NEWS OF THE WEEK.
THE most interesting news from the Far East this week is that furnished by the war correspondent of the Daily Telegraph. He reports that the Japanese have promised to relax the censorship from the beginning of next month. That will comfort Europe, which begins to be sick of lies and rumours, and, moreover, indicates that the Japanese will no longer need to conceal their plan of campaign. The pre- liminary movements, that is, will have been completed. What this plan is cannot yet be guessed. There is a rumour of a great forward movement from Possiet Bay, which would mean ultimately an attack on Kirin ; but the able military correspondent of the Times utterly discredits this, and believes that the Japanese intend to capture Newchwang and make that their.base of operations, cutting the railway which feeds Port Arthur, and moving steadily forward on Mukden, which the Russians must defend in force. The war, it must not be forgotten, was not declared in order to afford a lively drama for Western onlookers, and the Japanese habit, though they are prompt enough, is to consider time well spent if its expenditure increases efficiency.
