The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-03-05
ALL QUIET AT PORT ARTHUR
REPORT OF GENERAL PFLUG, ALEXIEFF,S CHIEF OF STAFF.

London Times' Tokso Correspondent Wires That Russians Are Falling Back on the Yalu-soiicitnde at Viadivo- siok with Regard tO Provisiops- Japauese stiii Busy TEsnsporting Troops Co corea.
 St. Petersburg, March 1.-The follow ing despatch, dated March 3, has been received from General Piug, command ing the Russian forces at Port Arthur: "An is quiet at Port Arthur and Yin Row.
 According to information given by eye witnesses a Japanese cruiser, hav- ing three tunnels, lies near Chemulpo, between islands, having recently sunk there"
 London, March 5-In a despatch from Tokio the correspondent of the Times says:
 Russians were recently conveyed to Possiet bay from Vladivostok, and crossed the Tumen river southward of Ung-Kwin and Hoi- Yong.
 The Russian troops who have hith- erto been south of Anju have all retired towards the Yalu river.
 ''The martial law regulations pub lished at Vladivostok February be- tray great solicitude with regard to provisions.
 'The objections of France to Japan's obtaining the Seoul Wiju railroad con cession are met by the plea that the railroad is required for strategic pur- poses"
 Paris, March 5--Telegraphing from Harbin, correspondent of the Matin says a special staff of officers has started for Lake Baikal to meet General Kuropatkin.
 The Central Telegraph office here, the correspondent continues, will henceforth be closed to the public.
 The concentration of Chinese forces west of Mukden arouses suspicion in spite of repeated declarations of China's neutrality.
 Cossacks are advancing into Corea, where the attitude of the natives to- ward them is very variable
 Colonel Tatsujire and five other Jap anese officers who were arrested in Corea have been taken to Liao-Y Yang.
 The people here believe that Port Arthur was mined long time ago by the Japanese, who are now trying to send there few men who know the place well, to blow it up.
 Vice Admiral Makaroff has arrived at Port Arthur, where he was given a great reception.
 Quoting from a correspondent who wrote him from Port Arthur under date of February r, the Harbin corfespond- ent of the Matin goes on to say that General Stoessel, the commander at Port Arthur, had issued a general or der blaming officers who wasted their precious time in useless criticism of their superiors, and threatening those who did so with severe punishment. A letter from Port Dalny dated Feb Tuary IS, brings the statement that the population there had been reduced from 1,500 to 1,000 Seven hundred men were sick in hospital, and would shortly be moved to the north All the bays in the vicinity of Dalny were still ice-bound.
 London, March 5.-Little change in the Far Eastern situation is reported this morning. It is apparent that the Japanese are busily engaged in trans porting their forces into Corea, and this work is being facilitated by the enforc- ed inactivity of the navy
 According to the Sebastopol corre- spondent of the Daily Graphic, Admiral Skrydloff has learned privately from Port Arthur that the Russian battle ship Retvizan lies in such posit ion as to block effectually the exit of battle- ships from the harbor, the passage be- ing practicable only for cruisers.
 The correspondent adds that Russia S new battleships now building on the Baltic will not be ready for active com mission before the end of August.
 The apanese official who has charge of Japan's financial and commercial in- terests in England declares that his government foresaw the possibility of coal being declared contraband of war, and that it has been collecting large stores of Welsh steam coal for years, so that to-day it has a supply sufficient for the needs of the navy for years to come.
 According to the Tokio correspondent of the Standard the Mikado has sent a personal message to the Emperor of Corea assuring him that war was de- clared solely with the view of securing permanent peace, and expressing the sincere wish that the recently conclud- ed Japanese -Corean protocol should in- crease the intimacy of the two coun- tries.
 On the strength of statement made by missionary the Shanghai corre- spondent of the Daily Chronicle sends in doubtful report that twenty eight Japanese sailors have landed at Teng- Chau saying that their vessel had sunk as the result of an engagement with Russian warships, which also went down. No Russians were saved, but 200 Japanese were rescued by Chinese junks. This action is reported to have occurred between Port Arthur and the Mao Tao Islands.
 Vladivostok, Wednesday, March (via St. Petersburg rg)--According to informa- tion received here forty Japanese trans ports, escorted by the entire naval fleet have been energetically landing troops in Corea at Fusan and Chemulpo. It is estimated that fully 100000 men have dsembarked and 1t is supposed that an