Evening journal., 1905-05-13

rered pri7cr lc1. els S5r wnar sns new
or knew. Upon hearing all the circum-
stances the wife left IN st. Petersburg
released the man, and the last summer
It was not an unusual sight to see the
three out for a stroll, the lady in
ST Petersburg having been generous
enough to visit the reunited husband
and wife
For further amusement there is q thea
ter, IN which a stock company gives
creditable presentations. Then, as the
Russians are most hospitable there are
dinners, teas and dances Of charac-
ter varied enough to suit any demand
AT these functions one is brought in
contact with people who have Travelled
all over the known parts Of the world
and have lived in many different coun-
tries One can easily hear in q small
company five or six languages spoken,
and yet there IS perfect freedom OF
conversation. the most OF these people
gliding from Russian to French. from
French to German and in the next
breath 10 English as easily as the aver
age American speaks his own every
day language. A Russian dinner is
usually an elaborate affair which tests
every power Of digestion.
A short walk along the main street OF
VladiyostoiE brings to view all that IS
worth seeing. The Nicolai arch is on
this street east Of the so called park.
Ii was built to commemorate the visit
Of the present car eleven years ago,
when he was still crown prince. An
other monument farther along. rather
graceful in effect, is one recently erect
ed to Admiral Navelskoll. who discov-
cred the mouth of the Amur river. The
buildings are rather massive and built
for solidity rather than architectural
beauty. No frame houses are permitted
IN the town, and by law all staircases
are Of iron.
The harbor IS admirably located. with
narrow entrances, bordeDed on all sides
by hills Of ample height to give excel
lent elevation TO batteries and to afford
splendid protection for gun positions.
All the channels from the sea are su-
perbly commanded by many batteries
Of modern ordnance. Few Of the guns
are however, of greater callber than
ten inches Within the last two years
many old guns have been replaced with
new ones.
The city OF Yladivostolx is almost at
the toe OF the Muravey Amurski PENN.
sula, on a harbor which affords excel
lent anchorage for warships as well as
merchantmen. There Is hero large
navy yard with adequate dry docks
and repair shop facilities. In an admi-
rably formed depression on the Mura-
vey promontory across the harbor
south Of the city Is a large battery Of
powerful mortars. The entrance to the
harbor and the passages to the sea are
guarded by heavy batteries, and these
channels IN a time like the present are
heavily mined.
Within the last two years a ship ca
nal was built near the upper end Of the
Sapernui peninsula. The strategical
value Of this is to permit torpedo craft
from the defenses an opportunity to
sortie against an enemy bombarding
the city from a distance without at
tempting TO run the batteries. All these
are connected in the rear by sunken
roads which permit the rapid transpor-
tation Of ammunition from one to an
other without danger from the enemy's
fire.
From a land attack, which is posi-.
ble only from the north, the city is
well protected by strings of land bat.
teries connected by sunken roads and
equipped with the heaviest ordnance
in northern Asia. One popularity Of
Nladivostok is the prevalence of heavy
fogs in the spring. Not long ago two
British warships, coming into Peter
the Great bay, bound for Vladlvostok.
were caught in dense fog. They used
the lead, and when the mist raised the
Russian officers were astounded TO sec
the British ships lying just of the wa.
ter front The English. unknown even
TO themselves, had slipped past all the
batteries. This gave the Russian com
mander a severe shock, and an order
was straightway issued that thereafter
not more than two ships Of any nation
ality should be allowed within the har-
Dor at the same time. The ostensible
reason was the harbor was too small.
Nladivostox is not a city which can
easily be starved out. For the last
twenty months the shipment Of live
domestic animals from China and Ko-
rea to Vladivostolz has been extremely
heavy. They are put to pasture in the
vicinity and are permitted TO breed,
against the day when the place will be
besleged. The city is susceptible of
disastrous bombardment by warships
II they lie or about 5000 yards to the
westward, but there is little possibility
Of these ships doing much to disable
the batteries. They could only hope to
work havoc in the city.
Russia has natiertly. toiled hy day