The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-05-30
St. Petersburg Abando]lns.
All Hope Of Mastery
On Sea.
EMPEROR WEPT WHEN
HE HEARD OF DEFEAT
Disaster Terrible Blow to Gov
ernment, Which Fears Ef-
feet on Country.
CRY FOR PEACE AT ANY
COST COMES FROM PEOPLE.
czar. Will Rely Upon Delcassc,
Who May Call on President !.
Roosevelt-War Party Wants
to Press Fight Farther
Wives and Families Be
sieging Admiralty.
CRY FOR PEACE AT ANY
COST COMES FROM PEOPLE: {:
fRv Associated, Press.)

: fi4fsa ] /.
sT. PETERSBURG, May 3O,-1:55 A..
4 M.-After waiting vainly all day ana
evening for .dircct news from the scat
tered remnants OF Vicc-Admiral Ro)es,-
yensky,s destroyed and beaten feet the
Russian Admiralty at midnight no longer;
4 ATTEMPTED to hold out against over
whelming evidence pouring In from all
directions that the feet on which all
Il their hopes were centcred had suffered
a greater disaster than did the conf
b,ned French and Spanish fleets at ira
falgar.
More bitter even than defeat Is the
# Japanese claim OF the virtual annihila-
6tion OF the Russian feet with practically
Il no loss on their side, and many officers
cling doggcdly to the belief that Ad-l
miral Togo must have suffered heavily.
With every ship Of Rear-Admiral Nebo-
gatofr's reinforcing division either sent
flag, and only six Of Ro5estvensky's
Z original sixteen fighting ships absent,
"a from, the list OF the vessels sunk or
captured and with the Japanese pursuit
fsrlIi continuing. no naval authority has
the. temerity to dream that RUSSIA can
Z again attempt to wrest the ma stery OF
the sea from Japan in the present war
The captured warships alone will fur
nish Japan with ready made reinforce
ments, which Will be more than a match
for the fourth Pacific squadron, now
about to sail from Cronstadt.
Emperor Wepr.
The Emperor was completely prostrat-
Z cd by the news. and. according to re-
torts. he broke down and wept. M
The effect OF the disaster will be
terrible blow to the government. The
utility of trying to stagger Aon on land
+ Is everywhere recognized. and the cry
for peace at any price" is sure 10 be
raised. This time 1t is believed ne gov
crnment cannot resist such cry. In
deed, the Radical Liberals are openly re-
1oicing in this hour OF their country's
Humiliation. They declare that the dis
aster means peace and a constitution,
and that the deaths of thousands Of
their fellow countrymen and the loss
OF over hundred millions OF dollars
4 worth of warships Is not too big a
8 price 10 pay.
The friends OF peace In the government
are already reproaching the war party
with forcing the Issue between Togo
and Rojestvcnsky. When the fleet ap-
peared in the Straits Of Malacca, they
tried vainly to persuade the Emperor
that the time was opportune for the
opening OF peace negotiations. but the
war party convinced His Majesty, and
Rojestvensky. for the honor of the navy,
insisted that the fleet should be given
chance to retrieve the disasters suf-
fered on land.
Diplomats entertain no doubt that the
belligerent faction will continue to urge
that the war will be fought to the BIT
ter end, but tho friends Of Russia
abroad. and especially France. are now
4 bringing overwhelming arguments to
bear in favor of peace.
The Associated Press has excellent rea-
son to believe that the Russian govern
lnent in this crisis will turn to M. Del
casse the French foreign minister In.
whose ability and in whose loyalty as
Russla's friend the Emperor and his
Y ministers have implicit confidence, Some
time ago, 1t appeared likely that Tres,
ident Roosevelt would play big role
Z in the peace negotiations. but now his
4 share Is apt to be determined by NJ
j Delcasse's decision. The latter may, o
course, consider 1t wise to place the
negotiations In President Rooseyelt's
hands,
The war party, however. will insist
now. as they did after the battle of
4 Mukden, that peace is impossible on the
K heels of defeat. The members of this
/. faction are already proclaiming that the
naval disaster#in nowlsc alters the sit
+ uation ON land, Lieutenant General Limo
the fleet did not exist. IS
Fear Effect on Country.
that 1t s Improper to accept the Japanese
that is improper to accept the Japanese
refortst In the absence OF official news,
and has forbidden the publication OF for.
eign dispatches giving details Of the de-
4 feat, Nevertheless, news OF the magni-
tude Of the disaster spread like wIldflro
throughout the city, and the main facts
were en1belished In picturesque detail
Notwithstanding the official declaration,
The admiralty Is without reports of the
defeat. Private adYices are said to have
reached the city from Vladyostok, ac-
cording to which Roiestvensky is alive,
hut that he had q narrow escape. He
Is said to have transferred his flag from
the lknlaz souyaroff to one OF the battle-
sbips subsequently sunk, and that he
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