The Canadian Pacific Railway is a line of railway which traverses British North America from the St Lawrence to the Pacific. One of the conditions upon which the province of British Columbia in 1871 entered the Dominion of Canada was the construction of such a railway. Since that time more than one act had been passed empowering different companies to go on with the work. Eventually, however, it was completed, according to arrangement with the Canadian government, by a syndicate of London, Paris, and American capitalists, being opened for general traffic in June, 1886. Commencing at Montreal, the line goes on to Ottawa, thence round the north of the Great Lakes to Port Arthur at the head of Lake Superior, and thence to Winnipeg, Manitoba, thence to Stephen in the Rocky Mountains, then across British Columbia to Vancouver on the Pacific. Vancouver, now a thriving city, owes its existence to this railway. The line was of great importance not only as a means of communication between Europe and Eastern Asia and Australasia, but also as a military highway binding together the great masses of the British Empire during the late 19th century. Research Canadian Pacific Railway
Anatoly Mikhailovitch Stossel was a Russian soldier. He was born in 1848 and died in 1915. He entered the army in 1866 and in 1899 was made a general. During the Russo-Japanese War of 1904 to 1905 he commanded the fortress of Port Arthur, and during the siege of the fort was praised for his heroism. However, after the fall of Port Arthur questions were asked about his leadership and in 1908 he was tried by court-martial, sentenced to death, but his sentence was commuted to ten years' imprisonment, and after fifteen months was released due to ill health. Research Anatoly Stossel
Frederic Villiers was a British war artist and correspondent. He was born in 1852 and died in 1922. He was war artist for the 'Graphic' in most wars from 1872 and was the only war artist at the siege of Port Arthur. In 1909 he was with the Spanish army in Morocco and both the French and British armies in France from 1914 to 1917. He was the first to use a cinematograph camera in war. Research Frederic Villiers
The Battle of Telissu (Battle of Wa-Fang-Kou) was fought between the Russians and Japanese in June 1904. The battle was the result of the first attempt by the Russians to relieve Port Arthur from the north. On May the 30th Japanese cavalry made contact with Russian horsemen, and for the newt few days there were regular skirmishes between the two sides' horsemen.
Stackelberg, realising the Japanese had superior forces decided not to fight a decisive action, and took up a defensive position south of Wa-Fang-Kou, on a line running through Telissu, and across the valley of the Fuchon river, which divided the position into two parts. On June the 15th the Japanese under Oku attacked and defeated the weakened Russian right flank, forcing a retreat by the Russians who lost some 3500 troops, to the Japanese losses of about 1200. Research Battle of Telissu
The Russo-Japanese war took place between 1904 and 1905 over a dispute between Russia and Japan over Russia's occupation of part of China. Russia, seeking a port free from ice all the year round, secured a lease of Port Arthur from China in 1896. Soon the Siberian railway extended into the town; the harbour was deepened; building operations were begun at Dalny, which it was intended to make the great port of Asia; and schemes were broached for elevating Russia into the position of a naval power in the Pacific.
In midsummer 1900 Russia took over the reins of power in the Amur province. She then tried to induce China formally to recognise the military occupation of the province. Both Great Britain and Japan flatly refused to consider the proposal. The following spring Russia promised to withdraw her troops within six months from part of Mukden and south Manchuria, as well as to restore the railway to China; to evacuate Mukden and Kirin altogether within the following six months; and to withdraw from Chinese territory finally within a third period of six months. Russia didn't keep her promise, and in June 1903 Japan proposed an agreement with Russia by which both parties would respect the integrity of China and Korea. Russia refused and in February 1904 Japan withdrew her minister at the Russian capital and three days later attacked the Russian fleets at Chemulpo and Port Arthur and landed troops at Chemulpo. Japanese troops in Korea occupied Seoul and marched north to Pingyang. The Japanese general attacked the opposing Russians on April the 30th on the Yalu, and completely routed them. Russia was defeated, and peace was finally secured by the treaty of Portsmouth (USA) signed on August the 29th 1905. By the treaty the island of Sakhalin was divided between both parties. Russia lost control in Manchuria to Japan, and both parties evacuated China leaving it to China. Research Russo-Japanese War
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