Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-12-29


-, Tzr srAR's Travelling Commissioner.
VLADIvosToK, Oct. 6, 1888.
Tha Russian government and the geographic
al ,ituation Of Russian Tartary have succeeded
,,treen them in keeping this place well out Of
.hs world. and 10000 miles nearer to it in
NoIv bring You little or no nearer to it in
lpouledge. But the journey is easy enough to
,,.ke. from Yokohama the Yokohama Maru,
.,s Of the magnificent steamers OF the great
! I.panese steamship line, the Nippon Yusen
v.isha. takes you southwark along the coast to
Eobs. the pleasantest foreign settlement in
I,pan; then to Shimcnoseki, famous for its
,,rsign bOmbardment in 1865; then through
ne Inland sea- ranking high among the ''show
.,enery" Of the east; drops you at Nagasaki,
,pd fortv-eight hours later il is in Shanghai
from Yokohama to Nagasaki is 692 miles; from
yagasaki % NlBdivOstOk is $50 more, and the
liz Iakachiho Maru is lying at anchor, waiting
,,bear yOu nOrthwards. At noon next day the
TskachihO steams out into the Korean straits:
Jsring the night she passes Port Hamilton
ing Wav off. those bare islands of which the
xorld talked for a year, and about which. too
opuions are as divided here as at home, the
tlrtb probably being that England did yery
sell both to take them and to give them up;
md on the following afternoon, she drops
anchor at Fusan, the treaty port and Japanese
sertlement on the
SOUTH COAST OF KOREA
There come a revelation of head-gear among
TIE white-robed Koreans, a chat with the COM
missioner of customs Gin the Chinese service
Nv the way). and an afternoon with a hammer
Us companion. resulting In three brace Of
rheasanis. a snipe. and a small deer; and off
again For twenty-four hours we steam along
aroekv desolate, and forbidding coast. and
,rr1rr he 1rnxx Al
splendid harbor of Gensan, the western treaty
port. alongside the big white French ironelad
the faship Turenne. Soon a smart petty
ohcer comes up the gangwsy. bearing a cour-
isous invitation to Captain Walker and myself
% dine with m. lie Contre-Amiral Layrle,
eOmmandant en- chef la division navajo de
TeItreme Orient" and that night on board the
Tursnne a dozen merry guests, all very far
Rom home. the flashing OF many wax candles
over silver plate and gttering glass. the skill of
sdecOrated French cook, the witchery of rare
old Burgundy, and the strains of Offenbach
and Suppe. all combine to dispel the thought
that We are lying off the uninhabited Port Laza-
ref IN the wild and lonely seas Of the Hermit
Land. But at midnight the anchor is heaved
again. and at daylight next day but one the
helm is suddenly put over to starboard, the
nan in the chains takes up his monotonous
CIV, and We sweep round into the harbor of
VladivOstok-the proudly named
POSSESSION OF THE EAST"
An old-fashioned theologian would say that
Providence had intended this place to be made
impreg enable. The harbor is shaped. speaking
roughly. like a plain letter L standing on its
head thus: r. 1t has two entrances. one at the
southeast corner, the other in the middle of
the west side. both narrOw deep-water chan
nels. the latter indeed being only few hum
dred feet wide. As we steam straight north up
the long leg of the +. we notice first an extern
sve beach on the right. then several large bays
open out in succession. and we pass through a
harrow opening between Capes Novosilsky and
NazimOff and leave the western entrance on
the left The hills around are densely wooded
and all the defenses visible SO far have been
extensive earth-works building on our right
and loads of bricks for them living on the
shores below Now, however, the ship
passes Cape GoldObin we discover a large two
s;Oried battery from which nine black muzzles
look down on u.s. Soon after passing Fort
COldObin. a sharp turn to the right, almost at
right angle. brings us into the harbor. which
then stretches out due east in a straight line
Upward Of 2 miles long and half mile wide
This Is the Eastern Bosphorus and the Golden
Horn" of the Pacific.
THE TOWN OF yLADIvOsToK
extends nearly the entire length of the north
side Of the harbor. and in CONFORMATION it
rather resembles st. Johns, Newfoundland
the houses beginning at the waters edge and
gradually thinning out as the hills behind get
sleeper. The anchorage is so admirable that
tine Takachiho, a vessel 327 feet long. lies
within stones throw Of the wharves. and the
same anchorage exists all round. Directly in
front of us. after we have anchored. are three
little parallel streets constituting the Chinese
bazaar. On our left il the Chinese and Korean
town OF wooden shanties; behind us are five or
siX blocks of fine brick buildings forming the
winter barracks. while straight away ahead is
. broad street soon disappearing over the hill,
h. become after while the great Siberian
IpSt-road. The main street runs parallel with
the hlrbOr. and on this the chief stores
and many of the private houses. A quarter of
mile along il to our right is the governor
Residence. buried in square mass of foil
age-the gardens where the band PLAYS
regularly and the society Of yladivostok comes
l. walk and to gossip Further on. always be-
tSeen the water and the street. Is the staff -
tIe governors official headquarters, a large.
handsome building. and further still. a mile or
more from where we lie, tall chimney marks
the situation of the Port" the Russians call
H. a score or more of stOrehouses and machine
shops forming the maynard or arsenal. This
extends along the shore for quarter of a mile
and the torpedo boats and small ships of the
Siberian squadron lie alongside. with a confis-
Gated American fshing-sloop, while the IRON
clatls and gunboats are anchored a little further
of. On the opposite shore of the harbor there
are no buildings of any kind, except an iron
storehOuse deep in the woods here and there,
or explosive contents. On the SUBMITS of the
two high hills behind the town are two stations
for the tre-watch-
THE MILITARY GOVERNOR.
The chief hotel of yladivostok is at pastry
cooks shop. so / remained in my comfortable
quarters on board and after breakfast went on
shore 70 present my semi-offcial introduction
an imposing looking document q foot square
with The Russian eagle on the back-to the
military governor. Rear Admiral Ermolaiew.
His excellency received me with the utmost
courtesy, but his efforts to conceal his vast sur
Prise at my visit were in vain. He read the
] tter--a long one-then he looked at me: then
be read il again and looked again. yes" he
laid. finally, anything / can do for you OF
course, but what on earth do you want to see at
Nadivostok!" modestly replied that, with his
tAcellency's permission, / wanted to see eyery-
thing But WHAT" As had only been an
hour n the place. however, / was not in a
position TO specify my desires in detail. But
what shall / do?" To dictate to a Russian
ni.ltary governor was naturally repugnant to
me. and as Admiral Ermolaiew's French-the
only language in which we could commune
oaie-was of a rudimentary character, the con-
'rrsatlon was rapidly approaching an embar-
Passing deadlock. Suddenly, with an explo-
sYe . Al! the governor sprang from his chair
and disappeared, returning in a minute with
his VIE. most attractive and energetic lady,
Charming even at that early hour of the morn
ng. Madame Ermolaiew spoke French like a
monograph. With the native tact OF Rus
san she Strengthened matters in a moment.
and 1--we minutes later / was bowed out between
Tie salute of the blue-jacket and the sentry,
With the governors card in nv pocket bearing
written permission to go anywhere and see