TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 10870, 21 January 1901, Page 4

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

It takes more ihan a day and The a half to settle an internaKowshing tional difference. The sinkIncident, ing of the steamer Kowshing

by a Japanese ironclad occurred: as far back as July, 1894, at the beginning of tine Chino-Japar.ese War, yet it is only in Uhis iSomin-g's cable message* ■•tihiat we read that an arbitrator, Mr Choate, l;as been appointed ■Sα the dispute. The Kowshing incident caused considerable excitement when it occurred, and 'lor a time ib seemed probable tihat it would seriously complicate matters in the East. The Kowshing, a British steamer, owned by the fii-m of 'Mat'heson and Co., bad been chartered by the Chinese' Government to convey -troops to Core*. When she left China war had not been declared, but a few days later, after the declaration of war, the steamer with the troops on board to the number of 1600, was met in.Corean waters, when forty miles off Chemulpo, by three Japanese ironclads, and was ordered to " stop where you are or take the consequences." The Kowshing, which was flying the British flag, anchored , without delay, and the Japanese cruiser Xaniwa sent a boarding party on to the vessel. The officer in command of this party, after examining the ship's papers, ordered the Kowshing to follow the cruiser to Japm. As this would have meant at least imprisonment for the Chinese soldiers on board, they naturally became very excited, and even threatened to kill the English officers if tha summons were obeyed. To make sure that 'they would not be taken to Japan, they mounted guard over the anchor. Captain yon Hanneken, a German military officer, who came out to China so.ns years before, and had built all the forts c n the coast, was on board the Kowshing. He made a. protest against the conduct of the Japanese, pointing out that the steamer had left China in time of peace, and as, further, the Kowshing was a British vessel under the British flag, which should be respected, -jjlie claimed that the ship should be escorted back to the Chinese coast. This dignified protest had no effect upon the Japau2;e, although one would hare thought that at the outset of a war /winch threatened to be troublesome, they would have taitm nare not to offend Great Britain. The boardingparty having returned to the cruiser, the latter signalled " Quit the ship as soon as I possible." Captain Goldswort'hy, of the Kowshing, replied that it was impossible to do so. Then the Xaniwa, flying an answering pennant, steamed quickly into position, broadside on, at a distance of about 220 yards. She immediately discharged, a torpedo at the Kawshing, and fired two broadsides with, all her guns. The Chinese troope, in reply, fired only their rifles and some small mountain guns, as they had no h«>avy guns, but their weapons were, of course, no match for the guns of the Naniwa. The Kowshing gradually sank in eight fathoms, the troops firing to the last. What especially excited the horror and indignation of all who read of the incident was the statement that the Xaniwa fired h-er maciiine guns on the Chinese troops even when they were struggling in the water. It is but proper to add that the Japanese official account conflicted in some, particulars ■with, this narrative. The Japanese declared that a treacherous attempt on the part of the Chinese cruiser Cliing-Yuen, to torpedo the Xaniwa provoked the attack. They ass£rted, (moreover, that t!«s flying of the British Aj,g on board the Kowshing was merely a ruse. Slanv of the salient facts, however, j do not appear to have been disputed. For some time the question of Japanese responsibility in the "matter was keenly debated, the owners of the steamer also preferring a i claim for compensation. Xow, as the cable message shows, certain questions in dispute on the subject are to be referred to arbitration.

One of the latest wonders in A Record shipbuilding is the ma'gnifiBreaking cent ocean liner DeutschSteamar. land, a record breaker in

many ways. According to the published descriptions of this vessel, she is to all intents and purposes a floating city —j. modem twentieth century city floating between the two Continents she helps to unite. Her ordinary population is about 2000 souls. Her gigantic size mar, perhaps, be realised wbsn it is stated that with the steel -used in building 'her hull it would be possible to construct dwellings for 2000 persons, and to surround the town thus erected witih a solid wall of steel, five feet high, and 10 miles in length. If the coal carried in the bunkers of the big ship were transferred to this unique town, it would be sufficient to supply the whale community with fuel for two years. Her length is 686 feet, nearly double tha height of the tallest building in the world; she is 67 feet wide, a little wider than the standard -width of our streets —and is 44 feet deep. Her horse power is greater tlisin that of any other vessel, and her coal consumption is over 500 tons every 24 hours—a ton every three minutes. Small wonder that with such powerful engines, and such a tremendous coal bill, s-he is breaking all records between England and America, and steaming at the rate of 28 miles an hour. The vessel is most luxuriously fitted for passengers, accommodation being provided for 1500 persons, besides a crew of 600. Among the new ideas introduced is a grill room, where passengers can drop in at any time of the day, and get a grill for the orderiug. It is a very popular establishment with those who are not able to attend the regular meals. Then tihere is a specially fitted) nursery for children; a well equipped .gymnasium, and, in fact, all the luxuries and conveniences that one could possibly think of to make sea-travelling a pleasant experience. There are even private dining rooms on board this huge vessel. The Christmas Number of " Hnraisworth's Magazine" gives a full description of the steamer, and mentions amongst other things that she cost considerably over a million pounds to build a.nd equip. It is said that amongst, her other records, is the distinction of being t'he most expensive liner aJloat. She is a perfect triumph of shipbuilding, and it is Germany and , not Great Bfitain that has the credit of producing this marine wonder. The loyalty of the Maoris of " Kapai this colony is 'beyond all queste tion. They axe never tired of (Maori 1" displaying their respect for the Crown, and the prospect of a visit from, the probable future King of the British people seems to have excited them exceedingly. They are determined that His Royal Highness the Duke of York skill be given a welcome such as has never been given by the natives of this colony to any previous whdteman, and if their plans are carried out wMi the thoroughness of which present indications give promise, our Royal visitor will have a most interesting experience. Maori etiquette seems to demand that the .reception of an illustrious visitor, such as the Duke of York, should begin before the actual landing takes place, and in order that this may 'be done in the approved style it is proposed to transport to Welling- [ ton some of the largest Maori war canoes in the colony, with experienced men to man them. The pick of the Maori chiefs, youths and majdins are also to (be gathered together for the occasion, and an impressive programme, of hakas, poi dances, etc., is in course of preparation.. The natives are throwing themselves into the matter with that zesfc which always characterises them in undertakings of this kind, and already the word is travelling through the North Island, from paih to pah, and tih*e preliminary steps thus taken. Mr C. Parata, who -was in charge of the natives who recently proved such a source of attraction to sightseers here, 'has been appointed organising secretary of the movement, and the work is in good hands. The Acting-Premier, on behalf of the Government, has promised the natives every assistance, and there is little doubt .that His Royal H-ighness will have a novel experience. There is only one little drawback which must be guarded against. The native, on great occasions, is usually a great talker, and it would be rather a pity if the preliminary greetings were burdened with lengthy harangues, Jiowever loyal and flattering they might be. But, no doubt, this -will ba guarded , and the native reception should prove one of the most interesting episodes of the Royal visit. It is to be hoped that the. rumour cabled from London this morning will prove to be unfounded, and that there may be no reason for the abandonment of the Royal visit.