AFFAIRS IN JAPAN.
||FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.]
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with
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND outsiders-Marquis Ito and Marshal Mar- quis Yamagata were present; and this is the second Cabinet Council of the kind that has been held during the last fort- night. Again, on last Saturday Marquis "RUSSIA'S DISQUIETING CONDUCT." Ito hinted very slightly-but the Tokyo, 11th May. Japanese there is no such thing as a broad hint, A most alarming piece of news was received it would be too inartistic-that union was here on Sunday. It was to the effect that
never more necessary than at present. Accord- Prince Ching had received a telegraphic reporting to the Japan Times, he congratulated saying that 14,000 Russian troops with 16 guns bis fellow-members of the Seiyu Kai on the had been unexpectedly distributed on both power of acting in unity just shown by them banks of the Lino river, and that they had been a result which he did not hesitate to regard as engaged in the work of sresting fortifications an indication of the great improvement that at Tien-chwang-tai.
had taken place in party politics in Japan. Never was unity so strong as now. He did not mean to refer particularly to the existing con- dition of affairs in the Far East. But, l'oking ahead, it was evident that in the course of the next ten or twenty years important changes might be expected. He, therefore, hoped that the members of the Seiyu Kai would not fail always to realize the grave importance of their responsibilities, and that by wise unity they would endeavour to promote the best interests of the country.
It was also stated that the United States Consul at Newohwang had telegraphed under date of the 5th inst. to Mr. Conger at Peking that a large number of Russian soldiers had again entered the town of Newchwang, that they had already occupied the forts at the mouth of the Lino river and were going to take possession of those at Tien-chwang-tai, and that 14,000 | Russian soldiers had been distributed at several places along the s a-coast between Newchwang and Port Arthur.
Even staid journals like the Asahi and the Jiji lost their heads when these tidings became public property, and the Foreign Office was so excited that it immediately telegraphed to the Japanese Consul at Newchwang asking him to investigate the report. Luckily the Consul was able to wire back at ones saying that the statement was groundless.
Incidents like this lead one to corolade that there must be a good deal of exaggeration in the yarns which many of the Japanese newspaper correspondents in China are sending home in such hot haste. In many instances we can see for ourselves that the nervous tension here is sufficiently great to make ordinary things assume ominons appearances, and there is no reason why the same cause should not produce the same result in matters occurring away in the interior of Manchuria and Cores and of which we have no direct cognisance. To mention some things that come directly under our observation, the Japanese Press-including even the Jiji Shimpo, one of the most temperate and judicious organs in the capital-men- tioned as 8 suspicions circumstance the fact that the last Empress steamer, which was said to have had on board one thousand tons of provisions for the Russian troops, hurried away to Nagasaki without calling at Kobe, the inference being that the Russians wanted their provisions at once. In fact, some Japanese papers declared that the Empress had gone on to Port Arthur, a course to which her passengers would, it is to be presumed, take objection. Now the agents of the said boat had announced more than a week before that she would not stop at Kobe on account of some delay that took place in her departure from Vancouver owing to the late arrival of the mail. Besides, it would show great want of fore sight on the part of the Russians to be making such a fuss about provisions at such a critical time and to be placing orders for the same in Japan and in the country of Japan's ally, if they really contemplated a war with Japan.
Then, again, there is a good deal to be said against the alarmists who are t lling us of Russian aggression in Corea. Mr. Bryner has got a timber concession on the Yalu and he has imported some Russians to work it. These Russians are suspected of being soldiers in disguise, but that is by no means certain, espe- cially as the Japanese Minister to Corea does not make any allegation of this nature in his notes to the Corean Foreign Office on this question. The Japanese newspaper correspon- dents are quite positive, however. They say that they have seen the men going up and down the river in a steam-launch and that, though they were all dressed in civilian attire, they bore on their persons unmistakeable tokens of having recently doffed their uniforms. I could go on for columns giving instances of this kind and might in the end succeed in
per suading myself and perhaps some of your readers that things are quite normal; but unfortunately the fact remains that one responsible statesman s expressed himself to one inteviewer to the that “ Russia's disquieting conduct has consed the most profo surprise in official dircles here.” Moreo Cabinet Council was held yesterday (Monday, May 11) at which two "
[June 1, 1903.
that has recently appear d in the Yomiuri newspaper, Chinese decorations ranging between the 3rd grade and the 5th grade of the Order of the Precious Star. These decorations were conferred on them when their Majesties the Chinese Emperor and the Empress Dowager recently stopped at that town on their way from Siliang to Peking,
Viceroy Yuan is said to have eulogised. his Japanese employees in the presence of their Majesties; and when the Imperial cortege was about to leave Paoting, they were allowed to approach the Imperial carriage and have an audience of the Emperor--an honour that is never granted under such circumstances in China except in the case of Princes of the Blood.
To conclude with China some arrangements that would become operative in case of war, Viscount
Aoki, ex-Minister for Foreign Affair, was recently despatched to Peking, and the Russians naturally regarded him with great. suspicion and justly so-as being entrusted with some important mission. He has just now returned, and it is a little significant that a high Chinese official, Prince Trai Chen, is here also, with a large train. Finally, the fact that Russia is still in He professes, of course, to be engaged in an Newchwang and that thirty Russian ships-investigation of the currency system; but it of-war are now assembled at Port Arthur was not to be expected that he would reveal goes to prove pretty conclusively that matters the real object of his mission. are not quite normal
The Japan Times gives the riow entertained by the very soberest section of the Japanese Press when it says that :----
"If matters in Manchuria have not grown very much worse, they remain at least as unsatisfactory as ever. While maintaining a threatening attitude in Manchuria, Russia is, it is believed, trying very hard to make Chius sign a secret Convention which is only different from the one originally presented in having three articles instead of seren. The nature of the newly proffered Convention has not yet been divulged, but an impression prevails that it is as objectionable as the former one. The situation is becoming intolerable. How long are we to put up with this sort of thing? This is the question which is beginning to be asked on all sides. Unless, therefore, something turns up to clear away the ominous clouds now oppressively hanging over our heads, it is to be soriously feared that the strongest statesmen will find it difficult to restrain the growing uneasiness of the people."
A SURPRISE FOR RUSSIA.
If war breaks out between Japan and Russia at the present juncture, Russia will be very disagreeably surprised by the completeness of the arrangements that China has entered into with Japan. It seems at first sight that Japan would only injure herself seriously in the eyes of the world by allying herself with decadent China and that, in the next place, she would by doing so only give Rus ia an opportunity to grab huge chunks of Thibet, Turkestan, and Mongolia, away inland where Japan could not support her ally. As to the first objection it will not hold water, inasmuch as "good Euro- peans" like England, and the United States, are showing their readiness to preserve the territo- rial integrity of China almost at the cost of war. In the second place Russia is not so strong perhaps on the Chinese frontier as has been supposed, and she may be content to be able to hold her own there especially in ose the Chinese armies guarding the frontiers are led by Japanese. The decisive fight between Japan and Rus:ia will take place ju Corea and the Liaotung Peninsula, and Russia will be ill equipped for that fight if her railway system is constantly being broken, her telegraph lines torn up and her communications interrupted by banditti (in case China is "neutral") or by regular Chine.e armies (in case China declares war or has war declared against her). Russia may not, in the latter case, find it so easy as General Rennenkampf and his 300 Cossacks did in 1900 to cut through Manchuria to the very heart as a knife cufs through butter. China was then a “wee bit" distracted by happenings elsewhere; this time she will have a man of Yuan Shikai's calibre to direct her warlike forces.
Talking of Viceroy Yuan, it is certain that he at any rate keeps in good touch with the Japanese. There are now about 30 Japanese serving under him at Paoting-fu and seven of them have received, according to an account
RUSSIA ON THE COREAN BORDER, The movements of Russia on the Corean frontier are exciting great uneasiness in Japan, The Japanese military attaché at Seoul wires home that the Prefect of Antung-hsien has no- titled the Corean authorities at Wiju thal 2,000 Kussian soldiers have arrived at Antung-hsien, and the local officials in Taitung-kuang an- nounce that two Russian soldiers are also expected there shortly and that they have been get the town ready for their told to reception by cleaning the streets, roads and houses. At the same time it is announced that the Russians are beginning work on a branch line of the East Asiatic, starting from Liaoyang near Mukden, and intending to run via Fenghwang to a port on the Yalu opposite Wiju. They claim they obtained a concession from China for the construction of this rail- way long ago; but it is very doubtful if Japan allows them, without fighting, which will enable them to throw as many men as they like into Corea at very short notice.
NEW RUSSIAN RAILWAY SUGGESTED. The Amur Gazette, a Russian paper, wants the Amur Railway constructed at the earliest possible opportunity. It points out that, in caso any trouble arises in the Far East at the present juncture, the East China Railway will be at the mercy of the Chinese, and then England and Japan may attack Port Arthur and Vla- divostock and not only take these places but also the whole of the Liaotung Peninsula, Ussuri, and the mouth of the Amur. If, however, the Amur Railway is constructed, Russian troops can be sent to Ussuri at a moment's notice," in which case the coasts can be easily defended.
SIBERIAN NEWS.
I take the following cutting from the Vladivostock of April 26 :--
"It is said that orders have been received not to pursue the brigands in Manchuria, as they have proved to be more devoted to the Russian authorities. than the Chinese authorites have been. The latter intrigued against the mounted highwaymen and laid the blame of many mis- understandings and troubles at their door; and it is said that the intrigues of the Chinese are fully proved by documents (now in possession of the Russian authorities). No repressive measures will be taken in future against these highwaymen, unless they attack the persons or 1roperty of Russians."
I send you the Russian clipping in order that you may see for yourself that my translation correct. The paragraph throws a strange light on Russia's doings in Manchuria.
The Russian battleship Pobieda (Victory in from Cronstadt on her way to English) the China station, was at Ceylons fortnight ago. The Pobieda is of 12,674 tons displace ment, and is armed with 4 10-in. and 11 6-in. quick-firers, and 45 lighter guns, besides 6 torpedo tubes. She is fitted with Belleville boilers, and her engines indicate 14,500 horse- power, with a speed of 18 knots an hour.
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