NOTES ON THE CABLES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11796, 27 July 1900, Page 5

NOTES ON THE CABLES.

By Major Kennedy

The strength of the British forces in China previous to the crisis, and their" ability to cope wuli any sudden attack which might bo made upon Wei-hai-wei orHongkong by China, Russia, I< ranee, or Japan, is a matter for serious consideration, not only at tho present moment but at all times.. This is particularly the case when two such; Powers' as Francs and Russia are m hearty accord, and one,.if/not both, of these Powers are well-known tor'be hostile to Great Britain,1 and only kept from.tmakmy an attack upon her becaura;.;ttf.'-thbir naval inferiority, and in the case of Russia the lack of sufficient cash to defray the.'cost of such a war. : ;■ •

The units of the army in China stations in May, 1900, were as follows: —

At Hongkong.—2sth Company Garrison Artillery, Eastern Division, five officers and 135 rank and file; 25i.h Company Garrison Artillery, Southern Division, five officers and 135 rank and file; the 3Sth Company Garrison. Artillery, five officers and 135 rank.-and file; four companies of the Hongkong Singapore Battalion, 13 officers and 403 rank and file; one company Hongkong Submarine Miners, five officers and 179 rank and file; 25th Company Royal Engineers, six officers and 210 rank and file ; 2nd Battalion Royal Welsh Fusiliers (23rd Foot), 27 officers and 801 rank ■ and file; Hrmgkoug Regiment (mixed), Sikhs and Chinese, 24 officers and 6SO rank and file; a detachment R.A. Medical Corps, 14 ■!officers and 33 rank and file; a detachment Ordinance Corps, six officers and 27 rank and file.

At Wci-hai-wai.—The Wei-hai-wei Regiment (Chinese), "17 officers and 160 rank and file; the Ist Sikhs were on the way from India to Wei-hai-wei, and would add to tho strength a total of 13 European and 14- native officers and 620 of other ranks.

This would give a grand total of 3778 officers and men at the two British ports previous to the outbreak of the war. Since that time, a total of 28,000 nicu have been ordered from India, and a portion of these have arrived at Hongkong. A.battalion of Marines has left England for service in China, and the naval forces have been largely increased, until it can be said without fear of being successfully contradicted that the British Naval forces in the- Eastern seas are equal to the combined naval forces of all the other Powers, if Japan is not included. The Wci-hai-wai Regiment was to be completed during this year to a total strength of 1000 men, with 27 officers and one warrant officer.

Unfortunately for' British interest in the Far East, military superiority ia just as great a necessity,ns naval.' At the outbreak of the present difficulties tli'o Russian .army in Eastern Siberia and along the lines of railway which the Russian Government is constructing for strategic purposes through Manchuria, including her garrisons at Talien Wan and Port Arthur, numbered approximately 125,000 men, with two well-planned fortresses (Port Arthur'and Vlndit'osloek), armed and equipped with the most powerful modern ordnance that could be manufactured at Krupp'K gun foundry as bases from which they can operate. Since the first gun has been fired Russia has ordered the mobilisation of the greater part of her vast army' on a, war footing to prepare it for the slniggle that is sure to come, unless Great Britah). America, Germany, and .lapau are prepared to allow Russia, and her ally (France) a free hand to do as they uloapo wi!h Chinese territory after these four Powers, with the assistance of Italy and Austria, have helped' the Dual Alliance (Russia and Franco) to" reduce the htalheu Chinee lo submission. The declaration by Imperial ukase of a. slate of war in Siberia,' Turkestan, and Semiretehinslc by the Russian Government clearly indicates a determination on the part, of Russia to be ready for the invasion of India as well as of China if Great Britain should ally herself to any Power or Powers to oppose Russian and

French designs. Thai a state of war exists in Siberia no one can deny, since the Chinese army cruised into that great division of the Russian Empire. Jjut in reality the danger of Chinese repeating the raid into that country is past silica Russian forces have driven the Chines;? back across the Amur River, and have defeated them with great loss. Russia cannot by any stretch of imaginary dangers to her interests by reason of the trouble in China claim that a state of war exists in Turkestan, as the country is so far to the westward of the seat of disturbance, and the inhabitants are so much opposed to the Chine.-so in religion, and so different in race, that there ran be no possibility of any direct or indirect agreement between them to drive Russia out of Eastern and Central Asia.

Turkestan is a vary oxlonsive country, extending from the Caspian Son tin tlio' west to HOdeg cast longitude, having Persia, Afghanistan, and Thibet for its southern boundary, which extends a total distance of 2000 miles. The Pamirs practically divide the country into two provinces—eastern and western. Western Turkestan extends from the Caspian Sea to the Hindu Koosh, and Thian Shan .Mountains, and Knsiem Turkestan from that point until the Siberian frontier is reached. Eastern Turkestan was formerly known as Chinese Tartary, and prior to 1t65 the p Chinese often sent armies into tha country, and much bloodshed and robbery resulted, as the population of Turkestan are of Turkish race, are followers of t!:e Prophet, and as such are a warlike peonle, who will not readily submit to be dominated by a race hostile to them in every sense of the term. The province of Semirctchinsk lies to the north-east of Eastern Turkestan. This province has an area of 152,280 square miles; and a population of 671,850. Seeing that it is impossible for Chinese troops to invade Turkestan or Semiretchinsk, and that these two great divisions of Asiatic Russia.occupy strategic positions which all military authorities (both British and 1-lussian) agree can be used to groat advantage by Russia whenever that country undertakes the invasion of India or seeks an oiitlet to the Indian Ocean by absorbing Persia into the Russian Empire, and, remembering that at the present time there arc no questions of importance to be settled between Russia and Persia, and that there are -no indications of trouble for the Russian Government by reason of local risings against her authority in any part of her vast Asiatic possessions, it would appear that there is no need whatever of declaring Turkestan or any other part of Russia's Central Asiatic territories in a state of war, unless Russia intends to mako preparations to invade India as a part of her plans to forever secure Russian dominance throughout Asia. For years Russian statesmen have been watching events in the East, and, although they have been handicapped on account of the lack of money to carry out their plans for the addition of Persia, India, China, and Japan, as well as all the smaller States which lie between, to the Czar's dominions, .yet they have pursued a steady, consistent policy, with which they have finally brought about a condition of affairs in their Eastern possessions such as will enable them to secure the. object they have in view unless Great 'Britain awakes from her slumbers and throws overboard the statesmen who have allowed the British military forces to become so utterly inadequate, to protect the interests of . the Empire. Russia has openly taken steps by securing every point of vantage which the most eminent military chiefs of the British Army have declared time after time was a menace to British rule in India. The building of the Riissian .railway lines through Asiatic Russia, and particularly that portion along the Persian and Afghan frontiers, was undertaken and carried out with the greatest possible energy as a military measure, as its commercial value would not justify one-tenth of the expenditure of money that was necessary to construct such a line, as the country to the west of the Pamirs is one great plain, which may be said to be principally suitable for pastoral purposes, and which supports a very sparse population, and it cannot give the railway enough produce to carry to the Caspian Sea to give the road sufficient income to pay working expenses for many years to come. Eastward of the Pamirs, along' the Afghan frontier, the Russian possessions of Eastern Turkestan are principally sandy wastes, although here and there, where water abounds, immense crops of cotton, flax, hemp, tobacco, grain, and fruits are produced by means of irrigation. The great cost of railage from Central Asia to the sea. coasts for shipment to market make acricultural pursuits unprofitable, and as a result Russia's great railway across Asia, has little commercial value, and this is more particularly the case in view of its position, as it follows the frontier too closely to givo the inhabitants of the country through which it passes as raanv advantages as it would have done if the line had been constructed further to the. north, so that settlers might, cultivate on both sides of the line within reasonable distances. The carrying out 'of Russia's great scheme of annexation and consolidation, however, has been well served by the railway, and Ixs the Russian Government finds Great Britain fully employed in South Africa and all the other Powers without any fixed policy or agreement as to what course thov intend to pursue, v Russian statesmen dc°m the time opportune to play a bold game by declaring the provinces bordering Gr.eat Britain's Indian possession in a state of war, ■ and making preparations to occupy Herat, the military gateway to India.

There can be hardly a doubt now that.Russia will soon mass (even if she has not -done so already) a larger army on the rivers Oxus and Murgab than Great Britain can gather to oppose to it within six months after war is declared. Already the Russians, and French are showing their hands by trying to obtain control of the railway from Taku to Pekin, and at the same time trying to control the only means of navigating the Poiho River, thereby, securing to themselves the only means of advancing to the Chinese capital or of being able to have any chance of coping with the troops of the Dual-Allianco if pcrcliance any of the other Powers should desire to do. so.

The large -purchases of British coal r;cw being mode by asfints on behalf of the Russian "and French. Governments may well cause alarm in the minds of deep-thinking men of British blood everywhere, as coal is tho 'very life of the.British navy, and the quantities now being bought by the Dual Alliance may prevent the British Admiralty from securing the.quantities they will need to give the fleet quick despatch in the event of war. Tlw purchase of large svmnlies of British coal just now by Russian and French. Government agents not only reduces the quantities available for the use of the British navy and tho allies of Great Britain, but it helps to make the ships of France and Russia as efficient i*s British ships in point of speod. and. although not an authority on naval matters, I can state that in an engagement at sea a fast vessel has - great rul vantage over a slow one of equal strength in other respects, and, consequently, Russian nnd French ships are. made far more formidable if they have ample supplies of Wolsh coal in their bunkers than they would be if they had to depend on Belgian coals or other inferior brands.

TERRIBLE EXPERIENCES OF A

SYDNEY 'LADY.

THREATENED BY THE BIG KNIFE SOCIETY; OR BOXERS.

ANXIOUS TIME IN A CHINESE INN.

Mrs A. Itea, of Simmons street, Enmore". linn received a letlpr from her younger daughter Alice, who has been nine years in China in connection with the London Missionary Society, giving particulars of an anxious Lime she experienced about two months ago at the hands of the Boxers. Mrs Rea's daughter is/the wife of Mr David Herring, an American' missionary who is stationed at Chining, in the north-west part of I/no Shantung province. The letter, winch is dated May 15 and was posted at Tientsin, is descriptive of a journey she made with her husband'and three children to a wntering-placs called Pei Ta Hoo, on the shores of the Gulf of Pe-chi-li, with a view of spending the summer holidays. The 'party had bicyeks, us well as a Chinese barrow drawn by two Chinamen, and was accompanied by tu'o Chinese soldiers. As the road seemed quiet during the first clay's travelling, Mr Herring sent them back. Describing the' remainder of the journey, Mrs Herring, who calls the Boxers by the name of the Big Knife Society, says: — "We met with no trouble till the last day. Then we had a strong head wind, anil barrowmen declared they could push the barrow against it no farther, so wo were compelled to stop in a large town during the afternoon. Tt proved to be a stronghold of the Big Knife Society, and we had an anxious lime there. The men soon discovered it was a bad place, but having already gone into tho inn. it would never have done to try to continue our journey. They would consider they had run us off, and have certainly mobbed us, so we shut the inn door find kept quiet inside, whilst the crowds outside were yelling and cursing themselves hoarse, and trying to see the foreign devils. They tore all the paper off the windows trying to peep in (tho windows are just wooden bars witli paper pasted over Ihe-.ri), and did thoir best; to come inside, and do I heir own pleasure with us and our

belonging*. " Tiio door lind no 'fastening, but David fixed a benoh against it which kept it closed. This they knocked over several times, and once when David went to Ihe door to ask thorn to stop, they just begun to ride roughshod over him. That routed David's ire, and ho drew his pistol and dared thorn to come on. He told them ho would shoot Iho first who dared to go into the inn, and this cowed them somewhat. He told them ho could kill 15 of them, and after that they could kill him, but till then they should not

enter. They still continued cursing till dark, but did not try to come in any more, and not knowing what might happen, David sent tho cook (au able-bodied Cliinaman who has bean helpful along the way) on to Lin Ching, our destination, where there are foreigners, to ask (hem to send some soldiers. It took him till night to get there, and when it was dark the Big Knife men went away. We did not ciare to have any food, excepting a feiv biscuits we had along with us and some milk. We spread a quilt on the floor, (there were no beds), and lay down in our clothes to sleep. All remained quiet, and we, at least I, slept fairly well, but David was wakeful.

''Before daybreak we went off on our bicycles, leaving the barrowmen to pack up our tilings, put them on the bnrrow, and come on slowly. After travelling some distance we reached a little- village, where we had breakfast. When about 10 miles from the city of Lin Ching we sat down to wait with the best grace .for the barrowmen to come up. Whilst there our cook came back with anote..from the foreigners at Lin Ching saying they had. despatched soldiers, who would reach the place of danger by noon. Presently six of these braves mounted on horseback came along, so we told them there was no need to go farther, since we were all s.ife, and no harm \ra? done."

The letter ; proceeds to state that' Mrs Herring and her husband and children readied Lin China; in safely, and thence travelled (with other English residents) by houseboat to Tientsin, where the letter'was posted. Writing shortly after tho atrocious murder of the missionary, Mr. Brook, whose death was the start of the present trouble, Mr Herring in a letter to Mrs Rea says: — Things are quieting down about' T'ai Au and the region where the murder of MiBrook, S.P.G., was committed. The Governor seems to be in earnest about satisfying the foreigners in his punishment of the murderers; but hfi is not trying to destroy the Hwei (society), and I fear he will not bring to the block tho leaders. Some think the_ Government is really protecting thi« Ta Tao Hwei (Big Knife Society), shielding it with ..one wing and the foreigners with the other. They have said to the officers throughout the country. that these riots must bo kept within bounds, lest the Government fail to maintain the peace.. with foreign nations."