The morning call., 1894-08-02
AN ORIENTAL SEA FIGHT.

The dispatches report a naval battle on
| the 30th ult somewhere in the Eastern
! Sea, probably not far from Quelport, be-
tween the Japanese feet and the northern
! squadron of the Chinese feet, in which
| the Japanese won decided victory. The
northern squadron OF the Chinese fleet
consists of four barbette armor clads, two
of which are the crack ships of the Chi
| nese navy, being Of 1880 tons each, and the
other two smaller vessels of $3.50 tons, one
turret ship, three protected cruisers of 23OO
TO $500 tons, four torpedo cruisers, eleven
gunbOats and torpedo fotilla. The two
great battle-ships, the Chen Yuen and the
Ling Yuen, were built in Germany; each
carries four 12-inch rifles besides guns OF
smaller Caliber. The reports state that
one of these, the Chen YueD, was sunk 10
the encounter, and that two protected
cruisers shared her fate. We are not in
formed whether the big ship was sunk by
a torpedo OF destroyed by a Japanese
shell. Nor are we informed what Japan
ese vessels took part in the battle. Japan
has six ships with displacement of over
1000 tons; two OF them. the Yoshimo and
her consoTt, built in England, steam at a
speed of 22h knots Three of them carry
one 12-inch gun each besides pieces of
Al and inches calibeT.
1t will be interesting to read the details
of the battle when they come to hand.
The Chen Yuen was slow snip; the Yo-
shimo could probably steam round her and
strike her wherever she wanted. If the
Jap had been hit by 12-inch shell that
probably would have been the end of ber,
but it is not easy to hit target which is
moving at the rate of a third Of mile
minute. Again, q torpedo fotilla may
hold in its hand the lives of the vessels
against which it is aimed. if the latter are
not amply provided with torpedo netti ngs.
1t is quite possible that the big ship was
blown up by an unseen assailant We
shall know little till we receive the de-
tailed accounts Of the engagement.
Those who assume that the battle makes
an end of the naval power of China are
preciptate. China has two more fleets as
powerful as the one which was defeated
on the 30th, and a warship equal in
strength to the Cnen Yuen. She owns
swarm of gunboats and torpedo craft.
Still, the battle of the 3Oth goes to confirm
the impression which was produced by
the operations of the Chinese navv in
1884. It was poweress because it was
mostly officered by men who did not know
how to fight. The crews were ready to
sacrifice their lives, but they had no lead
ership. If the Chinese had been we'll
commanded, Admiral Courbet's fleet might
never have escaped from the River Min
AS it was he destroyed the Chinese navy,
blew up the arsenal at Foo-Cbow, ana in
flicted frghtful losses on the Chinese, all
with the sacrifice Of a single vessel. On
the water the Chinese have thus far been
al the mercy of any enemy, however in
feriOr in strength.
1t has been different on land. When
the French landed on the island of For
mOsa they were quickly surrounded and
besieged. and it required consummate
military skill to effect a retreat to the
ships. So in TonQuin; the Chinese drove
the French to their fortified camps, from
which they have not been able to emerge
to this day. China has TWO remarkable
advantages for the conduct of land CAM
paigns-inexhaustible perseverance, and
inexhaustible Ievies. Three hundred
years ago Hide Y0shi. who was the prac-
teal ruler Of Japan, sent an army of
10000 men into Korea and conquered the
country. The Chinese dispatched army
after army to sxpel the Japs, but though
the latter always won the battles, the
Chinese came up smiling after every
round and were ready to go on with the
fighting indefinitely. This policy wore out
the resources of Japan at last and Korea
was evacuated.
Very likely history will repeat itself at
the present time. China is pouring troops
into Korea and Japan will probably fol-
low the example. Being the better men.
it is odds that when the tug of war comes
victory will rest on the little brown men.
But what is the use of winning victories
over a people which has an unlimited
supply of troops to draw from and which
can put army after army into the field as
fast as defeats occur?