Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1904-05-11
WAR IN THE EAST.

The IoKl0 correspondent vi thc boh-
don Morning Post, cabling under date
of May 10, says that hign-angle bom-
bardment of Port Arthur is proceeding.
According to advices from the theatre
of war there has been severe fighting 20
miles south of Liaoyang, the First Jap
anese Army Corps advancing and over
taking the Russians in retreat. The
japanese surprised the Russians by
pulling their artillery up almost insur
mountable hills.
A division of the Japanese First
Corps is nearing Niuchwang. The last
civilians to leave that place were a num-
Der of women.
All sorts of war stories of highly
Russian flavor were sent out from St.
Petersburg on Monday. 1t was an-
nounced that q dispatch had been re-
ceived from Viceroy Alexief that the
railroad had been restored to Port Ar
thur and that trains we're running. In
view of the fact that the japanese cut
the road as well as the telegraph lines
at several points on the Laotung pen
insula, the Viceroy's report is surpris-
ing. The japanese may have quietly
vacated the railroad and permitted the
Russians 10 restore communication with
Port Arthur with a view to setting a
trap for the Russians to capture stores
nd supplies should the latter attempt
o send any to the invested Russian
stronghold.
According to reports from special cor
respondents the Russian authorities are
beginning to be as secretive about war
news as the japanese. The censors are
very busy with press dispatches. The
st. Petersburg newspapers do not con-
tain as much or so accurate war news as
the English or American newspapers.
The American squadron which has been
ordered to be ready 20 proceed to Much
wang will go there ostensibly to protect
American interests from bandits, but in
reality to watch the Chinese and to pre-
vent any disposition on their part TO be-
come involved in the present war. The
Raleigh will be sent from Chemulpo,
and either the Helena or the Whining
ton from Wenchau. The ships will meet
at Chefoo, which is less than days
run from Niuchwang. Great Britain has
already ordered a vessel or two to
Niuchwang and has informally asked
this government to take similar ac-
ton. Sir Mortimer Durand, the
British ambassador, conveyed the
information to Secretary Hay OF
EngIand's purpose The manner in
which he impaired the intelligence is
here taken as a suggestion that Great
Britain hopes that in all matters grow
ing out of the war the United States and
Great Britain will find it possible to
take concurrent action. The admins
tration is anxious to prevent any trouble
at Niuchwang, where tie Chinese are
represented as boiling over with desire
to join Japan in her effort to roll the
Russian force back into Europe. 1t Is
not to the interest of either the United
States or Great Britain that China shall
take the side of either belligerent 1t
would be decidedly embarrassing to the
two English-speaking powers to have
China and Japan form an alliance, par
ticularly if Japan continues her VIC
tories over the Russian army. Japan
in such an event would, it is thought,
insist upon occupying strategic points
in China and thereby merely substitute
herself for Russia as a parasite on the
Chinese empire.