The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1871-11-25
THE PACIFIC
Commercial 906ertiser,
SATURDAY, VENEER Is.
Affairs i'm Europe.

Affairs i'm Europe.
A brief telegram in the papers announces that
Russia has annexed Soongaria. Probably not
one in ten who reads the announcement has any
idea of where and what Soongaria is. But to
Russia herself, in view of her traditional policy
of extension towards India, the country is an i'm
portant one, and its annexation but another step
in the desired direction. 1t is but a narrow
strip of territory, inhabited by some two millions
of Tartars, who for the past two hundred years
have been under the dominion of the Emperors
of China. The pretext for this unlawful seizure
of the territory of the Brother of the Sun, is that
the SOongarian government harbors ~fugitives
from Russian justice. OF course it is a frivolous
one, got up for the occasion, but the Emperor of
China is in no condition to maintain his rights
against the powerful aggressor, nor has he any
allies to take his part. So that beyond his HARM
less paper bulletins of protest, the Chinese En-
peror will quietly submit to that which he can
not prevent. But to Russia this acquisition is
important, as rendering sure the acquisition of
Turkistan, and furnishing a point at which to
assemble a powerful army on the northern from
tier of India. Therefore this step of the Car
may plainly be considered as n first menace to the
OElIiou pOboceSlOnS III Iluld. fCuSbla believes IN
her mission, not only to s~upplant the crescent on
the Bosphorus and the DardaneIles, but to rule
India by driving the British flag from the penin-
sula of Hindostan, and her slow but systematic
movements all point towards the realization of
these ends. We learn also through the telegraph
that she is about to place her whole immense
army of no less than ii million and a half of men,
upon a war footing, and to this end all officers on
furlough were ordered to report Immediately for
service. The ostensible reason given for this
formidable movement in a time of profound peace,
is that it is simply to ascertain with certainty the
state of efficiency of the army, g in case of need
How soon that need may arise, and in what par
ticular direction, we shall probably see, ere long.
The vast armament of Russia is justly a cause of
alarm in Europe, and a menace to its peace.
Should a general war now break out, its proper
tiOns would be on a terribly grand scale. The
forces of other powers which are capable of being
brought into the field, arc estimated as follows:
Germany, 824 800 men, 1000 pieces of artillery;
Austria, 733 1926 men, 1000 guns Turkey,
253, 600 men, 1872 guns; Italy, 415,000 men, 72O
guns. The British forces are not given in the
Austrian official report from which the above is
compiled, and no reliable data can be given as to
the forces of France, under her present exhausted
military condition. But in all Europe, it appears
that from three to four millions of men are main
tanned on the military establishments, non-pro-
ducers, held ready at u moments notice to cut one
another's threats.
Another interesting and important feature of
the news received by this mail, is the heavy
movement of specie now taking place from Eng
land to Germany, on account of the French in
demnity payments, which are mainly through
English loans. The sums that will fall due the
Germans between the first of the present month
and the first of April, 1872, will be as follows
Six installments of SIC 900 900 each, payable
every fortnight, from January LIST to April LIST, and
"a ,0OO, 900 extra on the day of the last payment,
making in all 500, 900 900. The sum total paid
up to October this year, is 1885, 900 900. And
there will remain nearly 5000, 900 900 unpaid
after April LIST, 1872, on which France has to
pay 5 per cent. interest, or $50, 900 900 a year.
All payments must be made in specie, and nearly
all Of this specie will have to be drawn from
England. Very naturally, British fnanciers are
becoming really alarmed at the prospect of the
depletion which must follow. The specie once in
Germany, will be for a time at least, removed
from circulation, and a crisis in gold will be the
uCblLdDlC ECcu4L III AOuuOu, OclOI bIc cnu OI The
year. On this subject the New York Times re-
marks:
1T remains to be seen how London is to escape a BLACK
Friday of her own, which now threatens 10 come to her before
February next. According to all precedent there win be a Sc
ties, a long list of mercantile failures, a minimum bank rate of
the Bank Of England and then, AFTER endless mischief is done,
the Government will step in. suspend PEEPS banking act, en-
much coin in the vaults and public confidence will gradually
ending October Th, and $4,000 900 is its total reserve and
this seems 20 have been but the beginning OF the drain, since
general circulation, and there is every prospect that, by Feb
ruary LIST, it will have ssOo0ooooO locked up from use as
carefully as is the coin reserve in the United states Treasury"
The London Court Journal. of a recent date,
says that Is Bismarck intends to board the worlds
coin, and touch England's vitality through her
finances. The only safety for the moment is to
decline to discount the bills for which he demands
gold and give him back notes. England must
stand as if behind q battery, upon a note curren-
cy, as our safety against this Prussian invader,
who undertakes our overthrow through our
finances. There Is no such amount of bullion as
that which Prussia demands of France. All the
deposits in gold and silver. public and private, in
Europe and America, is less than two hundred
millions sterling.'' This language, from a leading
London journal, clearly betrays the great fear
which exists of a financial panic.
The great army review at Aldershott has re-
suited most unsatisfactory, and shows, even lin
time of peace, that the conclusions of the author
of g the battle of Dorking,' were not far wrong
as to the necessity of reform in army regulations.
So lamentably deficient were the arrangements of
the commissariat department at Aldershott, that
thousands of troops were left without food for
twenty-four hours. The attention of government