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Show T MORE TROUBLE FOR RUSSIA. While pnly a few 'yards separate hostile legions in Manchuria, and tomorrow way Avitness a renewal re-newal of the carnagc.cyes are turned from Mukden to London and-. St Petersburg. What is going on, or what is about to take, place in those capitals, arrests the attention "of . everybody interested iu international affairs. At the limit it may be a declaration of war against Russia by Great Britain. Within the limit is an abject apology from Russia, the yielding to which means the infliction of punishment pun-ishment upon Russian naval officers through an alien ultimatum. To explain the foregoing and find cause for it all, we must go back to'thc sailing of the Baltic fleet destined for the relief of Port Arthur. Time and again have accidents to vessels of this squadron squad-ron occurred before a single ship left the port on the Baltic. Some laid these accidents to the inefficiency in-efficiency of Russian naval officers, to the cheap construction of the vessels by a corrupt ring of contractors, while others, maintained that accidents acci-dents were ths outcome of nihilist conspiracy. The Russian authorities, better informed through their splendid detective service, placed the blame upon Japanese spies and others in the pay of the Japanese Japan-ese government. We know now that Russia had information of the presence of Japanese torpedo boats somewhere in northern seas, and Admiral Rojestvensky was admonished to be vigilant to avoid them if possible, but to blow them out of the water wherever they uncovered and showed signs of attacking the Russian squadron. So with all these instructions in his head, along with the knowledge that he entered hostile waters so soon as Russian land faded from view, Admiral Rojestvensky proceeded without startling incident until he entered the British channel. There he discovered Japanese torpedo boata, or what he thought looked very much like them. They appeared ap-peared to be moving in the direction of the squadron. squad-ron. Perhaps a panic took place aboard the Russian Rus-sian ships and the gunners lost their heads. Perhaps Per-haps the order to fire was the result of deliberation. Upon this point we arc yet without clear information. informa-tion. At any rate, fire they did upon the supposed enemy. It turned out that the enemy were only English fishermen, two of whom were killed and another injured. One of the fishing boats went to the bottom. ' : . The Russian squadron kept on its way. Meantime Mean-time the news got to London, and every Briton was ablaze with fury. The Russian minister was mobbed. The czar cabled his regrets to the king, but this did not allay passion or stifle the demand for immediate satisfaction or war. To cut a long story short, Lord Lansdqwne has sent an ultimatum demanding heavy damages. To such Russia is will ing to concede; money is no consideration; but when England 'demands along with damages that Russia shall punish Russian officers for fulfilling Russian instructions and observing vigilance in hostile waters, it becomes another matter. Was the Russian squadron in hostile waters when it entered the English channel ? The answer might be qualified by saying that the Baltic fleet certainly was not in friendly waters. Everybody knows of the Anglo-Japanese alliance and the intense in-tense hatred of everything Russian burning in the British breast. .: Tonight's (Thursday's) .dispatches tell the other side of the fishermen's s-tory. At St. Petersburg, Vice Admiral: Rojestvensky 's explanation of the trawler incident is fully as sensational as the news of the firing upon the fishing fleet, which set all England aflame. He declares he was attacked iu the darkness by two torpedo boats, which came on the squadron from the direction of the fishing fleet. He opened fire and believes he sank one nf the torpedo boats, the other making off for cover among the fishermen. As soon as he noticed the fishermen, Admiral Rojestvensky ceased firing. He proceeded "on his way without leaving any vessel behind, and says he believes the vessel which the fishermen report as remaining on the scene for ?i. hours without offering succor to the drowning vas the other torpedo boat, cither waiting for hoc consort con-sort or repairing damage inflicted by the iire c'" hii ships. ' In concluding his telegram, Admiral R.jje.tvoi:- sky expressed in the most warm-hearted way the regrets of the whole squadron to the fishermen who had suffered, and to the families of the vicirms. Rojestvensky's report was telegraphed from Vigo, Spain, direct. to the emperor. There is reason to believe that tin British embassy em-bassy was also acquainted with information which reached the Russian authorities some time ao of the arrival at and subsequent mysterious disappearance disappear-ance from Hull of twenty Japanese torpedo bor;ts. Rojestvensky's version is likely to create quite as much indignation in Russia as the lishcnncn's version ver-sion did in England. While awaiting further developments, let us look back upon Boston and contemplate the international inter-national peace conference. English delegates were there. Their purpose was not for peace among the nations. They were there to create and promote a sentiment favoring an Anglo-American alliance. In order to take advantage of the troubles of Russia; Rus-sia; in order to justify conquest of Tibet by opening open-ing to the world its storehouses of hidden knowledge; knowl-edge; in order to bring reproach upon Belgium because English missionaries got no bonus from the Comro rubber trade. Oh, the hypocrite! Well, did Xapoleon call it "perfidious Albion"! 4. |