, 1879-08-08

The time has passed whom tho wise Man-
larina Of China thought that everything
worth knowing was kept inside Of tho Great
Wall, aud that there was no progress out
side tho Celestial Empire. Slowly, but
worry surely, Western civilization Inns effected
broaohos In tho wall and gained foothold.
Tho changes which It hos nude nro perhaps
nowhere moro appar4At or radical thnn In
tho military and naval service. Time wns,
mud until very recently, when stinlspots, and
bluuderbussos, and wooden oannon were the
most efficient arms Of tho Chinese soldier.
Now the lordes Of the army arc organized
upon the French plan and nro ar,nod with
modern weapons, md, when their fatalism
ot belief, their persistence in fighting, and
tho almost untold numbers which thsy havo
In reserve arc considered, they really present
II formidable appearance, md alroady nro
talon into account by the Westarn Powers
as fighting people OF no .nean pretensions.
What their fighting quality is muy Hoon
10 tested on the Kashgar frontier,
whore they stand face to faco with
Tho Russians. awaiting roply to their Do
4l1AA<4 h4ht %AC4 pAta* VfNCAu NEiLAtA EtQf.
incos which they claim belong to tho Chinese
Empire. In their nayal department also
thoy hayo mado great progress, md thu junk
is now thing Of tho past as war-vossel.
The European gunboat has tnken Its p1ace.
Tho foundation for their navy was lnid in
1877, whom four n-olads, tho Alpha, Deta
Gn,nmn, and Delta, were orlcrod from Ell
gland. Ench Of thoso bus displacement OF
100 tons, speed Of nine knots, drnught of
only eight feet, tho first two carrying each
27i-ton gun, mud the last two q :IB-ton gun,
worked by hydraulic power. In 1873 two mora
were added, the spey aud Thy, Of the sumo
measurements mud armnments as tho Alpha
and Beta. The London Iimes Of July a
records tho completion and dispatch for
China Of four moro, lie Epsilon, Zotn, Eta,
aud Thota, named, like tho first fonr, nftcr
letters of tho Crock alphahet. Whether
tho Government intends to go through
Tho vholo alphabet from Alpha to Omega,
and not stop until It has powerful Acct Of
twenty-four vessels for tic defense Of its
coasts, we know not; but It is evident from
Tho description Of tho four new yossola that
itn "'nosquito fleet " il strong ono alroady.
Tho Times says that oacli ouo Of these wasps
is capable of penetrating tho arlnor Of the
1naexiblo, "without being liable from ita ex.
trcmo littloness md olltl-on position In timo
Of action to run much sisk OF boing hit In re-
tnsn." Tho circumstances attending their
construction nro somewhat interesting. Somo
eight yoars ngo the English Government Ind
constructed twanty.four g1lnboats, whicl,
were nero floating gun.carliages, SO
constructed that sloy could run into shallow
waller and from different points concen.
trate n destructive fro upon largo
iron-clad, wlilo they wonld 10 pro.
teoled by their alminutiyo Rize.
These gnnhoata, however, oarrled only
oil 18-ton gun. Subsequently thoir con.
Btrucsor designed boat on tho same general
principle, which should meot oil lilo demands
IT modern artillary, and carry a Sa.ton gun.
About this time tho Chinese Government bc.
cano awarq that tho Japanese woro providing
themselves with an iron.clad navy, aud, bo-
colniug alarmed for their coast dcfonso,-
tho relations botwoen China and Japan wore
THU, ~ they arc now, very critical, l,-orilercd
tue construction Of a fleet Of this descrlp.
tion. Tou Ut these vessels are now com,
plctsd, md the trial Of tho last four shows
that they arc success. The guns aro on
improvement oyor anything In the English
navy, as will 10 Hton by the following
statements from Tho Times. Speaking Of the
frat four boats, 1t says;
"Ths 1rst two boAts which wera delivered a
TIentsn. sha Alpha sud beta, werp liz fact I
inchcs long and ~ tcot beam, vita drtught OF 7
feet inches, and displacsmsnt of only I10 tons.
| TAe Gamma and Delta, which followed taepa, wnr,
Slightly lasgar, measuring 1g0 feet between per
ucadicular4 by 30 feet. and having drought of
! fcct mud displacement Of 400 tons. uut tlles.
notifications were Of trivial importance compared