Untitled

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVII, Issue 5758, 1 May 1880, Page 4

It ia impossible to overrate the importance of what is going on at tho present moment in Eastern and Central Asia, as indicated by certain telegrams which have been dropping in of late. The AngloIndian authorities have been cutting out work for Russia in those parts by aiding the military uprise of China. For some time back British officers have been in the Chinese service, and, with the enormous population and the great resources of that empire, there is only needed the European system in the army to render it a truly formidable power. With her forces thus re-modelled, China would not only be a match, but in all likelihood much more than a match, for her. antagonist in those regions where they would encounter ; and Russia would not only be barred in her further encroachments, but might find it hard to retain her present possessions. Such is the opinion of the German military critics, to which some time ago we drew attention ; and the reader can understand it for himself by a glance, at the map, where he will perceive how far closer to any war betweenftwo nations would be the Chinese base of operations than the Russian. Already the Government in Pekin find their hands so strong, that they are demanding back the provinces which they unresistingly parted with during the period of the Taeping rebellion. It now seems, as the several telegrams tell us, that the arrangement by which Russia restored a part of the Kuldja country, in Chinese Tartary, has been rejected in Pekin, because the cession is incomplete ; that Chinese troops are advancing in another direction, towards another of the lost provinces, that of the Amour ; that orders have been issued in St. Petersburg for the immediate despatch of five more well-armed cruisers to Chinese waters, where there has beeH a considerable number of Russian vessels of war for some timfe past; and that the Chinese ambassador is about to leave St. Petersburg ; while a telegram ill the Times states that the renewed Russiaa expedition against the Tekke tribes in Turkistan has been postponed, " probably on account of the serious , complications with China." We do not know how far the re'-modelling'of the Chinese army has yet ' proceeded, what - amount of efficiency thero has yet been time for it to acquire; but the'sedulous preparations and decided attitude ,of the Government make it abundantly plain ,that Russia ere

: wiflhaveenough-lo^oiirthat-quar^ ter..- ,It musti not.vb© forgotten, that Antotir comitry—ofVhich'/if evenit3 foiv .mer owners ~clo not"attempt; it, now, they 'are certain' 1 "to.' set'about the recpyery sooner, or latci——contains that port, of , NicolaiefiEj with which the. Russiani have been;taking such pains, as,an,arsenal and depot, and as their"only real outlet to.the Pacific. - * - • ' Eastern .Asia lias: ceased to ■ be -in the helpless condition it exhibited a score of years back. -'Not only China, but Japan, has- bean - gathering strength since then. The latter empire, similarly locked tip for ages, and weak, because inaccessible to modern progress, also underwent Musco-. vite . spoliation). ' The great island of Sagalien, facing, the mouth of, the Amour, was once a Japanese possession, but is at present a Russian one. The. Sapanese, -a' masculine, energetic race, are now adopting all sorts of European improvements; industrial as -well as martial, and their empire promises to become a vigorous State in the modern world, and quite competent to guard itself in the future. In China the innovations as yet appear to be pretty much confined to those of a mili- | tary and naval character. Besides EuropeaniSing the discipline and equipment of their soldiers, they have provided themselves with those armoured gunboats, of 1 which' the different classes have been named by the -English and American j builders after the letters of the Greek alphabet. We'see that they have also established foundries and, workshops, under foreign • superintendence, for the construction of rifled cannon and the long-range small arms. . A few years ago there was, with reason, a very . low; estimate of the martial quality ' of the Chinese. Enervated by their immemorial civilisation, • unused to war for many generations, and without either the weapons "or the tactics of the outer world,' they made a ridiculous figure in the field. . But a great authority like Pyrrhusonce declared, in view, of'the potency of discipline, when he embodied the effeminate Tarentines with his famous Greek warriors—" Give me only men, of whatever sort, and I will make soldiers of them." . However that may be, it was remarked at the very period when the Chinese soldiers were so contemptible that their pirates, then numerous along the coast, fought with singular desperation. A mistake is very easily made when general conclusions'' are arrived at under exceptional circumstances. ;. Sinca the time we speak of, the Taeping civil war broke out, and occupied a long series of years,'and the population which suffered by it having acquired the habit of war, the struggle was maintained with great obstinacy on both sides. But the Government, being of the Mantchoo dynasty, ha 3 a hold on the attachment as well as the allegiance of these' warlike outlying Tartar tribes, and can draw any amount of . troops from them. There can be no question that, when once properly trained, equipped, and led, the armies which the .Government inPakin will.be able to put forth, will be truly formidable —formidable in.all respects, numbers included, Sot the State revenue, derived chiefly from' the landtax and the monopoly of salt, are exceedingly large. It is in view of this military development of so rich and populous an. empire,' that the idea of an alliance between Germany and China has been already discussed in German military, circles,, and recommended through their organs in the Press. They regard as some day quite inevitafblea great collision with Russia, because of the Pansclavic aspiration which i 3 every year becoming more popular there; and they calculate that in such a struggle China would be a potent ally—sure, as they consider, to be more than a match in Asia for the Muscovite. Vfe must remember that in forming this opinion the Germans have- the opportunity of fuller and more direct evidence than we possess about what is going on in the interior and oa the northern frontier of the Celestial Empire. Very little information strictly Chinese reaches us here, except from the few seaports open to foreigners, whereas there has been always considerable .overland trade and communication between China and European Russia, and the news filters from the latter'-, country into Germany. These current developments "in Eastern, Asia, which are likely to paralyse the ambition of the Czars along the Pacific seaboard as well as in the interior of that continent, are of course matter of interest for England in her commerce and. Indian pos-. sessions, and they are matter of great interest also for our South Sea and Australian colonies.