On the occasion of the Emperor's birthday a salute was fired, and there were prayers.
Sorting out my books, I found a clean notebook and copy-book. They came at an opportune moment, as I had finished the last.
7 p.m.—They are beginning to swear at having let the Oscar go without examining her.
The weather is beginning to be doubtful. Perhaps there will be a typhoon. The fleet will suffer severely.
They have just published a list of vessels which are known to be carrying contraband to Japan. Of course, the list only contains a portion of them. What have they not in them! Horses, guns, projectiles, powder, gun-cotton, explosives, blankets, milk, rails, engines, cables, iron, steel, copper, armour plates, conserves, rifles, grenades, shrapnel, wire, steam cutters, railway material. One steamer is specially fitted for raising our ships sunk at Port Arthur!
May 7th.—Pacific Ocean.
The fleet is in the Pacific. For some reason it is also called the "Great." We passed by the islands of the Batan (sic) group. They say there are volcanoes there. I did not see them from the ship.
The motion of the sea interfered with the coaling of the captured steamer. If the coal does not last her to Vladivostok, she is ordered to call at Korsakovsky port (in Sagalien). There are still two hundred of our men, who were coaling, on board her. Owing to the motion they could not be taken off. They will try to take them off to-morrow.
There are about 2,800 versts left to Vladivostok.