CHINA AND JAPAN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2120, 11 October 1894, Page 13

CHINA AND JAPAN.

SCENES OF MURDER AND PILLAGE

Shanghai, October 2. There is frightful disorganisation in the Chinese army, and large quantities of arms and cartridges paid for cannot be found, and disorder is rampant throughout the service. The Chinese are displaying a violent attitude towards European residents. It is expected that India will send 6000 , troops to protect the treaty ports. A telegram from Yokohama announces that the Japanese troops are advancing upon Wija. October 3. Official accounts of the battle at Pingyang declare that only 12,000 Chinese were present, of whom 9000 escaped. This agrees with the later Japanese accounts, and explains the small number of actual prisoners. The Chinese officials at Pekin fear the Japanese will capture the capital, owing to the discontent with the present dynasty and the unreliability of the' soldiers. Five thousand Japanese soldiers have arrived at Possiet Bay, close to the Russian frontier. Qhe Chinese in recreating from Pingyang murdered and pillaged along their line of march, leaving a scene of desolation behind •them. The Japanese fleet was sighted on Friday at a point on the coast 200 miles from Pekin. Troops are being mobilised to prevent a landing. The Emperor, fearing the Japanese will be successful, is making arrangements to transfer the Court to Nankin. On September 28 the Japanese fleet was 10 miles off Shankaikivan. A war levy is being made on the Chinese merchants. October 4. The Japanese have reached Lanchu, in the province of Kilia. The f ngitives from Pingyarjg have effected a junction with the troops landed^at the mouth of the Yalu and others from Shintung. The whole force is entrenched at Laan, where it is expected a decisive battle will shortly be fought. The British cabinet is discussing the question of the protection of British subjects in Ohina. It is understood China will not object to the landing of British troops in the treaty ports. At present there are 3000 troops in Hongkong. It is reported Mr O'Connor, British Ministor at Pekin, has Cabled alarming advices as to the attitude of the Chinese. European women and children at Hangkow are removing to Shanghai. The Viceroy of Hangkow is fortifying the city £gajnst an „ attack bj the mob* >

I The Japanese Government have decided to raise a foreign loan. | Five Japanese warships have arrived off Ohusan, and the residents of Ningpo are in a state of panic, fearing a Japanese invasion. Earopeans are quitting Pekin. Assaults and outrages on foreigners are of daily occurrence. October 5. A body of Japanese have landed at Hnrchaud, on the eastern coast of Oorea, and are marohing on the arsenal at Eirin. This is believed to refer to the movements of the foros which was sent to Possiet Bay. It is reported at the Emperor's palace that there is an intrigue in Pekin to secure the abdication of the Emperor in favour of the son of Prince Kung, uncle of the Emperor. It is alleged that the intention of England in increasing the Chinese squadron is a concerted plan on the part of England and Russia to force the Japanese to adopt moderation in their operations against China and to prevent the collapse of the Chinese Empire. October 6. A rebellion has broken out in Mongolia and troops have been sent to suppress it. October 7. It is reported that the Chinese have evacuated Mukden, and that the Ugan force is retreating on Eaiohan. Rumours are current that 70 Japanese warships and transports entered the Gulf of Peohili on Tuesday last and steered in a north-easterly direction. Two thousand of Li Hung Chang's crack corps have deserted owing to their not having been paid. China is raising a loan of 10 millions sterling through a Tientsin firm. The Chinese Government are seeking to limit the right of neutral ships to free navigation in Oorean waters, but Great Britain, France, Russia, and Italy declined to accede to the request. ™ October 8. A steamer from Hamburg landed eight field guns and 4000 rifles at Taku. October 9. Li Hang Chang has degraded his nephew Sheng, the Governor of Tientsin, for corruption in purchasing 300,000 worthless rifles from the Germans. It is reported that Great Britain, France, Germany, and Russia have agreed as to joint action in China. Foreign ladies and children are quitting Pekin for Shanghai. The Chinese Government are said to be engaging European officers in the naval service. Yokohama, Ootober 9. Reports have been received here that the Japanese troops have captured Chefoo, on the coast of China, The main body of the Japanese force is encamped on the north bank of the Yalu river, and a battle with the Chinese is imminent. London, October 5. The Cabinet has ordered three warships to proceed to Ohina immediately. It is understood the Cabinet have ordered the Redbreast, Pigeon, and two other ships to reinforce Admiral Freemantle and the Ohina squadron. Troops from Singapore will proceed to China if necessary. Ministers have resumed their»holidays. { October 6. The Pall Mall Gazette states that the Cabinet has rejected a proposal for a combined interference of the Great Powers to stay the hand of the Japanese. October 7. The Times says that Great Britain and France are agreeing upon measures for the protection of their subjects in Ohina. It is understood that Sir William Harcourt is in favour of the compulsory settlement of the war v but the Premier and a majority of the Cabinet regard active intervention as dangerous. The report that the Japanese fleet has been sighted is alarming all the Chinese | cities near the coast. ! A masjacre of foreigners is feared, and there is a panic in Shanghai among all classes. A large contingent i 3 marching from I Leaotong to oppose the advance of the Japanese. Marauding Chinese have terrorised the outlying country, and the missionaries are taking refuge in Ninchang. October 9. ! The St. Petersburg press is urging Japan to annex Southern Cores, in which case Russia will take the northern portion, including LazarefJ and Georsun, ports which are never blocked with ice. The papers al-io suggest thst while they are about it the Russian Government should also annex Euldja, Mongolia, and Northern Manchuria. Italy has sent a cruiser to China. Paris, October 6. The cruiser Isly sails for Chinese waters on Monday. Farther additions are to be made to the French fleet in Chinese water?, and the cruisers Alger and Dongaillouin and the gunboat Lutin are under orders to proceed there. Beelin, October 6. Two additional warships are being sent to China. Sydney, October S. The Tokio papers publish a manifesto, issued by the Progressive party, urging that Pekin should be captured without delay, in order that China may be compelled to sign in the capital a convention for the permanent preservation of peace in the East, and that the pride and obstinacy of China may be crushed. The manifesto farther states that to conclude temporary peace would only be to create fresh danger, and that as the object of Japan in declaring war was to assist Corea every possible effort should be put forth to prevent Corea from being made the centre of action. | Thursday Island, October 6. Information from the East received here is to the effect that although Japan has 50,000 troops in Corea, she is despatching additional men to the scene of operations at the rate of 5000 daily. Sydney, October 9. Information has been received at Sydney that several German cruisers which had been ordered from the Cape to Samoa have been diverted to Ohina. The New Zealand Times sums up the news to hand by cable of the fighting between

Chinese and Japanese troops, and tries to forecast what the result will be as follows : —

In the beginning the Chinese sent an expeditionary force from the army of Manchuria, whose headquarters are at Monkden and Tsitsihar (the capital of Manchuria) which penetrated to Pingyang in Oorea, not far from Seoul, the capital. At Pingyang they were attacked by the Japanese and heavily beaten, the remnants being followed np by the victorious army towards the crossing of the Yalu river, where an entrenched camp had been formed. To reinforce this place the Chinese squadron sailed with a number of transports, and was in its turn beaten. The Japanese land force pressing on carried the Yaloo position. The subsequent news of the evacuation of Moukden shows that the army of Manohnria has abandoned one of its headquarters, and is in full flight for Tsitsihar, in the heart of Manchuria. The complaints about the lying paper reports of the state of this army's efficiency lead to the supposition that it has been utterly broken up. Anyhow the direction of the flight of the remnants shows that the army of Manchuria is lost to Pekin irretrievably, for the rest of the campaign. Pekin lies near the western shore of the basin formed by the Gulfs of Laitung to the north and Peohili to the south. From Yalee, on the Bay of Oorea, the next basin to to the eastward, to Moukden is 100 miles by land to the northward, and from Moukden to Pekin the distance something south of west is 500 miles. From Yalu the direct course by water to the month of the Peiho, the waterway to Pekin, is 400 miles. But if the reported landing of Japanese at Chefoo, the great harbour on the Shantung coast, be true, the Japs have got within 200 miles of Peiho. This is, no doubt, a part of the plan of the large Japanese expadition which sailed the other day with sealed orders for the Chinese coast. Thus it is now clear that while the army of Manchuria has been swept away into the northern interior, the Japanese have secured a Chinese harbour within 200 miles of the Peiho. No wonder we read of a panic in Pekin . Pekin is not, however, without forces. The army of Manchuria was one of the three divisions of the regular forces of China. It consisted, on paper, of 70,000 men armed with the Mauser rifle, and was strong in Erupp 8-centimetre field guns. These troops having been shattered, there remains the army of the centre, which consists of 50,000 men in peace, armed with Remingtons and Erupp field artillery. As the war strength is 100,000, it is probable that the force was raised to that strength at the outset of the campaign. But as in all probability a number of men were detached to take part in the invasion of. Oorea, it is not likely that the whole strength left is above 50,000, assuming the calling out of the reserves to have been performed with reasonable despatch. The country is almost destitute of railways, we must remember. The headquarters of the army of the centre are at Kailgan, about 100 miles to the nort-west of Pekin. That army has to supply the garrisons at Peiho and Tientsin, higher up the river, and for the defence of the capital and all the arsenals and gun factories. It is not probable, theretore, that the Chinese will be able to place a very large force of regulars into the field to cope with any army of invasion which the Japanese, who are masters of the sea, may reinforce to any extent that the state of their armies may permit. That they are masters of the sea, we may judge by, amongst others, the fact that the squadron so decisively beaten at Yalu was the northern squadron, which alone was, from the modern point of view, formidable ; the other three Bquadrons — the Foochow, Shanghai, and Canton — consisting of vessels either small or of obsolete types, totally unable to face the Japanese ships which have destroyed the Northern Squadron. China has a third army of regulars, the army of Turkestan, well armed, drilled, and equipped. Bat it is too far away to be of any use in the coming struggle. There is besides the territorial army (or " Braves "), 600,000 strong, of which the peace footing is one-half. Bat neither in drill nor arms can any of these troops cope with a modern force fairly appointed. Reliance is placed upon them rather for keeping order — i c., maintaining the Imperial power, than for service against the external enemy, In the event of a rebellion — the thing feared at the moment in Pekin — this force, or whatever proportion of it there may be in the central provinces within reach, may be of considerable service to the Emperor if they are faithful. But against the Japanese regulars they cannot be relied on for anything but service behind entrenchments. With time that, however, may be very important service. As Li Hang ChaDg talks of taking the command of the field in person, it is clear that he has some force at hand. He probably has not less than 25,000 regulars to meet the enemy in the open, after providing for the defence of the chief points of attack. The Japanese, on the other hand, have a force of 70,000 men in a high state of efficiency, armed with the Murata rifle— the invention of a Japanese officer in 1884. The weapon was seen here in 1886, when the Japanese corvette Tsukuba was in the bay, and was much admired by experts. The reserves are 100,000 strong, and the territorial force is equal to 80,000. At the beginning of the war Japan allowing for a war footing of double for the first line, could count on something like 200,000 trained men for all outside purposes, leaving duties of garrisons and the keeping of internal order to the territorial army. It is clear that allowing for a powerful force to follow the defeated Chinese into Manchuria, and keep them from coming westward to Pekin, the Japanese must have a larger force in China than Li Hung Chung can put into the field in the Pekin country before many weeks. The fall of Pekin before the end of the year is by no means improbable. And what then 7 What indeed 1 The position is simple, and as great as it is simple. The Chinese people are governed by the superior Manchu race. It follows that the conqueror of the Manchu Dynasty mußt govern the Chinese Empire till the advent of another strong man armed. In a few months it is posEible that the superior enterprise, vitality, and energy of the Japanese may be settling down to the government of China. They may, in other words, be welding together the vast elements

of strength lying waste at present within the Chinese Empire. If the Japanese capturf Pekin, there will be a power in the East as gigantic in strength and Intelligence as it is in stature. And what then? Only that tho face of the world will be changed.