further service there, since the Russian fleet was now com-
pletely out of action, only the Otvajni ' and a few destroyers remaining. In his report Admiral Togo congratulated his men, and paid a tribute to the valour of the besieging land force ; and in an Imperial Rescript the Emperor acknowledged the admirable work done by the torpedo flotillas. On their arrival at Tokio on Friday, Admirals Togo and Kamimura were given an enthusiastic welcome by the whole population of the city. So ends one act in the drama of the war. The blockade will still be continued, and, indeed, made more rigorous, to prevent the smuggling which has prevailed ; but an important part of the fleet can be spared to go back to dock and refit after the arduous labours of eight months. In the meantime the curtain goes down on the naval side of the war, to be raised when the Baltic Fleet makes its precarious way into Far Eastern waters.
