The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-12-16
BATTLES IN COUNTRY
ARMED PEASANTS ATTACK Es-
 YATES or LANDLORDS.
Troops Have Been Concentrated In the Towns and Cities, and Bands of Revolutionarfes Roam the
 Country.

St. Petersburg. Dec. 14, via Eydtkuh- nen, Dec. 15.--It seems to be beyond question that bloody collisions have occurred between troops and the united peasantry and workmen in the streets of Riga, during which machine guns were used. The situation is most seri- ous in the country which is practically abandoned to the revolutionary bands. owing to the concentration or the troops in the cities and towns.
 Against some of the estates where the landlords aided by few faithful adherents are attempting to protect their property, the revolutionaries are conducting regular military operations. They reduced the garrison of the estate of Baron won Loewis to submission at- ter a majority of the defenders had been killed, and piundered and burned the buildings and carried on the Baron. The survivors were made prisoners.
 Foreign Minister Lamsdorff at the first interview which he had with the American Ambassador, MT. Meyer. since the latter's return to St. Petersburg. while not optimistic. expressed the opinion that the political situation ana outlook had considerably improved.
 The law and order elements are now the principal hope of averting .ne cataclysm which the revoiutionaries
 
 Upon the early convenipg of the na- tional assembly 1t is generally believed that Premier Witte will dispense with the service of Interior Minister Durno- vo, against whom all classes have aris- en, and appoint M. Guchkoff, promi- nent member of the Moscow zemstvo. who is said to be ready to accept the office as his successor.
 People here continued to talk of the probable ceremonial attending the is- suance of tho constitution December l9, and much is being made of the re- port that the golden state carriages used at momentous ceremonies Will pc sent to Tsarskoe-Selo. investigation of the rumor, however, seems to show that it is baseless as the emperor is going to Moscow to proclaim the con- stitution iir~the Kremlin.
 The budget of 1906 is being cut hard, not only in order to try to make both ends meet. but in order to make the best possible showing to the national assembly. Extravaganza in all direc- tions has been eliminated and projects for new railroad construction and new public works of every description are omitted. The only items increased are the salaries of the railroad and the postal employees. The personnel Of the army and the navy and the naval pro- gram are greatly reduceu and an item of $1s,0O0.0o0 for new naval construc- ton is struck out.
 in the Manchurian army is partly att tributahle to the failure to pay and properly feed the troops. The latter problem is especially difficult owing to quate provisions from Russia on. ac. count of the practical paralysis of the railroad to Siberia, compelling the pur- chase of supplies from China for which AA 41A aRn pn authorities have now hurriedly for warded s12,o0o.ooo to the army in Man. churia.
 The reports from the provinces indi- cate that the country generally remain close to the boiling point.
 The situation in the Caucasus is again serious. The Tartars and Ar menians are murdering each other as of yore. At Elizabethpol especially there has been a savage exhibition of race hatred.
 From Kharffoff an agent of the New York Life Insurance Company, who fled, brings the story of the estab- lishment of republic there. He says the military forces have gone over to the revolutioflfsts and that the latter have full possession of the city. The Associated Press has received a private and reliable report from Mos COW saying that the authorities there are extremely nervous as the city is denuded of troops, the soldiers having been sent to the neighboring prov inces, especially southeast. Less than 10000 troops remain in Moscow and Nthis fact Is considered to be utterly Inadequate should a crisis occur. Japan has finally agreed to accept Russia's decision against raising the missions at Tokio and St. Petersburg to the rank of embassies at present. Japan accepts M. Bakheitef as Russian Minister at Tokio and Russia accepts M. Kakino. the present Japanese Min ister at Vienna as minister at St. Petersburg. Foreign Secretary Lams- dorf has notified Ambassador Meyer that M. Makino is persona grata and it is expected that the two ministers will proceed immediately to their posts