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Show RUSSIA AND CHINA I ARE ALMOST AT ' I WAR. I Japanese by the Hundred H Known tt Be in the H Chinese Army. H Which is Moving With Uncer- I tain Speed Toward the Russian Rendezvous. Clash of the Czar's -Iand Troops .With the Celestials "Wjiuld VM He No Surprise. 4- 4-4- 4-4-4-4- 4-4-'4- 4-4-4- H 4- Bombarding Port Arthur Again. 4 y4- TIENTSIN, April 16. A report 4- has been received hero that Port -f IH 4- Arthur was bombarded all day yes- 4- 4- torday (Friday) and that tho action 4- Is being continued today. No de- 4- 4- tailed or official account of the de- 4- 4- structlon of tho Potropavlovak or 4- IH 4- the damaging at Port Arthur of 4- 4- the Pobleda has been received her, 4- 4- but it ls not behoved that cither 4- -f ono of theso Russian Trarahlps re- 4- 4- treated or withdrew from the ac- 4- 4- tlon of tho 13th, which undoubtedly 4- 4- was the most important of the war. 4- 4- It Is declared here that ono Japan- 4- 4- cso torncdo boat was sunk in tbla 4- 4- engagemont, but this statement 4- lf 4- lacks confirmation. 4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-,4-4-4-4- j IAO YANG, Saturday, April 2 N (Delayed In transmission) The I j outside world does not know how near Russian and Chinese troopa were to a clash on the border of Man-churia. Man-churia. In order to remove tho menace of a large Chinese army from the Rus- IH sian flank. Gen. Llnevitch, the Russian commander in Manchuria, deemed It IH necessary to communicate an ultl- jH matum to Yuan Shi Kai, supreme com-mander com-mander of the Chinese army and navy, uk ordering that the Chinese troops with- vk draw 300 or 400 versts itito the interior. IH "If this demand bo not fulfilled at the order of the Viceroy," said the ultl-matum ultl-matum of Gen. Llnevitch, "I will form a special division which will drive the Chinese troops back to the frontier." Ever since the establishment of the headquarters of Gen. Llnevitch at Llao Yang concern has been manifested at the attitude of the Chinese. Since the opening of hostilities the Chinese troops in Pe-Chi-LI province have concentrated on the western shore of the Llao-Ho. According to reports persistently clr-eulated clr-eulated by the Chinese, there are hun-dreds hun-dreds of Japanese among the Chinos troops. Disguised In various ways, Ja-panese Ja-panese spies are along the line of the railroad, and- they follow all Europeans. especially Russians. Yuan Shi Kai i an implacable hater of Russia and a. tried friend of Japan. He has assured tho whole world of the strict neutrality of China in the far Eastern trouble. Russia, however, is not so confiding to-day to-day as she was at the time of the Boxer outbreak. , Immediately upon his arival at Llao Yang Gen. Llnevitch asked him why the Chinese troops were concentrated so near places occupied by Russian troop?. Suspicious Movements of China. Mundte replied- that he supposed the chief object waa to maintain neutrality and the safety of Northern China from AH invasion by the Russians or Japanese. In view of the Russian, however, the Chinese troops have already begun to retire Into the interior of the Pc-Chi-LI i province. Another object of the con-centratlon con-centratlon of the Chinese was said to b the protection of the Shan-Haikwan railroad. Gen. Llnevitch told Mundte to advlso Yuan Shi Kai to command Gen. Ma not to approach the Shan-' Hallrwan railroad with troops, as such notion could only be regarded as threat- onin" Russia's position In Manchuria, n 'IH h, averted that Gen. Ma had no reason to concentrate a largo force for the pro- tectlon of the road, as the Russian H troops had no Idea of. taking possession 'H of It or of entering Chlneae territory. The concentration of Chinese troops be- , 5ntr ant to lead to misunderstanding, m Gen Llnevitch delivered his ultimatum. The suspicions of the Russians regard-lni regard-lni tho Chinese were further arouwd by tho efforts of Mundte to reaoh Port IH -, Arthur and visit the army, permission 3 to do which was refused. |