BRITISH AND FOREIGN NEWS.

Evening Post, Volume LXVIII, Issue 128, 26 November 1904, Page 9

BRITISH AND FOREIGN NEWS.

• SPECTATOR SUMMARY. LONDON, Ist October. THE NEXT CAMPAIGN. It is simply impossible to estimate with certainty the numbers of the armies to be employed in the next campaign. The Russians hope to have half-a-million of men, but they take no account of the desertions, the wastage from disease, and the differences between the muster-rolls on paper and in the field. Nor are they clear as to the extent of the burden which the carriage of food as well a's of munitions imposes on their one railway. The Japanese, on the other hand, though 1 they hope to have at least as many, and , are much nearer to the scene of action, , are much farther from the European manufactories of arms, ha.ye forty-five thousand wounded in their island hospitals', and are considering a plan for increasing the term of military service. The best conjecture is that in the second campaign a million of men on the two sides will be under arms, but it . may prove in practice to be a considerable exaggeration. The scale of the war will, however, be in any case tremendous,' anc| must be a subject of anxious reflection to Lord Kitchener. JAPANESE ADMINISTRATION. - The account of Japanese administration in Formosa published in Tlie Times of Saturday last is probably a little too favourable, but it is worth study, for the Japanese ■will, if they are victorious, un- ! questionably try to cjolonise new dependencies. According to this account, they have done wonders. After a year or two of extreme difficulty they have succeeded in taming the peculiarly savage tribes of the island, which was a kind of Alsatia for Chinese bandits and Malay pirates, and have thus relieved the peaceful sec-

will be reached by the 25th October, when the force will be practically 'within our own dominion, a& the valley is to be retained until the indemnity is paid. Before its departure, the correspondent of The Times was permitted, by the influence of the Ambon, to enter the Cathedral, or Holy of Holies, of Lhassa. It is a building full of courts and ancient chapels, each with its idol, aad all greasy with the stains of the butter that for ages has been burnt before thek- shrines. In the centre of all, amidst a gloom dispersed only by the golden lamps fed with butter, sits tho gigantic golden statue, believed to have been miraculously carved, of Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, not -with the well-known conventional face, but with that of a boy Prince, such as Gautama was before he turned reformer. The statue, which is known to have existed in the seventh centmy, wears a Tiuge golden -crown, and is hung with heavy necklaces of jewels. Above it is carved the legendary Bird of Garuda, and behind it stand giant statues, almost formless,* bufc throwing the central figure into strong relief. The whole scene evidently made a profound impression on the correspondent, who believes that he is the first European, or even spy, ever admitted into, the inner shrines, the few previous accounts which exist being incorrect, and probably ba&ed on hearsay. THE BELIGIOUS INSTINCT. It should be noted that, deep as is the reverence for the Jokang, religiously as> its seclusion is guarded, and large as are the presents constantly forwarded to it, the place itself is marked by neglect, 1 filth, and the irreverence of its guardians. They are too close to the sanctuary to feel its sanctity— a fact noted through centuries about almost every great temple in the world, even that which at Mukden covers the tombs of the Manchu Emperors. We fancy that Lamaism is decaying like every other form of Buddhism, which for all its wide diffusion, and the content •with which it seems to in-

would resist invasion ; to reforlify Herat, which part of the new army will garrison ; and to facilitate a inarch of a British army to his support by bridging the Helmund ; and the Ameer has accepted the advice. If the Russians win the next campaign, these arrangements may prove of importance. ITALY AND GERMANY. Diplomatists on tlie Continent are much • excited by a sudden visit which Sigoor Giolitti, the Italian Premier and Minister of the Interior, is paying to Count yon Bulow at Homburg. It is argued that the Italian would not quit Rome at a time when, owing to the general strike just ended, his duties are severe, unless he had been summoned, and speculation is eager as to the cause of the summons. It may be, it is said, that a project of mediation is to be discussed, Italy being the least interested of the Great Powers, and therefore the best V go-between." Or it may be that difficulties have arisen in the Balkans which Italy, *s the Power that has provided. a chief for the Macedonian gendarmerie, can most easily solve. Or, again, it may be that the. German Emperor wishes to rebind the somewhat relaxed links of, the Triple Alliance. It is quite possible that all these conjectures are unfounded, and quite certain that all are conjectures merely. It is improbable that Signor Giolitti would 80 greatly disturb opinion without some reason which he deems adequate ; bufc the .emergencies which Courts think serious are. not always those upon which public attention fixes itself. THE CHINESE LABOUR QUESTION. A correspondent- of the Manchester Guardian sends some interesting notes to last Saturday's issue on Chinese labour on the Band, taking for his text Lord Milner's confident statement that it was "■absolutely certain" that the numbed of white employees would increase as the Chinese came in. He points out that, according to a despatch from Lord Mil-

other member of the deputation is General Krilzinger — whose object is to enlist sympathy and financial support for an orphanage in the Orange River Colony, and also for providing schools for the children of the inhabitants of Dutch race. With the first of these objects we desire to express all possible sympathy, and we trust that -the deputation will meet with a hearty response to their appeal. The burghers of the late Republic were gallant and steadfast loes, and no Englishman can have any but the kindliest feelings for the children of the brave men who fell in tlie war. As to the other object of the deputation we cannot speak with the same confidence. In the abstract their demand for local school management sounds reasonable enough, as does their plea for the Dutch language. As our readers know, we have never regarded the Dutch language with the slightest feeling of animosity. But though the question seems'-siinple enough when stated in outline, we think that those who may be at first inclined to give support to the schools, which it is apparently proposed to run in opposition to the Government, schools, should , very carefully consider 'whether they may not be thereby giving help to a movement the effect of which, if not the intention, will be to introduce an element of unrest into the Orange River Colony THE COLONIAL OFFER. During the week the public press has been full of the question of the so-called " colonial 'offer," occasioned by the controversy carried on by Mr. Chamberlain" and Lord Rosebery through the medium of letters to The Times. The most complete and satisfactory statement of the whole subject "is,- however, to be found in the cartoon published this week in Punch. There we see Dr. Primrose — in the shape of Lord Rosebery — asking a quite charming Miss Cornstalk whether it is true that she has made Josepli an offer. " Now, I want to know the facts. This fellow Joseph goes about telling everybody that you've proposed to him." To this Miss Cornstalk replies : " Oh,

menfc should purchase the whole of the canals — tho gross capital expended was estimated at £23,000,000 iv 1898—paying their fair value, and then improving the principal through routes to standard) the system to be administered by a special Canal Commission. That is a proposal which we believe would be for the good of the nation.