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94
CHINESE INCOMPETENCY IN THE WAR.
(31st January.)
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
[February 6, 1895.
The
attempt any advance north. The Chinese to suffer from the proposed operations of the are said to be massing large bodies of troops invaders. In the case of Canton, for in- for the assistance of Wei-hai-wei, as the stance, although the Powers might offer no Viceroy L HUNG-CHANG has given orders objection to the Japanese landing at some The picture of Nero fiddling while Rome for various armies to march at once in that point on the coast and marching on the city, was burning was hardly greater proof of direction to raise the siege. We do not be opposition would certainly be offered to any apathy and indifference than Chinese official-lieve, however, that any Chinese army will operations which might interfere with the dom has been giving in presence of the suc- be able to accomplish such a feat, and in free navigation of the river or threaten cessful invarion of the Central Kingdom by all probability the port will have been the safety of the foreign settlements.
With regard to the undertaking given by the Japanese armies. The vast majority of carried by storm before they arrive on the mandarins exhibit as little concern at the scene. It is possible there may be Japan to observe the neutrality of Shang- the impending annihilation of their feet and some sharp fighting when the final assault hai, however, a point has been raised by the the occupation of the capital as did the comes to be made, if it be true that the guns Japanese press which no doubt causes some It is claimed that the under- Roman Emperor over the destruction of a from the Peiyang Squadron have been soreness. great part of the imperial city on the Tiber. landed and placed in position, but as the taking was given on the understanding that Western ideas such a marvellous absence foreigners have all left the place it is tolerit should hold good only so long as the of patriotism seems incredible and is cer- ably certain the Chinese will soon lose heart! | Clinese refrained from using Shanghai as a tainly phenomenal. To the Chinese mind But the Japanese are not wont to overlook base for offensive or warlike operations there is nothing wonderful about it; they contingencies, and they will be prepared for against Japan. We believe no such reser- regard the misfortunes that have em upon resistance. A section of the Chinese forces vation was made at the time the undertaking Manchuria and North China as regrettable at Pingyang fought bravely enough; some was given, though the Japanese may hold it to have been implied. China on her part but as something that cannot be helped and of the garrison at Port Arthur offered that must therefore be endured. They have stubborn resistance and worked the guns certainly never gave any undertaking placing put up with previous conquests, and they with a will until the Japanese carried the restrictions on her right to use the port as It is now urged by the presumably will, should the Japanese reduce outworks; but there was no systematized she might see fit. the whole of the Northern provinces, accept defence, and what happened before will Japanese papers that China, taking advant- such an incident also as an accomplished | occur again, inasmuch as there is no recogage of Japan's complacency, has made fact, unpleasant but unavoidably. They mised head and no proper plan of compaign, Shanghai the centre from which to distri- will blame the Peking Authorities, but Wei-h-wei is doomed, and the Peiyang bute warlike supplies and troops. they will not rush to their assistance. Squadron cannot effect a retreat, having Kiangnau Arsenali on the river Hwangpų, And the Chinese people are not to be blamed, tarried there in idle security until the just above. Shanghai, has also been kept in They have never been admitted to the Japanese came and hemimed them in a state of ceaseless activity, turning out arms smallest share in the administration; the laying contact torpedoes just outside the and ammunition. In short, the practical direction of foreign affairs has been left, in | härhöup. If, however, they should break neutrality of the port of Shanghai has been of by the Chinese to procure the hands of the officials, who have been through this danger there would still be the availed entrusted with the funds to provide for Japanese fleet, which they would have to unlimited supplies of warlike material, national defence, and it is on their shoul lers fight before they could escape to the south whereby the struggle may be prolonged. therefore that the responsibility tests. So The time has gone, by for action; Admiral It is not difficult to understand the irritation far the high Chinese Authorities have TING ad his ships are caught like rats in that this must cause in Japan, but we fail shown little sense of that responsibility a trap, and will doubtless fall as iguom to see how the cause of that irritation can be falling with any crushing weight upon them, niously. The example of KUNG Taotai and removed. The Powers could not reasonably They have steadily adhered to the ancient the six Generals at Port Arthur is before ask China to refrain from using such means ways, spite of the lessons the campaign may Tixa and his officers, and as most of the of defence as she possesses, and the supplies have been supposed to read to sensible and former worthies have lived to fight another of war material turned out by the Kiangnan discerning men. The fatal apathy and conceit day, why should not the beleagured in Wei, Arsenal and the facilities afforded by the port of Shanghai are amongst the most that wrap them round as with an impene-hai-wei copy or improve upon it F
important of those means. If Japan trable cloak prevent them from taking any
threatens to withdraw from her undertaking new departure or making any
unless the Powers will assist ber in crippling dinary effort to save the country. The from expulsion of the Chinese armies
At the commencement of the hostilities China by preventing the latter using her Korea, the crippling of the Chinese fleet between China and Japan the Japanese ports and arsenals, then all that would the Powers to do would at Haichang near the Yaloo River, the Government undertook to recognise the remain for invasion of Manchuria, the capture of neutrality of the port of Shanghai, Nb be to step in and say the quarrel must undertaking was Port Arthur, the greatest naval strong-equivalent
given by stop and dictate the terms of peace. Yokohama or It would be a most mistaken policy on hold in the Empire, the fall of successive | China with respect to cities into Japanese hands, were all regarded the other open ports of Japan, but if the part of Japan tobring about such with the apathy not of fatalism but of in the fortunes of war had resulted differ a situation as that. There was at one difference and want of patriotism. The ently from what they have an China had time talk of foreign intervention, but. the same lack of loyalty born of mistrust of his been in a position to carry out her threat of idea, if it was ever really formulated, was own Government that restrains a Chinaman harrying the coasts of Japan. the treaty speedily abandoned, and the policy of the from contributing to war loans operates to Powers would naturally have called "bands Powers now is to allow the belligerents to make him careless to the ills that are over- off" so far as the open ports were concerned. fight out their quarrel in their own way so taking the country.
The policy of the Powers is to prevent inter-long as foreign interests are not directly The Japanese are now closely investing ference with foreign trade and it is mainly interfered with. For Japan to disturb the Wei-hai-wei, and before long we shall pro- for the enforcement of that policy that basis on which that policy rests, by threaten- bably learn of the capture of this the last the various fleets in the Far East haveing Shanghai, would be to deprive herself naval station China possesses north of the been so largely increased. The undertak of the glory of carrying.to its natural con- Yangtsze. The Japanese troops first bom- ing of Japan with respect to Shanghai barded Tungchow and then attacked was not given unsolicited and had it not been and took Yungching. They have also given at all the result would have been prac- occupied the island of Yiming, and more tically the same, for under any circumstances recently landed a force at Ninghai. As usual, interference with the trade of Shanghai the Chinese were caught napping. The few would not have been permitted. We have forts were quickly silenced and the Chinese no wish to detract from the credit due to troops were compelled to retire. The result Japan for her reasonableness in recognising is that the General in command of the the situation and giving an undertaking that Japanese Third Army Corps has taken up removed apprehension of disagreeable com- strong positions on both sides of Wei-hai-plications, but the fact remains that even in wei, and from Yungching Bay has ere this probably captured Kiaochow, which possesses a splendid harbour and is a commanding posi. tion from whence he can advance upon Wei- hai-wei The possession of Kiaochow will, moreover, open to the Japanese the trade routes of the province of Shantung and the road to Tientsin. Their more immediate object is of course the reduction of Wei-hai- wei, and this will be effected Lefore they
extraor-
THE NEUTRALITY OF SHANGHAI.
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clusion the war she has hitherto so success- fully waged and also possibly of some of the more material advantages of victory.
EXPECTED OPENING OF THE WEST RIVER.
The remarks made by the Hon. E. R. BELILIOS at the meeting of the Hongkong, Canton and Macao Steamboat Company yesterday with reference to the probable the absence of such an undertaking Japan opening up of the various branches of the would not have been allowed a perfectly free Pearl River are pleasantly suggestive. With No a large fleet of light draught steamers run- band in respect of the treaty ports. special undertaking was given with respect ning on the West, North, and East Rivers to Chefoo, but a Reuter's telegram in- a great impulse would be given to the formed us the other day that the combined growth of trade in South China, and hand foreign fleets had prevented the Japanese in hand with the establishment of steam from atttacking the Chefoo forts. Similar navigation would necessarily go a reform action would be taken at any other of the in the collection of duties, the admirable open ports where foreign interests were likely service of the Foreign Customs supplanting