The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-02-18
FIRST FIGHT ON THE YALU
cossacks Will Dispute Pass
 age of the River.
Czar's Forces Taken Unawares at the Outset, and Time is Need cd for the Complete Mobili- sation of the Army.
 Troops Going to
 Front.

St. Petersburg, Feb. II. dip. m.)-The rigid censorship imposed here upon &li news from the Far East completely masks the movements of Russian troops ] and the plans of those in command; but what is being done is evidently satis- factory to the authorities here. as they manifest the utmost confidence that when the proper time arrives the enemy VIII be crushed They say that the preiim- mary sea victories of the Japanese will then be speedily forgotten. Russia was taken unawares at the outset, and some little time will be required to complete the mobilization of Russian troops. There will be no disposition to meet the evident wish of the Japanese to rush matters to a decision.
 Can Afford to Wait.
 ssF2ussia can afford to wait" Is a com- mon expression heard here, and time and patience always have been strong allies Of the Empire of the North. Moreover. the excessively severe winter weather at the scene of war. it is averred, also figSts on inc side of the Czar's legions, as it did in the days of Napoleon, who. when the Russian proverb, January, February and March are among the Emperors ablest generals" was coined.
 At Port Arthur today the thermometer reRistered two degrees below zero Fan- renhelt The concentration of Russian troops will proceed as rapidly as pos stble, but it is fair to assume that Ntce- roy Alexieff will not take the aggressive until he feels certain of his ability to ad- minister a decisive defeat. Therefore, in snIte of the extensive land operations of the Japanese in Korea, an important land ! fight iqynot considered here to be imini- {. iaTss1k Although It IS believed that the passage of the YaId River by the Japan csc will be disputed s~
 AlexieR May Move.
 It is reported in St. Petersburg that Viceroy Alexieff's headquarters may Oe changed to Mukden. which would be nearer the center of military activity, fut this Is not certain
 Tn the meantime, troops are constantly going to the front from all parts of Rus sia and some distinguished officers in the service of the Czar are leaving for the Far East These include General Zhilln- sky. who is to succeed Major General PauR as chief of staff to Viceroy Alexieff; General Laponoff, governor of Sakhalin Island in the North Pacific and General Tzerpysky General Won Sosonkampa has heen appointed to commad the traS-Bat- kaI cavalry, which was reported as go- ing out under Prince Louis Napoleon
 The various societies throughout Russia interested in the Red Cross movement are showing remarkable activity, and, Juds- ing from the preparations which are be- Ing made for the sick and wounded, the war is destined to be a long and bloody one.
 Voluntary Contributions.
 Voluntary contributions to replace the ahips already destroyed by Ire enemy are already assuming large proportions. one man having given the suf of $2GOOO.lt was through similar movement that the present volunteer fleet was started after the Russo-Turkish war.
 The report of a massacre of Jews near ,Kieff Is denied by the minister of the in terior, and the Associated Press is au- thorized to say that the affair was con fined to the inhiction of slight injury unon three Jews. Last Monday, while a crowd was induling in patriotic demon stration at Kieff, some Hebrews began shouting down with the Czar," and the crowd promptly punished the culprits, who were rescued from worse fate by the timely arrival of the police.
 Chinese Bandits.
 A dispatch has been received here from Major General Phung, Chief of Stan to Viceroy Alexieff, saying that Yumn Shat Kai commander-in-chief of the ChinesH army and navy, has ordered 2,5O0 men 90 Tsi Chou to maintain order. Continuing he says everything is quiet at New ShwanR, and that the information that the Japanese are forming bands or Chuh Chus Chandits) to attack the railroad, Is confirmed Quiet prevails on the Yalu. Russian scouts did not find the enemy within A distance of thirty miles from the river.
 A government communication publish ed in The Official Messenger warns the public that it must wait patiently for news of Russian victories, and says it is useless to waste men in seeking over. hasty revenge.
 Report of Reitzenstein.
 vicerov AlexieR has communicated to the Czar the report of Captain Reitzen- stein, who is in command of the Russian cruiser division, dealing with the destruc- tIon of the Japanese merchant steamer Nagonoura Maru off the northwestern coast of Japan and the capture of forty one of her crew. Captain Reitzenstein, who is also acting commodore of the Vladivostock squadron, says that small Japanese coaster was also approached but the violent squall made it impossible to capture the crew, and that, therefore. the coaster was not sunk. Heavy wealth CT. he says, prevented him following the coast and the cruiser squadron made for Chestakoff. fleeing before the tempest to gain the Korean coast.
 Owing to the storm. the squadron was only able to accomplish five knots per hour
 Guns Coated With Ice.
 Heavy seas were shipped and the cruisers and the guns were coated with ice. there being nine degrees of frost. The violent gales were encountered with fin three days.
 In the court yard of the winter palace, the Czar today reviewed the third batal- lion of the first Siberian rifles which is proceeding to the far east. The review enok place in the presence of the Czarina.