The sortie of the Russian ships from Port Arthur on
the 10th inst. was a failure. The details are hardly yet fully known, but it is clear that Admiral Togo attacked them in deep water, drove the bulk of the fleet to take refuge once more in the port, sank the Pallada ' in an attack by his destroyers after nightfall, and remain.ed, with his own vessels but slightly damaged, master on the seas. The Novik,' a small cruiser with a most energetic captain, is the only vessel of importance unaccounted for. The remaining ships fled for shelter to Tsing-tau, the German port, and Shanghai and Chifu, which are Chinese. The vessels in Tsing-tau—the Tsarevitch ' and three destroyers—have been dismantled and their crews "interned," the German Government professing its deter- mination to act strictly on the rules of international law. The Chinese appear unable to act with German energy, and as the Reshitelni,' the destroyer which took refuge in Chifu, was not dismantled, the Japanese officer in command of two destroyers demanded her surrender. This was refused some- what violently, and the Japanese, therefore, seized her and carried her away. This act is undoubtedly a breach of inter- national usage, whatever explanation Japan may put forward, and raises serious questions, which we have discussed else- where. The Russian battleships made another sortie on the 12th, but, perceiving Admiral Togo in the offing, retired once more.
