The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-12-18
IS'TOESSEL SAID
TO BE HOPELESS
Sends Dispatch to Emperor.
couched in Dcspairing Terms.
Correspondence With Nogi
Concerning Protection Of
HospitalsT The Corn
ing Campaign.
BY Paul Lambeth.

Especial Gable to The Times Dispatch. q
III III. Copyright 4 19O4.) 81 5S.ts IL sI|sS
LONDON Dec u 7.--News reached here Y
from Che Foo to-day tina nearly all or 4
Togo's armored vessels have been With.
drawn from tho. Port Arthur blockadin4 &
fleet and have been sent to sacebo and
OTHER home stations to be overhauled and
atted for the work OF meeting Rojestven
sky It Is not stated whether orr not a
ADMIRAL y go himself has gone home, but
its is + believed here that fe@2 Isl now on 4
his sWayI;Sto ID pan. leaving in the hands
Of q subordinate, the blockade a which,
SINCE the destruction Of the last 8of the Y
Russian ships. IS merely a matter Of 4
KEEPING supplies from reaching the boz
lcagucred fortress, 3 sSiS
$5 The heavy siege guns OF the Japanese
now that they have d ccomplished the pur- n
pose u destroying the Russian warships,
have been turned against the town it.&
self nd the forts still occupied II by the {
Russian and a continuous BON bardmentl
has been kept Sun for the pas & few days.
SO far as can DO learned however, there
has been no considerable infantry move. !,
Hlent recen tly i,{S
Send Fleet to Europe.
The lull in news OF actual a ghting from
the Far East has turned the al tentlon$
81 war experts here to the next phase
Of the campai grS Il has come to be- gem:
orally Believed tliat there will be no flir.#
tl1er.85 serious lighting, except at Port "a X
thur, Perhaps until the spring. Tho I
position $of the ii two armies q v A1ukdenS
and the elopment IS 4 OF the past. two
Gays seem to indicate that the respectives
comma ders have abandoned 81 the ideas
of a inter- canlpaig n, lie hid eed they ever
seriously entertai ned s. t. n he concensua}
OF opinion among experts is that Il the
l5campai Ign Of 1905 vii beg in as did that
Df 1904 wi tn an Imp ortnrlt NAVAL engage
mel, Il Ro5eHYe ems CONT Ties hts east
ward cruise. Elle will not arrive within
IstrlkinE distalifV OF the japanese 3 nests
before the latter part OF Februa " at the
earliest. BY that time the J apanese naval
authorities will have had am pie; time to-
perfect their plans to meet him and there y
Is no doubt felt herr as to The result IN I
case the meeting takes place. III s6S{
With the Russian naval power defnite.hs
W broken, It IS not deemed improbable
that a strong Japanese naval force will y
be- sent to European va tiers next summer
to look after the contrabrand trad with 4
Russia. It is pointed out that Germany
may then have to face some OF the prob -Ss
lens which have proven So disngr eeables
to Great Britain In connection with the \
Russian efforts to stop the trade In cons
trabrand. ~ 81 q
Must Take Aggressive.
I. Among military men. the opi Mon pre-
wallis that the Russians will be compelled
to take the aggressive on land In the next
campaign. Oyama may begin his work
by taking Nfukden, but It Is not believed 4
he will attempt to proceed turtle north.
Flo has In fact accomplished the full fpur-Fi
pose OF the Japanese plan OF &camp atgn#
and holds all the8territory4 which consti-Ss
tutes the cnsus belli. In the spring. p I
viii probably find Himself col tront ted By
a superior force and will assume the de-k
fensive. simply holding what he has That
he will be able to hold It.. lit tie doubt y
felt there The question will then resolve
itself into how far Russia Is willing 70 'l
20 in the expenditure OF men and treas t3
ure before being willing to accept peace 3
on a basis OF Japanese supremacy in 4
Korea & ana the absolute withdrawal q
Russia from Nlanchurla. ss#Ss5tssgy