O NCE again the only important war news concerns Port Arthur,
but it is of a sufficiently sensational character. The capture of 203-Metre Hill, recorded last week, has achieved the result which the Japanese expected. The bombardment of the ships in harbour, which was the objective of the scheme, began last Saturday, and con- tinued all the week with unremitting fury. On Wednesday the 'Poltava' was reported as sunk ; on Thursday the 'Retvisan ' and the Pobieda ' were submerged almost to their upper decks, and the ' Peresviet' was down by her stern, the water being up to her stern-walk. This accounts for four out of the five battleships, the remaining one, the Sevastopol,' being only visible as far as her masts to the besiegers, though it is believed that dropping shells have done her much damage. In addition, the cruiser Bayan ' has caught fire, and the cruiser Pallada ' has heeled over to port. Any hour may bring news of the final destruction of these last three, in which case the Port Arthur Fleet will have ceased to exist. Whether the Russians will succeed in blowing up these hulks, or whether they will fall captive to the Japanese, remains to be seen. In any case, the Baltic Fleet, when it arrives, will get no assistance from the once splendid fleet of the Pacific.
