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Show ST. PETERSBURG ADMITS DEFEAT OF STAKELBERG ST. PETERSBURG, Jur.c 16. The War ofiice announces that Gen. Stakel-berg Stakel-berg was forced back before greatly superior numbers and retreated to Vantslalin, thirty miles north of Vafangow, Vafan-gow, Tho ofllclals here deny that there was anything In the nature of a rout. The enemy had qver four divisions in action. , The Official Messenger says,tho battle of Vafangow raged the whole of yesterday yes-terday and the Japanese, receiving considerable con-siderable reinforcements, crushed the Russian left flank and compelled the Russians to retire northward. No estimate esti-mate of the losses Is given and no mention men-tion Is made of the loss of the Russian B The operations leading up to the battle of Vafangow dale back to June 11, when two Japanese divisions, one commanded com-manded by Gen. Nozu, advanced from the Pulautlen-Pltsewo line. A ecml-officlal dispatch from Mukden, dated Juno 16, irayo the engagement at Vafungow June 14 and 15 was undertaken under-taken with the object of drawing off a portion of the Japanese forces from Port Arthur, and resulted in Improving the Russian position. Tho Japanese losses were very heavy. Another correspondent, defcribing the fighting, writes: "The date June 14 will forever be memorable ln our annals. A succession of furious ntacks by two divisions of the enomy nnd bnttericu of six-inch guns were repelled by our troops, "who nowhere yielded an inch ot ground, despite heavy losses. The Tour lb battery lost many gunneri;. but did not. waver. Our guns were parvf-d fiiperbly, paralyzing the attack of the Japanese Infantry and causing their batteries to Trecoll. The wldlers of the Siberian rifle reffimentt' bohaynd magnificently, 1 All the troops aro full ot cnthusJaonv, |