The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-03-16


 ing Rumors That stronghold Is Being Abandoned Are the veTiess Nonsense Report of Another Japanese Attack March I2 in which the Russiams Are Said to Have suffered Severely.
 London, March 16.-According to a correspondent of the Daily Mail at New Chwang, General Kuropatkin has wired Lieutenant-General Stoessel that he must hold Port Arthur with the present garrison.
 While there is no actual news from the seat of war, rumors are plentiful. A The Daily Express correspondent at Berlin gives an alleged official intina- tion from the Russian ambassador, Count Osten- -Sacken, that Vice-Admiral Makaroff has mined all the coast of the peninsula at Port Arthur, the situation of the mines extending three miles sea- ward.
 A correspondent of the Daily Tele- graph at Yin Row says that the Japan 2 csc again attacked Port Arthur March x 12 as a challenge for Vice-Admiral # Makaroff to come out and fight. Dur ing the heavy bombardment, the corre- spondent says, the Japanese were in no danger from the guns of the fortress. The Russian casualties amounted to 300 l killed or wounded. The correspondent adds that this is authentic.
 Tien Tsin, March 15.-A foreigner just arrived from Port Arthur reports that a short engagement took place between AL TA. nnfc los Sunday, the Russian protected cruiser Diana receiving some injuries. About twenty or thirty shells were exchanged. Port Arthur, March 15.-vice Admiral Makaroff to-day visited the torpedo boat destroyers which participated in the fight with the Japanese on March 10 and warmly thanked the officers and crew for their splendid behavior. The admiral distributed decorations Grand Duke Cyril. cousin of the emperor, has arrived here.
 Paris, March 16-The St. Petersburg correspondent of the Echo de Paris says that rumors to the effect that the VIadivostolk and Port Arthur squad rons have been united are received with ihcredulity by the general staff. The correspondent believes that the ru- mors are probably due to Vice Admiral Makaroffs s frequent sorties.
 The correspondent says that General Zilinski is now viceroy Alexieff's chief of staff, and is acting under his orders in succession to Major General Phug. St. Petersburg. March 15.-F'rom the
 
 Press has received information for the rumors consistently sent out from Tokio that the Russians are abandoning Port Arthur.
 "1t is the veriest nonsense" said the sN informant of The Associated Press. M Nothing has occurred there to war rant such reports. The Japanese fleet has not been seen for forty-eight hours. Z The motive Of the government at Tokio in spreading this story is probably to Influence public feeling in Japan for the purpose of creating. enthusiasm while war loan is being floated."
 The newspapers here manifest the greatest indignation over the reports, the Boerse Gazette characterizing it as outrageous and British invention. Att tention is re-directed to the order of the day by Lieutenant General Stoessel, commander at Port Arthur, in which he declared that that place would never be surrendered, as representing the Russian position. Relative to this point a military officer said to The Associat- ed Press:
 This mere statement carries it's own resutation, unless we meant to beat an ignoble retreat all along the line. If we abandon Port Arthur we leave our fleet there to be doomed. It is too ab- surd to discuss"
 General Kuropatkin expects to reach Mukden, March 25. Everything will be side tracked in order to get him to the front on schedule time. The general may proceed on a flying visit to Port Arthur, but he is more likely to enter at once upon his duties as commander in-chief of the Manchurian army.
 He bears an autograph letter from the emperor to Viceroy Alexieff, to whom he will report. It is understood that the viceroy then will turn over the entire direction of the land opera tions to General Kuropatkin, who will transmit his reports to the emperor through the viceroy, but practically this is the only point on Which Alexieff will maintain superiority.
 General Kuropatkin had his plan of campaign practically perfected before he left here for the Far East. He re- turned to St. Petersburg quietly from his country seat, and his presence here was not known for four days. Those four days he devoted to the elaboration of his plans in conjunction with his staff and with the aid of all the inform ation in possession of the ministry of war, as well as of the special reports from the theater of war.
 A superstitious idea prevails here that General Kuropatkin will signalize his birthday, which occurs on March 80, and which is also his patron saints day with some important act.
 On account of the difficulty of housing the vast number of troops sent forward within the last few days towards the Yalu river as reinforcements for the 1000 troops already at Kasan and An jul, and the stream of soldiers from European Russia many are now held at Harbin. The housing problem will disappear with the advent of warmer weather, but in the meantime the gov ernment is hurrying forward large