The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-03-28
The latest News About the War.

Although only outpost skirmishes are
for the moment reported from the thea
tire Of hostilities, it is evident that Mar
shall OTAMA is preparing to move his
main army northward from Tie Pass TO
the Sungari River When he finds him
self in touch with Gen. LINIEvITCH, who
Il expected to make a stand along the
line running from Changchun to Kirin,
the western and eastern advance COL
umns, respectively commanded by Gen.
NooI and Gen. KURoKI, will be able TO
cooperate by assailing the Russian TANKS,
II is alleged on what seems TO be good
authority that Marshal OYAMA has in
formed the Chinese Governor Of Kirin-
which, it will be recalled, is a strategic
ooign Of vantage lying midway between
the two railways running from Hardin,
the one to Vladivostok and the other to
Mukden-that on April 10 the Japanese
would enter that city. Whether Gen.
i.KURoKI can manage by that date TO
)capture that place depends partly, Of
scourse, on the strength Of the garrison,
land partly on the question whether the
army under Gen. KAwAMURA, which is
marching from Corea, can arrive in time
20 take part in the attack Kirin once
occupied. it should be relatively easy to
sisolate Yladivostok by cutting OF it's
sIneans Of communication by rail with
Harbin. ) How many Russians are now
at Kirini is unknown. but according 20
"a non-ohicial report, an army corps has
been assigned to the defence Of Vladi-
kvostok; there is one division between
Vladivosiok and the Corean border, and
n division and a half near Hardin. Ac-
cording TO the st. Petersburg corre-
spondent Of the London Daily Telegraph.
Gen. LISIEvITcH has at the front no
more than 10000 electives. II the
figure IS approximately correct, the
whole Russian force in Mancmria ready
for duty-including outlying detaCh-
ments and the Vladivostok garrison -
must fall considerably short Of 2OO, 900.
'N What then has become Of the majority
Of the ~, 900 officers and soldiers who,
according to the published statement
Of the Russian War Office, have been
sent to Manchuria since the first week
Of Fe brnary, 1904, for the purpose Of
reinforcing the troops already there at
the beginning OF the war, who, including
the railway guards and the Port Arthur
and Vladivostok garrisons, must have
numbered at least 5000? The appall-
ing deficit cannot be accounted FOR by
any reported estimates Of the Russian
losses Including killed, wounded and
prisoners-in the battles that have taken
place since the japanese crossed the Yalu
River. and the inevitable inference is
that disease must have destroyed or dis
abled at least a third Of the Russian army.
There is no reason % suppose that any
material Improvement has been made
In the Russian sanitary and medical de-
partments; on the contrary, they are
likely to have been moro inefficient than
ever during the retreat from Mukden
in view Of the apparent impossibiity Of
preventing frightful mortality in the
Russian Vnks, and Of the comparative
Immunity Of tho japanese from death by
disease, the question arises whether in
900 or at any future time the st. Peters
burg Government would be able 70 place
md keep in Manchuria force decidedly
superior 10 that which might be mus
tered by it's enemy.
The official announcement made az st.
Pstertburg that the First, Second, hf-