March 9, 1903.]
RUSSIA AND THE FAR EAST.
(Daily Press, 4th March.)
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
169
alone will reveal. Russia hns most { value, even in the deserts of Central Asia, certainly been preparing for the even. Any war on the frontiers of India must of tuality of trouble on the Balkans, but the necessity be military; England is here clouds in that part of the world having apmistress of the sea, but as affairs stand parcntly lifted, continued military activity | Russia's military force in Central Asia is at on the part of Russia would naturally the moment weak, and Russin is too well be assumed to have another object.
RUSSIA IN CENTRAL ASIA.
!
nware of the fact to care to appeal to arms without trying what other arts can accom. plish. She has consequently been trying those other measures in which long use has made her an adept ; she has therefore been ostentatiously increasing her armaments, but herein she has to face many incon veniences if not positive dangers. With all her ill-will towards England, Germany has in her inmost beart, did she have but the courage to confess it to herself, n mortal terror of Russia. Germany and Austria, though bitter rivals, have at least one com. mon bond of union, and that is their mutual suspicion of Russia, and their jealousy of any real strengthening of her land forces. The threatened increase of Russin's arm'os has also had another very perceptible result, in that it has impelled Great Britain to lay her hand to the task of at last really strengthening her land forces. This is of course the true secret of the debates at present going on in Parliament. If we are 10 engage in a contest for life and death on Asiatic soil, it will not suffice to stake our all on our Indian army. No nation that has had
to depend on stranger and mercenary troops but has had ultimately to lament the loss of its independence.
(Daily Press, 5th March.) It is becoming perfectly clear that the hoße expressed by the leading English papers that the Government will not per- mit itself to be quietly ousted from its position in southern Persia, as it practically has been in northern China, was not uttered a day too soon, The ways of Russia are perfectly well known; like all Powers that have essayed the part of mere conquerors without the preliminaries of civilising the subject peoples, she has found that the further sho advances, the greater is the need for strengthening her already over- extended frontiers. It was precisely this discovery of the danger of an active enemy on her western frontier that impelled the first DARIUS, probably against his will, to undertake the conquest of Greece. Had Persia stopped short before the conquest of Egypt brought her into hostile relations with the Grecian States, she would have been able to consolidate her conquests in Asia Minor, and introduce the much-needed reforms into her already vast empire, but We have no reason to suspect the fidelity the craze of conquest was on her, and the of our Indian army; but to retain that struggle with the Greek mercenaries in the fidelity it is necessary that we should exhibit pay of the PHARAOHS, really led the way to
our own ability to bear our own burdens. her own eventual dismemberment at the No brave soldier can feel other than contempt hands of ALEXANDER THE GREAT. Russia for a pusillanimous general; and no ruling not having taken the time, and probably not race which has ouce lost its own fighting possessing the ability to develop her Central instincts, can retain the fidelity of its Asian conquests, before overcome with her subjects. The question then of the reform restless ambition of still further extending of our array is intimately bound up with her frontiers, has been brought face to face our capacity to rule our imperial heritage. with a situation where to advance or recede Even if the alternative be to make Great is equally fraught with dauger. Like Britain a military nation, and cajole her Persia of old, Russia's natural weapons are people into paying war rates during the bluff and cajolery, and she will only pro-time of peace, such a course, even financial. ceed to arms in the last extremity, after ly, is preferable to earning the contempt of she has exhausted every other incans of our dependencies, who will certainly in such corruption or diplomacy.
She has now a case repay our indifference to our, own
1
A telegram from our special correspondent in London which appears in another column tells us that the New York Herald considers Russia's undoubted military activity to be due to the aspect of affairs in the Far East rather than to the trouble in the Balkans. What aspect of affairs in this part of the world is at the present moment calling for any exceptional military activity on the part of Russia is not very apparent, but it is obvious to all that if Russia's intentions in the Far East are pacific she pins her faith firmly to the dictum that preparation for war is the best security for peace. Even during the two short months of the present year sufficient has happened to arouse more than ordinary interest in Russia's move. ments in the Far East. Her fleet in the Pacific is being increased--though the progress of these six or seven vessels East ward is remarkably slow; transports cont. tinue to bring out troops from Odessa 1,300 were landed at Vladivostock early last month, and these were described as part of the force to arrive for important military mobilisation in March. We have had the news too that the Grand Duke NICHOLAS, Inspector-General of the Russian Cavelry, is leaving St. Petersburg shortly ou a tour through Manchuria. No one can seriously credit Russia with the intention of evacuating Manchuria while every indication points to the contrary. Not content with the strength of her military position along the Manchurian frontier, the Russian authorities, it has beeu stated, are engaged on a plan for equipping the whole navigable length of the Amur with a flotilla of specially-constructed gunboats, and in view of the strategical value of this waterway, at the entrance to which stands Nikolaivesk, the vicinity of this port will be mined and Nikolaivesk fortified and equipped to enable it to effec tively command the entrance to the frontier waterway. At Vladivostock just now we note that there does not seem to be any knowledge of what is intended by the "important military nobilisation which is to take place this month, and the absence of information leads to the general con-attained to a position wherein the further; honour by taking the first opportunity of clusion that Russia is bent as seriously as exercise of these customary arts is becoming 'shifting their own burdens.
more and
niore difficult. ever upon asserting a paramount interest
Persia and not only in the Amur regions but throughout Afghanistan are in inore western Asia Manchuria, In Vladivostock itself measures almost the only countries left to buy, and are stated to be on foot to confine the with England immediately on the other Chinese to the outskirts of the town and to frontier the market price has gone up compel the registration of all Chinese, almost beyoud Russia's abilities. China Japanese and Coreans. And in this con and Corea are quite open to bribery, but nection it may be worth while recalling Japau and Eugland are both of them the fact of negotiatious for the sale inconveniently inquisitive, so that of four of the largest and fastest Volunteer opportunities are becoming rarer and rarer. Fleet cruisers being abruptly broken Under the circumstances, Russia, as did off at the end of last year and these Persia before her, has had to descend to ships-which had lain in reserve for the bluff. Bluff, however, is an expensive Russia has long been desirous of greater part of the year-were again ordered game. to be kept in reserve with two others in the having a powerful navy, but the more she Black Sea. Commenting on this the Times | strengtheue! her power at sea, the more corrispondent at Odessa aptly wrote:- she found that England was prepared to "Whatever may be the motives actunting outbuild her; now Japan has joined Eng: the Russian Government and the Volunteer | land, and if Russia is ever to have anything Fleet authorities for detaining indefinitely in to gain by sea power she recognises that her an idleness which spells heavy financial loss abil.ty must be quickly shown, or the the entire flotilla of 20-knot Volunteer opportunity will be lost for ever. This Fleet cruisers, capable of mouuting between | of cours3, is the true reason of the them in time of war just under 100 enormous strengthening of her fleet in quick-firing guns of various ca'ibre, and the Far East. For her European am. carrying between them, besides transport, bitiöns, her fleet is practically useless; from 10,000 to 20,000 men, according to distance, and in time of peace capable of accommodating about 7,000 passengers and some 35,000 tons of general cargo, the step in itself is both an unusual and a remarkable one.” What it means Time'
the
in any offensive operations in Persia | or Central Asia, it might, except as a weapon of bluff, be as well forty fathoms under the ocean. It may, nevertheles; be made use of to bluff off Japan at the crucial moment, and so iucidentally become of
COLLECTING THE INDEMNITY.
(Daily Press, 6th March.) When a huge indemnity was demanded of China as a consequence of the Boxer troubles the difficulties and danger of collecting the instalments were clearly fore- seen by most men possessing any knowledge of China and her ways. That the collection of the periodical payments is becoming a serious menance to peace is constantly being demonstrated, and it behoves the Powers to take note of the reasons. Chinn is required to pay for the first nine years a sum of eighteen million taels annually, and it was agreed between the Foreign Representa- tives and the Chinese Plenipotentiaries that the import duty on foreign goods should be raised to an effective five per cent.; that imported goods, hitherto duty free, should be included in the effective åve per cent. duty that native custom houses at the treaty ports should be controlled by the Imperial Maritime Customs; and finally that the Government tribute rice should be transported to the north in steamers instead of in native junks. From these sources it was calculated a sum of over seven million taels could be raised towards the annual indemnity payment, thus leaving something under eleven million taels to be collected
www.w
ל'
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.