NOTES ON THE CABLES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11807, 9 August 1900, Page 5

NOTES ON THE CABLES.

J3y Majob Kexxed

Tho removal of the ambassadors and, it is to be presumed, nil other foreigners from Puking is reported to have begun on last Friday, tho 3rd inst., under escort of a body o[ Chinese troops commanded by General Yung Lu. This forcible removal lam not inclined to credit; for no matter what the orders of the Dowager-Empress and the Tsung-li-Yamen might be, it is very unlikely that the ambassadors or the officers commanding the international forces guarding the Legations would consent to risk a march of £0 miles under f.uch an escort unless they were reduced to such a. state of starvation that they had no other chance to escape, and were forced to accept the terms offered as the last hope of being freed from a position that became impossible to defend. The unfortunate part of the affair, and most likely the principle cause of the inability of the troops forming the Legation guard to hold the. position and obtain the necessary supplies to provision the inmates of the Legations, was the scarcity of ammunition for tho weapons they possessed. Doubtless ■ the partial Biiecesses achieved by the Chinese in destroying some of tho Legations was caused by the fact that the troops had to use their ammunition very carefully, as they could not afford to waste a, single cartridge. This the Chinese would soon find out and take advantage of. I venture the opinion that the Legation guards could have protected the. Legations and secured provisions from the Chinese city if they had had plenty of munitions, as no Chinese troops would face, 1000 Europeans armed with modern weapons and well protected by such caver as tho wails of the Legations afforded, unless the Europeans were unable to take full advantage of their position by reason of being unable to use their guns and rifles to clear their front and flanks.

News from Hongkong, dated the 7tb inst., states that the Allies commenced their advances towards Peking- lust Saturday, clone day Inter than Die- time stnted by the American newspapers. The advance (if the Allies at this time will, it is feared, give the Chinese the excuse they are looking for to murder the ambassadors en. route to Tientsin, it perchance they are on the way to that town. Following- the news of the advance, we are, informed that the Japanese discovered large numbers of Chinese to the south-west and also to the eastward of Tientsin. A. British warship advises that an .engagement took place between one or both of the Chinese columns in the vicinity of Peits>ang and the Allies, in which the latter lost 1200 in killed and wounded, the Russians and Japanese being the principal sufferers. The Chinese retreated, but their losses have not been stated. Admiral Remy, commanding the American squadron, confirm.? the account of this engagement, and states that 16,000 of the Allies were engaged. Peitsang lies to the north-west of Tientsin, about eight or nine miles, on an open plain. Tho whole, of the country is inclined to be marshy during the wet season, and any position the Chinese would be likely (o take up could bo easily flooded in front, thereby ranking it difficult for the Allies to approach the entrenchments which the Chinese would be sure to occupy. The despatches state that owing to the crisis the Dowager Empress is gaining popular favour throughout tho whole Empire, and,,as a result, troops and cash are being pent to Peking from every province. The awakening of the Chinese to a trues kuowledge of their position amongst the nations is evident. What that means can only be understood by the few who know the Chinese, people as they really are. To tho average European the Chinaman is little known, and less understood, and is consequently despipsd. Tho awakening- of the race to a" proper understanding of their 'greatness may mean mischief to Europeans and to-Western-civilisation if perchance the Chinese are led by competent men, who will lake advantage of. Western ideas in the same spirit that Japan adopted some years ago, and is still carryingl out. with remarkable results. China, with the same leaders, would soon be ra. menace to the balance of the world.

Tho decision of Great Britain to employ troops from the feudatory states of India for military service in China is said to have' given the native princes a great deal of satisfaction. Tho troops alluded, to are probably the Imperial service troops, numbering about 20,000 men, who are- enlisted tinder special arrangements with the rulers of the native States. These troops are all well" trained men, and form a grand reserve to tho army, tho only fault that can be found with, them being the smnllness of the force. It is to bfi hoped that in the near future the Imperial. Government will increase the Impox'ial service troops of IndiaS'tintil they number 500,000 men, and that Indian troops will be called upon to soi-ve in every country and against every foe the Empire has to fight, regardless of the race or colour of the enemy. The sentimentalist who urges that the British Empire should fight Russia or France or any other-people with white troops alone knows, little of tho. world, and less than nothing about the material, out.of 'ivhich these countries recruit their armies. Would France hesitate to use her Algerian regiments or her Anamcso le.viss against British troops? Would Russia refuse to employ her Tartar regiments of cavalry to fight British foldiersV If the United Htalcß and.Great Britain unhappily came to blows would our kinemen of Americadisband their negro regiments because of a fow sentimentalist!??

The Imperial service'troops are located in the various native States as.follows: —Kashmir, 4100 men? Punjab, 5000 men; Rajputana, 4000 men ; Central and Western India, 1-500 men ; in Southern India, about 1500 men. Tho native princes have considerable forces of well-disciplined troops drilled according to Europoan ideas, and ably commanded. The employment of the native soldiery of the feudatory princes is a stow in the right direction. I hope tho Imperial Government will make provision to make every soldior within, the Empire subject to the Queen's regulations.

The charges and counter charges that are reported to have been made by Li Hurig Chang and Li Ping Heng are only one of the incidents of the fight between the progressive and conservative politicians of1 China, which was sure to become, a feature of the struggle of the two parties within the Chinese Empire. Although the progressives will suffer the more serious losses for a time they are sure to come to the front before very long if Great Britain and the Powers acting with her are determined to liberate China from the dominance of both Mnnclm and Muscovite rule. •