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In 1902 Russia agreed to withdraw her troops by instalments from Chinese territory. She violated her agreement. In 1903 Japan made certain proposals for a good understanding with Russia. During the negotiations which followed Russia strengthened her army in Manchuria and her navy in the East. On February 6th, 1904, Japan broke off negotiations and recalled her minister from Russia.

Japan struck the first blow by a torpedo attack upon the Russian squadron which lay in the outer roadstead of Port Arthur (February 8th). This attack was followed by a bombardment at long range by the fleet of Admiral Togo on the 9th. Czar Nicholas proclaimed war on Feb. 10th.

The first Japanese army under Kuroki marched from Chemulpo, Korea, across Yalu River and won a victory over the Russian forces near Antung. Kuroki pursued the Russian troops toward Liaoyang, and meantime three other Japanese armies landed on the Liaotung peninsula under Generals Oku, Nogi and Nodzu. On May 21 Oku fought and won the battle of Nanshan Hill, cutting off Port Arthur from the Russian army under Kuropatkin at Liaoyang. The Japanese armies were then divided, Nogi with a strong force going south to invest Port Arthur, while the other divisions joined in an advance on Liaoyang. Stakelberg with a Russian force of 35,000 men was sent south to the relief of Port Arthur, but was met and defeated with heavy loss by the Japanese under Oku. Kuropatkin, with 170,000 men and 400 guns, was attacked at Liaoyang by the combined armies of Kuroki, Oku and Nodzu, numbering 200,000 men and 500 guns and under the chief command of Marshal Oyama, The battle lasted from Aug. 26 until Sept. 4 and resulted in the defeat of the Russians with a loss of more than 22,000 men. Kuropatkin halted at Sha River, and here on Oct. 9–11 he attacked the Japanese and was defeated, losing nearly 70,000 men. The active siege of Port Arthur began about August 1st, 1904, the Japanese force under Nogi numbering more than 100,000. Desperate fighting occurred from time to time until a hill was captured by the Japanese, from which they could see the town and harbor of Port Arthur. They were thus enabled to get accurate range and shell the town and harbor until the Russian warships in port were sunk and the town in large part destroyed. Port Arthur was surrendered by Stoessel on Jan. 1, 1905, with 32,000 prisoners. Nogi’s army now joined Oyama’s forces and the battle of Mukden was fought, beginning Feb. 24 and continuing until March 12. This proved to be one of the greatest contests in history. Marshal Oyama had nearly 450,000 men and Kuropatkin about 410,000, the total number engaged being estimated at 860,000. The battle resulted in another victory for the Japanese, the Russian loss being nearly 110,000 men, in killed, wounded and prisoners. The loss of the Japanese was estimated at 75,000 men. No serious fighting on land occurred after this battle. Meantime Russia sent a powerful fleet from the Baltic under the command of Rojestvenski. This fleet, sailing for Vladivostok, was attacked and destroyed in the Sea of Japan on May 27th, by the Japanese fleet under Togo. On the invitation of President Roosevelt of the United States, a peace conference was held at Portsmouth, N. H., opening on Aug. 9, 1905, and here a treaty of peace was signed on the 23rd of August, 1905. By this treaty Russia’s lease of Liaotung Peninsula, including Port Arthur, was assigned to Japan and Russia also ceded to Japan the southern half of the island of Sakhalin.

Rust. Neither wrought iron nor steel nor cast iron can be exposed to moist air without rusting. But wrought iron, being nearly pure iron, rusts more readily than either of the others, which contain carbon. When a drop of rain falls on a clean, bright surface of iron, for a short time the drop stays clear, showing the bright surface of the iron through it. But soon a greenish appearance, which is a precipitate, is seen in the drop, and quickly becomes a reddish-brown — the peroxide of iron. This is rust. The rust does not stick to the iron but is hung in the water, and becomes a coating only when the water has evaporated. Iron remains quite free from rust in an atmosphere containing water-vapor, so long as the water-vapor does not condense as liquid water on the surface of the iron. But when rust once forms, the iron will go on rusting in an atmosphere in which a piece of clean iron will not rust, because liquid water will condense on rust when it will not on bright iron. So it is much easier to prevent the first formation of rust than to stop the process. To prevent rust, oil-paint is used, also a zinc coating (galvanizing) and japanning.

Rust (in plants), a destructive disease caused by the attacks of parasitic fungi, especially injurious to wheat, oats and other cereals. Signs of the disease are spots and lines of black, yellow or brown on stem and leaf. It is one of the most formidable pests that attack grain, annually causing enormous loss. Little progress has been made in combatting it. Varieties that ripen early are less subject to attack. See. Consult Carleton’s Lessons from the Grain-Rust Epidemic of 1904 and the U. S. Dept. of Ag. Farmers’ Bulletin 219.

Ruth, a young Moabitess, who, after the death of her Hebrew husband, Mahlon, for the sake of her mother-in-law Naomi, came to settle in Bethlehem. There she became the wife of a near kinsman, Boaz, and the mother of Obed, grandfather of King David. The story is told in Ruth, and is placed

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