ogo intercepted
him, and a battle followed which, in its results, stands unique in the
history of naval warfare. At a cost of three torpedo boats, 113 killed,
and 444 wounded, the Japanese sank 6 Russian battleships, 1 coast
defense vessel, 3 special service boats, and 3 destroyers, besides
capturing 2 battleships, 2 coast defense vessels, and 1 destroyer, The
losses in killed were 8,550 and over 3,000 prisoners, among them (p. 283)
Admirals Rojestvensky and Nebogatoff, were taken to Japan. As a result
of this one-sided battle, Russia's naval power is broken. (May 27-28,
1905.)

While President Theodore Roosevelt seized this opportunity to approach
the belligerents in favor of peace, pointing out the hopelessness of
continuing the struggle to Russia and appealing to Japan's
magnanimity, the world was startled by the revolt of the Kniaz
Potemkin, a first-class battleship of the Black Sea squadron. The
mutineers found no support, and what might have proved a serious
danger to the house of Romanoff, ended by the ship being sunk in
Roumanian waters. She was recovered by the Russians.

President Roosevelt's efforts toward bringing the two powers together,
proved successful. Washington was agreed upon as the place for the
negotiations, but the plenipotentiaries, Sergius Witte and Baron de
Rosen acting for Russia, met Baron Komura and Minister Takahira, who
represented Japan, at Portsmouth, N. H., where the United States acted
as host.

The incompatibility of Japan's demands and Russia's concessions on
several occasions brought the plenipotentiaries on the verge of
rupture. With the single-mindedness born of an unselfish purpose,
President Roosevelt exerted all the personal influence he could bring
to bear upon czar and emperor with the result that the victor gave the
world an astounding lesson in magnanimity. Japan made peace possible
by withdrawing her demands for indemnity and the cession of territory
beyond that of which Russia had robbed her,--the southern half of the
island of Sakhalin, which will be once more Karafuto for the (p. 284)
Japanese.

The terms of the Treaty of Peace were agreed upon at Portsmouth on the
29th of August 1905. The war had lasted from the 5th of February,
1904, or 572 days. Russia paid in men 375,000, in money
$1,075,000,000,--all for peaceful absorption and support of prestige.
Cassini's shrewd move, ten years before, in robbing Japan of the
Liaotung Peninsula and Port Arthur, has