The daily gazette., 1883-09-04
CHINA READY FOR WAR.
A CELESTIAL AhMY INVADING
AMMAN.
IMPORTANT PORTS BLooKADED.
Fifteen Thousand Chinese Troops on the
March-Causes of the Trouble and Prob
able Results of the Conflict.

Hone KONG, Sept. 3.-Fifteen thousand
| Chinese troops have crossed the Mongkai
and are proceeding to Naidnong. A squad
ron of vessels is loading at shanghai with
troops, ammunition and torpedoes.
The French General Bouet, the COM
mander of the French forces In AMMAN, has
| demanded of the war department an addi-
tional reinforcement of 5000 men. The
| country is still suf ring from floods.
The FreRch Admiral has issued notice
declaring all the ports of Annam including
Saigon, in state of blockade.
The Chinese Government has issued a
formal protest to the great powers, declar
| Ing that the treaty Of peace between France
and AMMAN, signed at Hue, is void, as the
King of AMMAN was forced by tue French to
| sign it.
THE NEWS IN LONDON.
LONDON, Sept. 3.-A dispatch from Hong
Kong says: "The war cloud over Annum
| daily thickens. Open hostilities on the part
of the Chinese have sprung up so suddenly
that the French are taken by surprise. Thirty
thousand Chinese troops have been massed
Tor several months on the Tonquin frontier
The order of march was not given uEtil
after China was Informed that the French,
after taking Hue, the capital of AMMAN, had
compelled the Annamese to sign q conVen-
tion recognizing the French occupation and
frances right to supervise the collection
and distribution of the customs duties and
certain taxes. China, it is understood, made
no official remonstrance against ths conven-
tion for the reason that she had previously,
in an ultimatum to the French stated ex-
plicitly that she would accede to no French
occupation that did not recongnize Chinese
suzerainty over Tonquin, the vassalage of
AMMAN to China, and Chlna's right to col
leet port dues in ToRquin.
THE MOVEMENT OF TROOPS.
The $4,000 troops moved beyond the from
| tier were hurried across the Tonquin country
| lying between that frontier and the Sang
Koi River, in Tonquin, in a Southwesterly
direction. The reports received to-day show
that the Chinese troops lost no time in cross
ing the Sang-Koi River, and Ia marching
| straight upon Haidong one OF the first places
taken by the French after they succeeded in
mastering Hanoi. Intelligence has just been
received that at the approach of the Chinese
| troops toward Haidong the ADnamese forces
under French supervision, marched out in
force to oppose their progress. The Anna
mese were repulseu by the Chinese, who, at
last accounts, were fighting their way to-
| word Haidong.
| 1t is supposed that if they succeed in tax
| ing Haidong the troops will next march
against Hanoi. The advance army is being
well supported by the army massed at the
| frontier, which is being constantly rein
forced. A Chinese gunboat has gone out
| from Foo Chow as an escort to q feet of
merchant vessels. The Chinese squadron
here is rapidly loaded with troops and am
munition. torpedo service is being put in
readiness as fast as possible. The city is all
hustle and excitement over the sudden war
like activity.
FRANCE AND THE UNITED STATES.
| WASHINGTON, Sept 3.-The Charge
d'Affaires of France has informed the De-
partment of State that the Government of
that Republic, having been led to interfere
in the affairs of Tonquin and to occupy that
province for the purpose of restoring order,
| has been compelled to adopt measures to
prevent arms and munitions of war being
sent to AMMAN for the purpose of strengthen
ing its enemies; that, consequently, the
commanders of the French naval force have
| been ordered to exercise strict surveillance
in the Gulf of TonquiL, and to search all
| suspected vessels entering AnDam's ports,
those vessels which, after having received
special notice of the prohibition of the trade
In arms, shall still endeayor to discharge
their cargoes or to run 5he blockade to be
seized. The Charge d'Affaires further
| states that the treaty which was concluded
| between France and Amman in 1874, whereby
certain pOrJS were open 10 foreign commerce
| irrespective of nationality, provides that
| 'arms and munitions of war shall neither
be exported nor imported" and that the
French Commission in Tonquin and the
commanding officer of the squa ron have
been instructed to take all necessary mea-
sures to en- force this provision.
THE CAUSE AND EFFECT OF HosTILITIEs.
When the invasion of Tonquin by a
French expeditionary forcesbegan in June,
China notified France that she would not
object to any treaty between that power and
| AMMAN being made, ii in 1t her sovereign
| rights were clearly recognized. She said
| she did not wish war; but that rather than
surrender these rights she was prepared to
| take the consequences. In the recent treaty
| forced upon the Anamese king, China's
claims were disregarsed. Hence the threat
| ened war.
The Chinese army contains about 120, 900
men. Probably 20, 900 of these are armed
with the most approved implements of war,
| including American breech loading rifles.
The French forces now in Tonqin muster
$500 men, or, including sailors, about
10000 in all.
Animportant aspect of the news by cable
is the blockade of Annamese ports, and the
interruption of commerce between China
and the United States and Great Britain.
In 1880 foreign nations sent into China, cot
ton, metal and coal, to the value of
SIS, $40 900.
PIana nf the