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Show i!3 I0SIILE ACTION BY JAPANESE FLEET BEFORE VLADIVOSTOK AS YET 1 . - . . btjlletin. VIAjjrVOSTX)! March. 4. All Is 'quiet her. No Japanese -warships Lara been seen, since February 25th, when ten ships were sighted on the horizon, but soon disappeared. The Inhabitants continue to leave VladlTOstok for Nikolak, Khabarovsk or Europe. There are no signs of spring. . The ice is heavy and the cold 'is severe, j j JAPS PLANNED TO BLOCK HARBOR BEFORE . WAR BROKE OUT ST. PETERSBURG, March 4. A. resident res-ident of St. Petersburg who has just arrived ar-rived here, from Port Arthur, having 'left the day before the first Japanese attack, tells an I ate resting story, which seems to indicate that the Japanese , planned to cork the harbor before firing -, a, shot. He says that on the day of his r departure a big merchantman, flying ' the Japanese flag, approached the entrance en-trance and In the narrowest part of the ' " . channel suddenly stopped, signaled "I -' nm sinking" and commenced to settle. Liuckily a tug with steam up was close by and towed the Japanese vessel Into a shallow part of the outer harbor. ' The merchantman was loaded with Iron. Her captain declared he had been 'i caught In a storm and the pumps which . had kept the steamer afloat broke down just ss the entrance of Fort Arthur was reached. ENGLAND CONVINCES j' CZAR THAT ATTITUDE I i IS ENTIRELY CORRECT i i 1 PARIS, March 4. To the gratlfica-. gratlfica-. tlon of France, better relations between Russia and Great Britain a,re promised as the result of the 'visit of Count Benckendorff, the Russian embassador to Great Britain, to St. Petersburg. From ' an authoritative source it la learned that Count Benckendorff not only carried car-ried verbal assurances of the absolute neutraUty of Great Britain, in the war. but that he was the bearer of documents docu-ments establishing the fact that the London Government did rot want war, and? had used determined efforts to prevent It. Official advices from St. Petersburg show that Count Benckendorff s representations repre-sentations cleared away many suspicions sus-picions entertained by the Russian authorities. au-thorities. It Is understood that Count Benckendorff was charged with most conciliatory messages by the Czar. WHOLE ARMY MAY , BE CALLED OUT BY CZAR IF NECESSARY ST. PETERSBURG; March 4. An Imperial order had been issued summoning sum-moning the reserve subalterns and first-class first-class reserve men of European Russia to the colors for a tx weeks course of training. A similar order has been issued is-sued to the naval reserves. This Is Interpreted as Indicating that everything Is being msde ready for the mobilisation of the whole Russian army. If necessary. BETTER FEELING IN RUSSIA; AMERICAN Tide rises again ST. PETERSBURG, March 4 The Russian press halls with great satisfaction satis-faction the American dispatches of the last few days as Indicating a change In the disposition of the Washington Government Gov-ernment toward Russia. The Bourse Gazette and the Novoe Vremya this morning discuss In a sober-minded fashion Runeo-Amerlcan relations and the danger of a permanent estrangement. estrange-ment. In conclusion, the Novoe Vremya says: "Ail la well that ends well. If the light, cool fog which has been hanging over Washington Is dispelled and the good old feelings return, we shall be the first to welcome them." World's Fair Strike Off. ST. LOUIS, March 4. The strike of the laborers at the World's fair grounds was declared oft and the 1000 men who walked out Monday resumed work at the reduction announced. |