conceal the gravity Of the outlook, re-t
malned CALM insisting that the steps
taken by the government, In the way
OF military and naval prepara tions have.
been forced on Russia by the open and
hurried demonstration of Japan, and aud
that misinterpretation are being con-
stantly placed on Russian movements
in the far East, which represent Russia
as already engaged IN uggresstye y tac-
tics. 81 t4gg ~ III
As an illustrat ton they cite q dispatch y
published In London, reporting the alleged r
mysterious departure Tof the Russian
fleet from Port Arthur. The chief Of X hea
naval staff said this movement was
utterly without warlike significance, Hs@ II
authorized the Associated Press to say
that the warships merely left the harbors
In the course Of a cruise around the emf A
OF tho -Llen-Wan Peninsula, to try
their engines so as to- be n In readiness
to meet the Japanese wnrships In case OF
an attack, and added that the vessels u
which had returned to Port Arthur would
not re-enter the harhor, because the en-, Is
trance was so narrow that they could be
'bottled up"
The chief of the naval staff pointed IN
a map to the Manchurinn and Russian
territory between Port Arthur ara
Vladlsvostock as being the Russian
strong line Of defense. .l IA
"The laps will have hard job to beat
MS there" he said. This IS bad country q
for fighting, With a squadron at Port
Arthur, four powerful cruisers az
Vladivostock and a strong army massed Il
between then,--sucl, Is tho Russian plan y
for q defensive campaign, from which
there Is no likelihood OF deviation.