MS.
October 30, 1895.]
need acknowledge no superiors. No doubt, when treating of their own nationality, they have slightly more regard for accuracy, not perhaps on the score of principle, but for the sake of convenience, and hence it may be possible to sift more grains of wheat from the chaff in the reports which reach Peking concerning the Mahommedan Rebellion in the North-west provinces than was the case in the recent war. According to the latest telegrams, the condition of affairs in Kansuh is becoming most serious. The latest bulletin reports that Lanchow, the capital, has succumbed to the attacks of the insurgents, and that His Excellency YANG CHANG CHUN, the Viceroy of the Shen-kan, has committed suicide rather than suffer in- dignity at the hands of his captors. Another telegram, however, states that Lanchow having surrendered to the rebels, the Viceroy with a body of cavalry succeeded in cutting his way through their ranks and joining General LEI CHEN-KWAN, who with a force of about eight thousand men is in danger of being surrounded by the enemy to the north of the capital. General TUNG, the commander-in-chief of the troops in Kashgaria, is said to be still about one hundred miles to the south-east of Lanchow. This General's troops are nearly all natives of Kansuh, and he profoundly distrusts them, having reported in a secret memorial that he is surrounded by traitors and dare not make a forward general movement for fear of wholesale desertions from the ranks. Secret society men from other provinces are also reported to have joined the Mahomme- dans, and the disaffected of all ranks and classes appear ready to flock to standard of the rebel chiefs. An Imperial Decree has been issued ordering General TUNG to hasten to meet the rebels and force on a decisive engagement, and the Governors of Shensi, Shansi, Honan, and Shantung have all been enjoined to send reinforce- ments to General TUNG, but whether they will be able to do so before his own army has, like SENNACHERIB's host, melted away, It seems to us that, if these reports can be relied upon, TUNG is in a parlous condition. He fears to advance lest treachery should break out in his ranks; he equally dreals a retreat as that would be his ruin officially. The situation is recognised at Peking as being so pre- carious, that it is proposed to send off a large body of the Peking Field Force and to call in the Tartar troops of Kirin and Heilung chiang and order then to march to Kansuh by way of Mongolia to support General
C
is another matter.
the
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
gents are once able to establish themselves in a maritime province, a civil war may be inaugurated which may drag on for an inde- finite period unless foreign aid is enlisted. It is extremely doubtful whether the Man chu Government would ever have finally suppressed the Taiping Rebellion but for the invaluable assistance first of WARD and his mercenaries and subsequently of the brilliant GORDON. And this after all is a weapon that both parties can use. The Mahomedan insurgents could, in the event of their obtaining command of a maritime province, readily secure the aid of European or American mercenaries, more especially if, as is extremely probable, they showed more liberal proclivities than the Peking Govern ment. As we have said, the situation looks serious enough for the Peking Authorities, and they will do well to settle outstanding difficulties with foreign Powers with all possible despatch, so as to be free to meet internal troubles unhampered by a foreign war. Such, however, is the fatuous folly of the Tsungli Yamen, that the accumulation | of disasters at home will but tend to increase their obstinacy and aggravate their arro- gance. The veteran Li HUNG-CHANG, the one man, who if destitute of real patriotism is not utterly devoid of sense, stands now almost alone among the officials, and if necessity again brings him to the front he will be handicapped by the jealousy and mistrust of his numerous enemies. China has, it would seem, only emerged with vast discredit from a conflict with a foreign power to become involved in a civil war of serious dimensions, the end whereof no man can foresee.
THE FRANCO-CHINESE AND
JAPANESE-CHINESE WARS-
A CONTRAST.
themselves at such a cheaply earned success. On the 13th February, 1885, General NEGRIER had taken Langson and thereby opened the way to China for the French army and made the invaders masters of Tonkin. But there he was left, with no adequate arrangements for the com- missariat and supply of munitions. Seeing that matters could not safely be allowed to go on in this way he requested instructions and proposed to abandon the town, destroy- ing the forts and the matériel captured from the enemy. M. FERRY telegraphed that negotiations had been opened and it was necessary to strike a heavy blow to decide the Chinese. General NEGRIER therefore had to achieve a victory cost what it might. He accordingly made a brilliant rush to the "Gate of China," on the Kwangsi frontier. His little army numbered between three and four thousand, while the Chinese forces in the neighbourhood were estimated some seventy thousand and were all the time. increasing in number. On the 24th March, after a bloody battle, the French abandoned the Gate of China, leaving 88 killed on the field of battle and carrying away 195 wounded. Chinese of course had suffered terribly, but the loss of a few thousand men to them was
at
The
The
a small matter. The French retired, and the Chinese advanced, on Kilua. abandonment of the "Gate of China" was the direct consequence of the failure of supplie these had already been difficult to keep up at Langson; what could be expected at Kilua? To remain inactive would be to allow the Chinese to fortify themselves, so General NEGRIER, gathering together all his forces, gave them battle after battle, inflicting on them such losses as threw them into the greatest alarm and made them think they had to deal with an enemy much more numerous. On the 28th March, the right wing of the' Chinese, having been defeated in an engage- The Japanese, in their recent war with ment in the morning; retreated. This was Chinia, never made the mistake of under the fatal day. While the Chinese were put rating the enemy or of incurring foolhardy to flight on one side enormous numbers.ap risks. The consequence was a series of bril-proached from the opposite direction. But liant successes culminating in complete victory. To those who had studied the mili- tary systems of the two countries the result of the war was no surprise, but to many who carried in their memory the doubtful suc- cess of the French in the war of 1885 and the spirit of patriotism which at that time seemed to arise in China, and who had not looked beneath the surface for an explana- tion thereof, the speedy and utter collapse of China in the recent war, in spite of her vast reserves of men and great wealth, This rebellion comes at an inopportune seemed almost inexplicable. In the inter- time for the Chinese Government. Their vening nine years there had been no retro- troops have been beaten, demoralised, and gression in China, the country had simply dispersed, and have no stomach for fighting, remained stationary, and what it was in They have lost a vast quantity of guns and 1885 it was in 1894. The explanation of war matériel, and are now necessarily short the French failures is to be found in the of munitions. Their fleet has been ob- mistakes of the French, not in the skill literated from the seas. Finally a large or bravery of the Chinese. M. FERRY proportion of their own soldiers belong to did not venture to ask the French Parlia- the disaffected provinces and are in sympathy ment to authorise a declaration of war, with the rebels. The Mahomedans of the but tried to carry on hostilities under north-west are, moreover, a fighting race as the name of reprisals, with insufficient compared with the sheep-like natives of funds and insufficient forces. He affected some of the central provinces. The leaders to treat China as a quantité negligeable. of the insurrection are also not unacquainted But even the weakest enemy may inflict with the art of war, at least as understood some injury if prudence be altogether thrown by Chinese military mandarins. If they to the winds in dealing with him. One of can only succeed in overrunning the pro- the most prominent events of the Franco- vince of Shantung they will be able to com- Chinese war, and one which made a pro- mand ports and be in a position to obtain found impression throughout the world, supplies. The Imperial Government will was the so-called retaking of Langson by have to bestir themselves to prevent this the Chinese. As a matter of fact the French great disaster. Their power to crush a re-evacuated the place and when the Chinese volt is overwhelming so long as they can came up two days later and found it deserted keep command of the coast; but if the insur- no one could have been more surprised than
TUNG.
the General was on the watch and it appeared their attack would be similar to the former. The Chinese actually engaged, were set down at 20,000, but after three hours they were unable to force the French lines. At this crisis the General was wounded and he handed over the command to Lieutenant-Colonel HERBINGER. The situation was grave and momentarily becoming more critical, when Colonel HERBINGER was informed that there remained only 60,200 cartridges, or about seventeen shots per man. To remain at Kilua would be to expose the force to a seige in the fort, and if the promised munitions were awaited when would they arrive and would the convoy be safe? The same questions presented themselves with regard to the supply of provisions. It was therefore de cided to
retreat. It was half-past six when the order was given. The troops con Langson and aban- were to fall back don the town during the night. There was no reason for the precipitate abandon- ment of Langson, for the Chinese were themselves in retreat, but Colonel HER- BINGER lost his head, and the evacuation was hurriedly effected, the treasury chest, containing 530,000 francs, being emptied into the river to save its carriage, the artillery being similarly disposed of. Some of the men who were drunk remained be hind for twenty-four hours and saw nothing of the enemy up to the time of their leaving but in course of time the Chinese hearing of the evacuation quietly walked in and so achieved "the recapture of Langson." The above particulars are taken from the ac