THE WAR CLOUD.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIX, Issue 23, 28 January 1898, Page 5

THE WAR CLOUD.

THE CRISIS IN CHINA

NEWS BY THE MAIL

THREATENED DISMEMBE RMENT OP CHINA.

The following interesting dispatches concerning the crisis in the East are from the San Francisco papers to hand by the R.M.S. Moana to-day. (Special Dispatches to the San Francisco 'Chronicle.) LONDON, December 20. The officers of the Chinese Embassy here do not conceal their belief that the Powers intend to seize Chinese ports. They deny the report .that Great Britain has been asked to- assume a protectorate over the Yangtse valley and the West river. A report was current that part of the British Far Eastern squadron would be stationed at Wei-hai-wei this winter, but that was officially denied. But it is alleged with some show of authority that the Government knew of Russia's occupation ,of Port Arthur last Friday, and that the Cabinet sat three hours discussing the situation. The rumour is current here that the British East Asiatic squadron has been ordered lo sail for Quelpaert Island, at tlie entrance of tlie Yellow Sea, presumably to occupy it. The tone of the German press is favourabb' to some such action on Hie part of Great Britain. Quelpaert Island, which is sixty miles south of Corea, is forty - live' miles long and twelve miles broad. It is subordinate to Corea, and has been used as a penal settlement. YOKOHAMA. December 20. Russia has notified Japan of the temporary occupation of Port Arthur, and a large Japanese squadron has left Nagasaki. LONDON. December 2!..—The correspondent of the 'Times' at Peking says:—-The Chinese are provisioning Port Arthur and will reconstruct the forts there,' Russia furnishing the money. In the face of these indications of permanent occupation the j necessity of safeguarding our position in the Far Past is increasing. I The Russo-Chinese Bank, which is the ' agent of the Russian Government, has j offered to China 10,000 Borden rifles, | with payment five years hence. China j has accepted the proposition. j According to a despatch lo the 'Times' from Kobe. Japan, the news | from Port Arthur has greatly disturbed the Japanese Ministry. Long j Cabinet councils have been had, and | the high military officials have ati tended. The Japanese newspapers, j the dispatch says, are nonplussed at [the situation in the Par Past, while 'the Ministry is involved in domestic ! troubles connected . with its taxation j proposals, to which the Diet is hostile. The Vienna correspondent of the i 'Standard' says he ha., ascertained ; that the first news of the occupation jof Port Arthur emanated from Tokio, I a fact significant of Japanese vigilance. Discussing Japan's position, the correspondent says:—'She cannot declare war against cither China or Russia, because, if. she did, the ten large ironclads that are being built i for her in Europe and America, that ! are nearly finished, would be shut up till the war was over. She will; therefore, risk nothing by herself.' HOW CHINA WILL BE CUT UP. .The 'San Francisco Chronicle' of Dec. 28 says: Prom the trend of events !hi the Orient h is deemed certain that I the dismemberment of China is near. I Russia will get Ihe lion's share, comj prising Manchuria and .Mongolia. Geri mffny's sphere of influence will be the section between the Yellow and Yang ' Tsc Kiang Rivers, a rich territory. I.nghuul will probably have to be coni rent with a sort of protectorate over ! what is left of the empire after the [other Powers have taken all they can. llt is considered certain thai Japan will mot be allowed to get beyond the Shanit ting Promontory,where she now holds Wei-Hni-Wei. and Prance will probably be limited to her present sphere. Kin Chow, the place occupied by the Russians, is a small town just a few miles back of Port Arthur, and not the city of the same name at the head of Linlong Gulf, Its occupation will materially strengthen the position of the Russians al Port Arthur, and the seizure is significant inasmuch as it indicates that Russia intends to make her possession of Port Arthur permanent. TUP JAPANESE VIEW. Captain S. Sakurai, assistant. Chief Naval Constructor of the Japanese Govei'iiennit, who is now in San Francisco superintending the building of the cruiser C-hito.se at the Union iron Works, made a statement concerning the feeling of the naval and military officers of Japan over the late actions of Germany and Russia with regard to the occupation of Chinese ports, lie said: 'The people of 1-iirope seem unable to believe but that the Japanese are still o race slow to anger and unable to properly gauge their own present powerful position among the nations of the earth. That is a mistake. We are fully alive to that knowledge, and are ready at any moment, either at sea or o nland, to defend outnational honour. While. Of course, I enn say nothing on this subject officially, 1 am very well acquainted with the ideas of my brother officers and the great mass of the middle and upper classes of my country. We believe we are. being treated shamefully, and that some, of the .European nations, Russia, particularly, are using us as if we were children. When flushed with victory and in a position to carry our arms still further into the territory of China, and to demand by reason of our success any concessions, we desired to ask for, it'was Russia that stepped in and, on the plea of peace and the welfare of all Europe, caused us to modify our desires and to be content With almost barren honours. And now Russia, taking advantage of the opening that our own soldiers and sailors have made possible, seeks for herself what she begged us not to take. I believe that a coalition between Great Britain and Japan.in the present, crisis is not only possible, but highly probable". Our standing army has lately been increased by two divisions.brjnging it to considerably over .100.000 men, nnd we are now building and getting ready for sea with all possible dispatch fifteen, war ships and twenty four torpedo and gunboats. These, added to our already formidable and seasoned navy, form a fleet that may well be a disturbing eltwnent in the present plans of Russia and Germany. If will not take very much more manipulation on the part of these two nations to arouse a resentment in Japan that will find its voice in something more than words.'ENGLAND'S CLAIMS.

MANCHESTER, January 3,

The Manchester 'Guardian' to-day says;—' The Government has cate-

gorieally stated that Great. Britain will refuse to recognise any special rights granted at any Chinese port to any particular power. Any port opened to one Power must be opened to all or open to none. .'.lf Russia has been granted the right to winter ships in Port Arthur, Great Britain will enforce her rights to the same privileges, and her ships will winter there whether China concedes or does not concede the right. 'If Germany obtains a naval station at. Kiaochau, .Great Britain insists upon having a lease of ground for a naval station at the same port, and. she will support every other Power milking the same claim. 'The contention of the Government is . that the. most, favoured nation clause in the British and all other treaties With China forbids any special concessions of the nature contemplated by Germany at Kiaochau and prevents nations from acquiring special benefits in which the others have not a share. 'The Government has also declared' that the same principle applies to such transactions as railway and mine monopolies. Taking her stand on the treaties, (treat Britain refuses to acknowledge such concessions, and will insist upon similar ' railway and mining rights, and will use such force to secure or defend them as may be necessary. 'This declaration does not apply to cessions of territory to which'the existing treaties do not refer, but relative to this contingency the dispatch of Great Britain to China says that when it occurs graver questions will arise. The Government will then consider the manner in which British interests can best be safeguarded and the form which the compensation to (treat Britain for the special advantages of other nations must take. 'it is reported that a similar declaration has been delivered to the Chinese and other Governments by Japan.' THE CESSION. OF KAIOCHAU. BERLIN, January :",. —The Reiehsan/.eiger this evening announces that, according to a telegram from Peking an understanding has been reached between Germany and China regarding the cession of Kiaochau Bay to the former. The arrangement, it is added, is substantially as follows: It is intended by thp cession to render possible for Germany the fulfilment of her just wish for the possession, in the same way as other powers, of a base of trade and navigation in Chinese waters. The cession of Kaiochau Bay to Germany takes the form of a lease, for an indefinite time. Germany is at liberty to erect on the ceded territory all the necessary buildings and establishments and to take the measures required for their protection. Continuing the Reichsan/.eiger says —The ceded territory comprises tlie whole of the inner basin of Kaiochau Bay as far as the high water line, the larger headlands situated south and north of the entrance of the bay to the point where, they are .naturally bounded by mountain ranges, and also the islands situated within and in front of the bay. No obstacles are to be raised by China to any measures Germany deems necessary for the regulation of the wafer courses. China has transferred to Germany for a period not stated in the telegram a lease of sovereign rights over the ceded territory. If for any cause Kaiochau Bay should prove unsuitable for the objects Germany has in view, China, after arriving at an understanding with Germany, will cede another piece of territory on the const which Germany may regard as more suitable for her .purpose.