In the earlier stages of the war the distinction between spies and newspaper correspondents was a fine one. The difference consisted chiefly in the nature of the employment, but it mattered little to the power spied upon whether the reporter was paid by a newspaper or by the enemy. It was important that naval and military movements should be kept secret, and a plan was marred if a fleet were reported seen by a press despatch-boat or tramp steamer, or one of the enemy’s scouts. The presence of all newspaper men, and most civilians, was irksome to commanders. It is not surprising that newspaper correspondents were denied the facilities they expected, before an adequate censorship had been established; for, as a matter of fact they not infrequently acted as spies without intending to do so. For instance, in June, a correspondent landed at Port Arthur from a junk; he saw little there, and was sent back to Chifu at the first opportunity. He stated, amongst other things, that fresh provisions were not scarce in the besieged fortress, and immediately afterwards the junk supplies there appreciably diminished, for the Japanese watched the coast with greater vigilance. The spies who acted as newspaper representatives do not call for special condemnation, since a spy is expected to do whatever will effect his purpose; and although his presence and behaviour may hamper the genuine correspondent, it is the newspaper which the spy pretends to represent that alone has a substantial grievance. Spies and correspondents are equally eager to obtain every item of information that has any interest, and in order to succeed one takes the same risks as often as does the other. The treatment which would be accorded a spy and a correspondent by the military authorities would differ, but the difficulty has been to detect the spy and exculpate the correspondent. By the Russians it was, at first, deemed most satisfactory to regard both as though all were spies. Some weeks after hostilities were commenced the Viceroy’s staff drew up regulations which were approved at St. Petersburg, and enforced. Their object was to lessen the number of newspaper representatives with the Russian army at the theatre of war, and to control them effectually apart from the restraint exercised by the censorship which was then established. The conditions imposed cannot be too widely known, as they show exactly some of the difficulties with which accredited correspondents had to contend. Art. IV. Each war correspondent on arrival at the scene of action must sign a written compact binding himself: (i.) Not to interfere in any way with preparations for war, or with the plans of the Staff, nor to divulge anything which should be kept secret, such as, _the result of the action of the enemy_, damages done to fortifications, losses of guns, etc.