been told that our route would be over historic battlegrounds, and
we soon realized this, for, after leaving Mukden, we saw the monument
erected by the Japanese Government as a memorial to the memory of the
Japanese soldiers who fell in a desperate engagement, March 13th, 1905.
This was the battle of Shio-ho, one of the worst of the war. General
Kuropatkin headed the Russians, while Generals Kuroki and Nogi were on
the Japanese side. The Russians were vanquished and were forced to
retreat to Karpan. Later we came to a large place, formerly a Russian
city, Lara-yang, which was taken by the Japanese, and now seems in a
prosperous condition. A large rocky mountain, passed later on, was the
scene of a desperate attempt of the Japanese to dislodge the Russians,
and here eight thousand of the former lost their lives. At one point a
tall granite monument was raised to the memory of ten thousand Japanese
soldiers, all of which gave us a realizing sense of the horrors of the
conflict. Later, these warlike reminders ceased, and the landscape
showed broad, well-cultivated fields; indeed, the Manchuria of to-day,
as far as we could determine, seems a fertile plain; and while a coarser
cereal is now raised, it seemed possible that this might become a great
wheat-producing land with proper cultivation.

* * * * *

NIUCHWANG: When near Niuchwang, we came to the city of Shai-seng, and
saw the long lines of Russian barracks which are now occupied by the
Japanese. We reached our destination late in the evening, and had a
jinrikisha ride of over an hour before turning to the Central Hotel,
which had been greatly damaged by fire, but which we persuaded our
Director to select for us. Our surroundings were not luxurious, but a
fairly good dinner awaited us.

In the morning we had a delightful surprise. A call of the Director at
the English Club the evening previous had resulted in an invitation
extended to the entire party to breakfast at the residence of Mr. Henry
A. Bush, of Bush Brothers, a noted firm in the East. Never was an
invitation more gladly accepted. The mistress of the household was
absent, but Mr. Bush, aided by friends, did the honors to perfection. It
was a lovely home and full of good cheer. Two hours later we were sent
to the station in carriages, and escorted to a junction, nine miles
away, by a relative of the family. We learned afterward that this
courtesy was often extended to tourists s