The only war news of importance this week is a
report from General Kuroki's headquarters that a large Russian force has crossed the River Hun, and is trying to turn the Japanese left flank. This may be the beginning of manoeuvres over a wider area, which, as we suggested last week, may be the central idea of Kuropatkin's new plan of campaign. Mean- while the Times of Wednesday contained a letter from its correspondent in the Far East which goes a long way to discredit the reputation of General Stossel. We maintained last week that the 'ease was not proven against him, but we confess that the evidence adduced by the Times correspondent is ham! to get over. He was allowed by.the Japanese to visit the interior of Port Arthur, and considers the fortifications almost impregnable. The Japanese, he says, found twenty- five thousand effectives inside the walls, and a good many malingerers in the hospitaL There was ample ammunition and food for several months, including six thousand tons of flour untouched, and a large quantity, of wines and spirits, Nor were the buildings seriously damaged, and the civilian population scarcely had suffered at all. All accounts, he con- cludes, agree that General Stossel- would have surrendered months before if he had not been checked by the courage of the late General Kondrachenko. The Russian rank-and-file were magnificent, but they were too often shamefully betrayed by incompetent and self-indulgent officers, upon whom and their General the blame of the surrender lies.
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