1904 JAPANESE PREPARATIONS FOR WAR - Suppresses All Teaching by Religious Orders-Great Britain Appoints Commission of Inquiry into Charges of Belgian Cruelty in Congo Free State-Socialists Riot in Italy-Anti-Socialists Win in Parliamentary Election Kuroki Takes Passes Overlooking Liaoyang Nodzu Threatens Hai-cheng - - To Defend this Point Kuropatkin Withdraws from Kai-ping-Oku Occupies Part of Newchwang and Makes it Base of Supplies-Kuropatkin Falls Back to Liaoyang - Oku and Nodzu Defeat His Rear-Guard at An-shan-chan-Russians are Defeated in Great Battle of Liaoyang-They Fall Back on Mukden-Japan and Russia Make New Levies of Troops-Kuropatkin Takes the Offensive-He is _Defeated in Great Five Days' Battle of Sha River-Both Armies Rest on Their Arms-Kuropatkin Supersedes Admiral Alexieff as Commander-in-Chief He Reorganizes Army General Nogi Storms Langshan (Wolf's Hill)-From There He Bombards Russian Fleet -It Attempts to Escape to Sea-Togo Drives Some Ships Back and Sinks Others - The Remainder Escape to Neutral Harbors and Disarm-Vladivostok Squadron Leaves Harbor-Admiral Kamimura Sinks One of Its Three Cruisers-The Others Go Back-Nogi Loses Many Men in Futile Open Assaults-He Advances by Saps and Captures Commanding Hill Forts-He Bombards Inner Harbor"Sevastopol," Attempting to Escape, is Torpedoed-Baltic Fleet Sails to Seat of War-It Fires on English Fishing Fleet in North Sea, Mistaking Them for Japanese Torpedo Boats-The Affair is Submitted to Arbitration-Russia Construes Coal, Cotton, etc., as Contraband of War, and Seizes Neutral Merchantmen with These Cargoes-Great Britain and America Protest, and She Recalls Her Orders on the Point-Death Roll of the Year: Generals Longstreet and Gordon, J. L. Gérôme, Professor von Holst, W. C. Whitney, Senator Hanna, Count von Waldersee, Edwin Arnold, Antonin Dvorák, Maurus Jókai, Franz von Lenbach, H. M. Stanley, George Frederick Watts, President Kruger, Lafcadío Hearn, Senator Hoar, and F. A. Bartholdi. E VER since the Chinese War of 1894, at the close of which Japan was cheated out of her legitimate con quest of Port Arthur by Russia, the Japanese Government had been preparing for a life-and-death struggle with the great Muscovite Empire whose advance to the Pacific was restricting Japan's natural impulse toward expansion in Korea, and even threatening her very existence in her island home. So Japan had greatly increased her victorious navy and arduously trained her sailors in gunnery; had studied the most efficient systems of army organization, and improved upon them for her own needs; and, above all, had developed military sanitation and hospital service far beyond anything of the kind the world had ever known. The outbreak of the irrepressible conflict was now at hand. The action of Russia in maintaining her occupation of JAPAN'S ULTIMATUM TO RUSSIA 1904 Manchuria despite her solemn treaty obligations to the contrary rendered the independence of Korea impossible, according to the authority of Russia herself, for in 1895, when Japan desired to retain Port Arthur, Russia objected on the ground that the possessor of the Liaotung Peninsula would virtually control its eastern neighbor which it shut off from the continent. Russia now ignored this argument, and on January 6 sent a note to Tokio, in answer to Japan's repeated demands for a definite understanding on the ManchuriaKorea situation, which proposed that Japan agree not to use Korea for strategic purposes, join with Russia in establishing a neutral zone along the Manchuria-Korea boundary, and recognize Manchuria to be outside her sphere of interests; in return for which Russia would not interfere with present treaty rights of Japan in China, exclusive of the establishment of settlements in Chinese territory. On January 13 Japan replied, refusing the propositions relating to Korea, and accepting that relating to Manchuria on condition that Russia agree to respect the integrity of China in Manchuria and recognize Korea as being outside the Russian sphere of influence. An early and definite answer was demanded to this note, which was clearly of the nature of an ultimatum. The Czar, however, took his time in making up his mind for peace or war. Although he knew how unprepared Russia was for the conflict, he was inclined to fight by regard for her prestige. The heads of the army and navy were eager for war, and, in anticipation of the imperial assent, stirred their departments into noticeable activity. Receiving no reply, Japan on February 6 withdrew Kurino, her Minister, from St. Petersburg, and informed Russia that she would take such independent action as she saw fit in defense of her rights. This statement the leading authorities in international law have unanimously held to be tantamount to a declaration of war. 1904 NAVAL BATTLE OF PORT ARTHUR Russia, however, bitterly charged Japan with treachery when at midnight on February 8 the main division of the Japanese fleet under Admiral Togo stole upon the unsuspecting Russian squadron at Port Arthur, and torpedoed the battleships "Retvisan" and "Cesarevitch," and the cruiser "Pallada." Togo continued the attack next day, and put the battleship "Poltava," and the cruisers "Diana," "Askold," and "Novik" out of action. This left only three Russian battleships at Port Arthur fit for action. On the same day the cruiser division of the Japanese fleet under Admiral Uriu, convoying transports of troops to Chemulpo, the port of Seoul, capital of Korea, encountered and sank the Russian cruiser "Variag" and gunboat "Korietz." The force landed at Chemulpo, the first of the three divisions of the First Japanese Army under General Kuroki, seized the strong position of Pingyang, north of Seoul, thereby securing the entire Korean peninsula to Japan throughout the war. Russia now scored her first "beat" on Japan. She made a formal declaration of war on the 10th of the month, Japan following her example upon the 11th. On the same day Japan's strong ally in the war, Russia's own incompetency, caused the first of a long series of heart-breaking disasters. The Russian torpedo transport "Yenisei," while laying mines at the entrance of Talienwan Bay, northeast of Port Arthur, was sunk by the accidental explosion of a mine. Russia became alarmed at this and other evidences of incompetency, and sent her best talent to the front, Admiral Makaroff to supersede Admiral Stark at Port Arthur, and General Kuropatkin, Minister of War, to command the land forces in Manchuria. On the 14th of the month the Russian commander of the cruiser "Boyarin" beached her to escape an attack of Japanese torpedo-boat destroyers. On the 21st the Viceroy, Admiral Alexieff, left Port Arthur by the railway to make his headquarters at Mukden. On the 23d Togo imitated the 1904 BRITISH EXPEDITION TO TIBET tactics of Sampson at Santiago, and made the first of a series of attempts to bottle up the enemy by sinking steamers in the harbor mouth. His plan was not successful. The British had seized the opportunity afforded by Russia's preoccupation in Manchuria to strengthen the northern barrier of India against the Muscovite advance in that direction. During 1903 a British mission under Colonel Younghusband had been despatched by the British-Indian Government to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, to discuss with Tibetan and Chinese officials trade relations between India and Tibet, and to secure the observance of former AngloTibetan conventions. When, early in the present year, the mission began its march through Tibetan territory, it was met by Tibetan generals, who demanded the retirement of the British. Colonel Younghusband not only refused to obey but began to disarm the Tibetan forces. These resisted, and were mown down by the British troops. After this the mission fought its way toward Lhasa, the capital of the country, overcoming step by step the feeble but persistent attacks of the Tibetans. Lhasa was reached August 3. Dalai Lama, the ecclesiastical and temporal head of the country, had fled the city, but on September 7 the Regent left in charge signed a formal treaty with the British, affixing the Dalai Lama's seal. Tibet agreed to open markets at two of her border cities for British trade and to pay an indemnity of £500,000 ($2,500,000), for which she gave the Chumbi Valley, on the frontier, as security. Tibet further agreed to demolish all forts on the frontier and not to make any concessions of land, railway routes, etc., to any foreign power without the consent of Great Britain. The United States Government also hastened to secure herself against loss in the threatened "smash-up of China.” On January 13 she concluded a commercial treaty with the Chinese Government which provided among other things |