Alleged Russian outrage.

According to the Hakodate correspondent of the Japan Advertiser, the Japanese sealing schooner "Toramaru," of Yokohama, was otter-hunting off Shamushiri Island when on July 1st she picked up a boat containing four men, part of the crew of the "Matsutomo-maru." According to the correspondent's account, the "Matsutomo-maru," while on her way to the hunting grounds off the Commander Islands, encountered a gale on June 18th, during which she sprang a leak and foundered, nine of her crew going down with the vessel, while the remainder, eighteen in number with three boats, managed to land on the coast of Kamschatka.... As they were entirely without provisions and a number of them sick from exposure in the boats, four men volunteered to take one of the boats and go to Shumushiri [sic], where there is a Japanese settlement, for assistance. After being in the boat for five days, they fell in with the "Tora-maru."

On hearing of the plight of the shipwrecked men, the master of the "Tora-maru" kept away for the bay inn which they were reported to have landed, arriving there on the morning of July 5th, and seeing a number of men on the beach he ordered three boats to be lowered and manned by a crew of four each. These pulled for the shore.

In response to signals on shore the men in the boat approached, but only to find that the men who had been signaling were Russians. They at once stopped pulling and began to back away from the shore, when suddenly from four different places on shore fire was opened on the boats, the crews of which were entirely unarmed. The crew of the leading boat attempted to pull out, but after the second volley all were mortally wounded. Nevertheless the fire from over thirty rifles on shore was continued until the boat was riddled with bullets and sank....

The crew of the second boat at the first fire dropped in the bottom of the boat, and being further out escaped most of the fire, which was concentrated on the leading boat, though every man in the boat was severely wounded.... But, favoured by the wind and tide, the boat drifted off shore out of rifle shot, where she was taken in tow by the third boat and brought off to the "Tora-maru."

The "Tora-maru" then made for Hakodate, where she duly arrived, and the wounded men were at once removed to a hospital.

Nothing is known of the fate of the balance of the "Matsutomo-maru's" crew, but it is believed that they have been murdered by the Russians, as one of the wounded men who belonged to the "Matsutomo-maru," and who was in the second boat, declares that the men they first saw on the beach were wearing the clothes belonging to the men that had been left there.

The story is an extraordinary one, and would seem to require considerable corroboration before being accepted.

FROM THE JAPAN WEEKLY CHRONICLE, AUGUST 3RD, 1905