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Show THE WAR INJHE ORIENT. A Mukden dispatch says that "the extreme cold keeps things quiet along the front." When the thermometer is below zero one cannot look for active and continued military operations. There are reports of . movements of Russian and Japanese Japan-ese flying columns, particularly on General Kuro- i pat kin's left flank, but both sides occupy substantially substan-tially the positions they have held for weeks. If it be the intention of the Japanese to take their time henceforth about the reduction of Port Arthur, it will be in their power-to send Maquis Oyama a strong reinforcement. Such' is the conclusion con-clusion of the Chicago' Tribune,1 '".The lowest estimate esti-mate of General Stoessel's force is 4,000 men. That probably is too low,: but; jf he should' have three times as many the Japanese can safely send away a considerable portion of their Port'. Arthur, army. If Marquis Oyanui, after having been reinforced from that quarter, docs not take the offensive speedily speed-ily he probably never will. His army will have reached the highest point of efficiency after the arrival of tlie trained soldiers who have been fighting fight-ing under General Xori. The men whom he may receive-from Japan will not be of so good quality. On the other hand, the troops now reaching General Gen-eral "Kuropatkin are drawn from the garrisons on the western frontier of the empire and are superior to many of those previously sent to him. Before long General Kuropatkin should have at his dis-! dis-! posal all the troops the carrying capacity of the j trans-Siberian railroad will permit him to keep supplied with provisions. The road is constantly being made more efficient by the construction of new sidings and the substitution of ircn for wooden wood-en bridges. . . . " It would nut bo surprising to hear that the Jap-anese Jap-anese have given up the plan of assuming the aggressive' ag-gressive' for a policy less' prodigal of the lives of the soldiers. In that event Marquis Oyama could choose between holding his present position after fortifying it more extensively, or he could fall back upen some point nearer his base and await his enemy there. . It is "admitted "that the Russian ships at Port Arthur are destroyed, or are so badly damaged as to be unserviceable. The Japanese ships which have been blockading Port; Arthur have gone home to" refit, .and get ready to meet 'an advancing Russian Rus-sian fleet, which, though superior on paper, certainly cer-tainly is inferior in personnel. Is'aval officers of all nations have turned their eyes to the Orient and are waiting eagerly for the result of the impending contest between great fleets of armored vessel?. They have a professional -interest in -the matter aside from- the general, interest felt. by all. General Stoessel has1 given General Nogi a map showing the' positions of the hospitals in Port Arthur, Ar-thur, so that they may 'be safe from Japanese tire, That is an admission that the Japanese guns com mand the town,-but does not indicate that the general gen-eral is any more ready to surrender than he was a month ago. Xo date can be set for the fall of Port Arthur. It has brave, .defenders behind fortifications fortifica-tions of amazing strength. ".' ' ; " "' . : : - |