Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-08-27
FRANCE AND CHINA.
INTERESTING STATEMENT FROM
AN AMERICAN NAVAL OFFICER.
Nayy-What the French
Propose to Do.
ESPECIAL RY TELEGRAPH TO THE RECORD UNION

| WASHINGTON, August 26th.-LleuGnant-
Commander Barber, of the United States
Navy, is perhaps better informed concern
ing the condition of the Chinese army and
navy than any other American He spent
several years in China in an official capac-
ity, and had ample opportunity to become
thoroughly acquainted with the military
and naval defenses of that country. Lieu
tenant Barber, after leaving China, was of
fered the position now held by Lieutenant
Mannix as instructor in torpedo school
about to be established by the Chinese
Government, but declined the offer In
conversation with your correspondent to-
day the Lieutenant said:
THE LIEUTENANT'S STATEMENT.
The talk in the newspapers of the mill
tary and naval posts of China is greatly
overestimated. The only vessels of any
account in the Chinese navy are the Zeta,
Eta and Theta. These are considered the
most remarkable ships in the world for
their size and they are not ironclads. They
are remarkable in the fact that they carry
very heavy guns for such small vessels.
The Chinese navy consists of thirty-nine
gunboats six frigates, four torpedo boats,
and small, lightly-armOred river gunboats.
She is now building three or four first-class
| irOnclad vessels, but they have not been
allowed to come out of Germany, as It is
against international laws to allow them to
go ont. In 1873 and 1879 four gunboats
| were completed for the Chinese Govern
ment of the British staunch type They
were the Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta.
| The first two are each lis icet long and ~
| feet beam, with a mean draught of feet
s inches, and Il displacement Of $40 tons.
| The last two are 100 feet between the per
pendiculars by 80 feet beam, draught eight
feet and displacement of 400 tons They
are schooner-rigged, with tripod mastS, are
propelled by twin screws, and can steam
nine knots per hour, The first two carry
26!-to guns; the others 3S-ton guns of the
British service pattern. In addition, two
| 12-pOunGcrs are also carried, and a machine
gun of the Calling type. The 3S-ton gun is
capable of penetrating 49, inches Of iron in
| three thickneSSes, sandwichcd with ten
inches of teak. -Four more vessels have
been built on the Tyne each with 35-ton
gun of new type. These four are of
substantially the same description, and
construction as the first four, except that
they are built of steel instead of iron and
are dOuble-ended, the stern and bow lines
being after the same model, and are fitted
with bow rudders, which enables them TO
steam either backward or forward These
vessels are the Chempie, Chuman, Tel Ting
and Heang Hung Hang. Their guns are
80 tons, muZzle-loading, of the chamhered
pattern. They have penetrating power of
ID per cent. over the 3S-ton guns. The
powder charges which they burn are 80
! pounds, more than the heaviest cXperi-
! mental charges fired from the British in
the 2!-inch 3S-tOn gun surmounted on Die
| Dreadnaught. There have also been built
in England, for the Chinese navy, eight
small gunboats of from 10 to 200 tons dis
placement, carrying from , to guns
FoocHow AND TIEY-TsGN.
At the Foochow arsenal there have been
! built II composite gunboats. each mount
| ing one l, or 9-tOn gun, with other light
| pieces, one composite carrying l. guns.
one of II tons weight and three transports.
There are also wooden frigates-5-gun yes
sells. The Chinese Government has estab-
liShcd a torpedo school at Foochow, which
is 4 short distance from Ticn-Tsin. where
| they are educating Il class of tor
pedo officers and mechanics. They
have had a number of Germans and
Frenchmen, and one or two Ameri-
cans, inStructing both their army and navy.
an American having charge Of the torpedo
school; but none Of these officers Will be
of any value 70 them in the war with
| France unless they resign from their own
service and become Chinese citizens; so
that all this talk about their having val
liable officers is nonsense. They only COM
menced their efforts III the direction of tor
| pedO defenseS shortly before the expected
| war with Russia, few years ago, and they
never have expended money enough or
taken time enough to put their torpedo de-
| lenses in thoroughly reliable condition,
which is a great misfortune, because, on
account of the shallowness of the coast,
China is, next to the United States, the best
country adapted for torpedo defenses in the
world. As the trouble with Russia was set
! tied without going to war, the Chinese
| Government did not continue their prepa
tons. Had they done so, their condition
would now be very much better.
POLITICS IN CHINA.
The difficulty which China has always
| been under with regard to making any mill
tary or naval preparations, is that there has
always been party of progressionists and
| a conservative party in the country. The
progressionists are led by Ii Hung Chung
who is Viceroy Of Pichili. He is the ablest
statesman in China, and the most progress
i've. The two parties have about equal in
iluence, each one alternating in favor with
the Empress and the three Isl Lung va
men, SO that any money which one party
gets to spend the other party must have
about the same amount; so they have to
spend about twice as much as any other ma
ton to get half the amount. For example,
if the progressionists get money for dozen
men-oiwar,Sfle other party have to have
just about that amount to expend in the
building of old junk boats, bows and ar
rows, and other implements of war in use
1000 years before Christ.
THE CHINESE ARMY.
They have some very good Notifications,
and some good guns; but their army men
who are to fight are not properly organized
or drilled. The army is not much in
China. There is no such thing as volun-
teers for the army. They are nation of
traders They do not have any ambition
for war. and the warrior does not have near
the amount of credit that the scholar does.
The literary men rank the soldiers socially.
No one can tell how large the Chinese
army is They have untold legions of men
that they could summon, but nobody
knows how many they really have, because
their system of representation is such
that no one can make calculations.
The only soldiers who are of any
value are those who are drilled by
foreigners. They number about 10000 or
$4,000 men. 1t is impossible TO estimate
the militia, because in that country the
Governor of a province receives the pay for
the troops, and very frequently they do not
have any troops until just before the
Viceroy arrives on his tour of inspection.
A short time before his expected arrival,
the Governor gets lot of men together
and they are drilled night and day, so that
when the Niceroy inspects them they are
able to go through tie movements. During
the time they are being drilled they are paid
about q cent day, and after the inspection
they are disbanded, and the Governor draws
or pockets their pay. The Chinese soldiers
do not fear death, but with them cowardice
is no stigma. They would just as lieve
walk away from a gun as not, and to run
away from an enemy is not considered dis
graceful. The most important arsenal and
navy yard is II Foochow. Its very complete
There is no doubt but that China could be
developed into a tirst-class military and
naval power, as well as being in the front
rank in several pursuits, if one man like
Ii Hung Chung could have his way.
EASY JOB FOR THE FRENCH.
Lieutenant Barber thinks the French
will have no trouble in whipping the Chi
nese. He says the European and Ameri-
can officers will have to leave the service,
and without them the Chinese soldiers are
w., r,onj Tho only wav forpiunPrS can re-