Passing Events

New Zealand Illustrated Magazine, 1 September 1905, Page 21

Passing Events

Saghalien Island*

The march of events in the East Has progressed so rapidly since the fall of Port Arthur that it taxes ones ingenuity to follow it intelligently. We have become so used to reading of Japanese successes that nothing in the way of a victory comes as exciting 1 news, we merely look upon it as something that was 'bound to happen and look forward expectantly for similar events. With a swiftness that almost equals the memorable dash upon Port Arthur, the Japanese have turned upon Saghalien Tsland, and in a series of well-nigh bewildering assault's have driven the Russian forces headlong before them. One day a town was being assaulted, the next brought news of its capture and the hurried retreat of its garrison, or rather what was left of it, for the Japanese have been gathering in an almost endless stream of prisoners. The result has been a speedy capture of the whole island, and before we turn once more to follow the fortunes of the Manchurian armies, it may be worth while to take a look at this latest accession to the Japanese Empire. A brief outline of the rapid march of events is gathered from the following telegrams sent to the Australian Acting Consul-General for Japan : — Our Saghalien army began landing near Alcova at 9 a.m. on July 24, without much opposition. Admiral Kataoka, in command of the squadron which was despatched to the north, reports that the squadron left its base, as pre-arranged, convoying

military transports. Prior to this an advanced detachment under Admiral Dewa reconnoitred the coast, making dragging- operations at the pre-determined landing-place near Alexandrovsk. The transports were convoyed landward as the dragging operations progressed. The marines landed without resistance, and occupied points necessary to cover the landing of the troops. When the landing of the troops commenced, the marines returned on board. The enemy burned Numma, and set fire to Alcova, but Alexandrovsk remained unburned. Japanese flags. are now flying on the Governor's office at Alexandrovsk, and on houses in the town. No damage was done to our ships or crews. A detachment at 1 p.m. on the 24th drove the enemy near First Alcova, and ocpupied a line extending from Polowinka to Second Alcova. The enemy in that direction consisted of one infantry battalion and some volunteers, with about eight field guns. The enemy fled in disorder towards Lovikov. Previous to this engagement another detachment, under cover of torpedo destroyers, was sent to the pier at Alexandrovsk, which the enemy was trying to burn. This detachment, however, succeeded in taking possession of the pier unburnt, repulsing the enemy's repeated attacks. Mugutai was also occupied by our troops, who, with the co-operation of the torpedo destroyers, drove the enemy 'back. At 3 p.m. one detachment occupied Third Alcova, while another advanced to*

wards Alexandrovsk. The latter detachment defeated the enemy, and succeeded in occupying the town of Alexandrovsk at 7.15 p.m. The enemy continued resistance from a redoubt east of the town, also from heights to the north-east of the town. At dawn on the 25th we resumed the attack, and pressed the enemy up to Novomickaelovikoye. On the same day Dore fell into our hands. Dore and Alexandrovsk escaped conflagration. We captured 200 prisonera. At Mugutai, the Japanese secured 40,000 tons of coal and some light railway material. One point of interest in connection with the capture of the island by Japan will be as to the course to be adopted in regard to the Russian criminals who form with their guards) the bulk of its population. These are not political prisoners, who might possibly be, and in Russia often are, the best elements of^ the community, but genuine criminals, murderers chiefly. The retiring Russian Garrison will hardly burden itself with them, though it may release them on abandoning positions such as Alexandrovsk, which existed mainly as a prison station. The Japanese, however, would, as at Port Arthur, deal relentlessly with disturbers, and in the case of prisoners captured in the gaols will probably return them to Russia, as it recently returned a ship load of lunatics— in this case poor fellows whom the siege had driven mad, and who were given every care possible by the captors^ and returned under the best conditions for their possible recovery. About a century- ago Japan tbok Sao-h alien. Fifty years later she was constrained to hand the island to Russia, in exchange for the Kurile Islands. It is only separated from the northern island of Yezo by the Perouse Strait. The latest "English book on Saghalien, "The Uttermost East" (Harper Brothers), isi by Mr Hawes, a young Cambridge graduate. The island is 540 miles long, and from 17 to 100 broad; anU in 1898 its popu-

lation was about 30,000. For the most part the land is covered with primeval forest, so dense that the rivers are the chief native highway; navigated by dug-outs in summer and crossed in dog or reindeer sledges in winter. With the opening of winter the narrow Straits of Tartary, dividing Sagh alien from the Siberian coast, are frozen over, and so far as water commuoaication is concerned, the island is cut off from the world; and the mails are brought across from Nicolaievsk on the mainland by nartas or sledges, harnessed with lono- teams of Arctic dogs. In addition to the Russians, according tio Mr Hawes, five different peoples are to be found on the island, these including the Orochons, Ainus, Gilyaks, Tungus, and Yakuts. Which of these were the aborigines? Not the Tungus, for they nave arrived since the Eussians. The Gilyak hunters probably crossed over from the mainland before the Orochon, whose traditions testify that they found the Ainus in occupation on their arrival. Probably the Ainus were refugees from Yezo. The island is very sparsely inhabited, so much so that during his exploration Mr Hawes travelled for days without seeing a solitary person or dwelling. There are altogether about 5000 natives, of whom the largest number are Gilyaks. There are said to be 1300 Ainus, about 750 Orochons/ anid a couple of hundred Tungus. The Russian occupation is practically confined to a radius of thirty miles round Alexandrovsk, on the west coast, and another smaller area round Korsakovsk, in the south of the island, Alexandrovsk is the biggest prison centre. During Mr Hawes' stay there were about 600 prisoners, many in chains, and most in idleness; only one hundred of these were sent out to do log-hauling, roadmaking, etc., the remainder doine 1 absolutely nothing. The authorities- declared, that tfese were such bad characters they dare not let them out to work. The prisoners were chained to wheelbarrows night and day. The stockaded prison is

the centre of A lexandrovsk, which the invaders occupied last week. The place seemed to Mr Hawes to -exist for the prison. The few merchants' stores and the ironfoundry are for the prisoners; the wooden houses are the residences of the officials. Besides the prison, the church, in the main street, and the marketplace, there is not much to call for attention. According to Mr de Windt, who visited the southern portion of Saghalien, there were 5000 criminal convicts located at Korsakovsk, on the south coast, the town the Japanese invaders first captured, only about 1200 of whom are actually under lock and key. The rest are mainly employed as agriculturists. The town consists of one long straggling thoroughfare, commencing at the landing-stage and abruptly terminating by the huge prison. Alexandrovsk is in the centre of the coal district, and is a picturesque, straggling town of about 7000 inhabitants, almost entirely of officials and convicts. It was the most important penal settlement on the island, and the residence of the Governor of Saghalien, a subordinate of the Governor-General of Eastern Siberia. Alexardrovsk was garrisoned by about 1500 men, and contains large foundries and workshops for convict labour, but most of the prisoners were employed in the adjacent coal mines of Dvi, and, no 'doubt, the Japanese will keen them at that work for a time at least, as the getting out of coal for the coming northern winter will be of first importance. Korsakovsk is the next largest settlement. Mr H. de Windt, the famous traveller, who visited Saghalien some years affo, remarks that, although it may seem a paradox, the remaining prisons in the interior of the island, Berbynskaya, Hykovnkaya. and On or, are not prisons at all, but huge wooden barracks innoceint of bolts and bars. Here, also, the work done is solely agricultural. Thie male population of the island is some three times that of the female. It is very thinly rjeoplec!, the proportion of human beings being

only two to every live square kilometres. Shortly after the outbreak of the war, there was a revolt among the prisoners, who anticipated with joy the prospect of an early release at the hands of a Japanese force. The success of Japanese colonising methods in Formosa justifies the hope that Saghalien will prosper when it comes back to the Mikado's rule.