Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-09-29
THE PEKIN MOVEMENT.
Will the MikadO's Birthday be Cele-
brated by His Troops In Chin"s
CapftalS

Will the MikadO's Birthday BE Cele-
brated by His Troops in China's
Capfta1S
The japanese are Of the opinion that
Count Yamagata will reach and enter Pekin
by November 3, the Mikados birthday an
niyersary, says the New York Herald, and
will be able to celebrate the day with his
soldiers i'll the capital of China. The opin-
ion is very general in Japan that Field
Marshal Count Yamagata, the commander
of the army In Corea. Is the right man IN
the right place. He Is soldier, like Moltke
In dash and brilliancy, he may be lacking.
but there are his younger 1ieuteEants who
abound in these qualities. Count Yamagata
would be the needed check for these men,
The count has shown himself worthy of the
mower intrusted to him in the victory at
Ping Yang.
Easy Work at Pins-Ynng.
In connection with the battle of Ping
Yang, a correspondent writes: 1T Is true
the Japanese had rather easy work OF 1t;
but the significance of the victory Is not
small. This practically ends the dispute In
Corea, and the future seat Of war VIII be
in China, and the country which attains
and keeps the supremacy on the sea will be
the victor. Important as this victory or the
Japanese at Ping-Yang Is. 1t is not thought
that China will sue for peace after this sim
gle reverse The defeats of the past will
Stir up colossal China to most effective
preparations and activity. The Japanese
navy has an important work before IL. III
it can control the sea, as 1t has done thus
far success will be finally with Japan. In
fact, 1t may be said that the war Is pegln-
ming to be interesting"
The Datone or Tatong river. on which
Ping-Yang is situated Is navigahlc from the
city to the sea in junks and light draught
N American made
the passage within the memory of people
now living in Seoul. The story is a tragic
one and gives a good insight into Corean
ways and Corean civilization. In August,
1866 the American ship Gen. Sherman. of
about nine hundred tons burden, sailed from
Chee-Foo for the Tatong river She reached
the mouth, and finding 1t deeper than the
chart stated, went upward with the wind
and tide. In this manner she reached
point of land just below Ping-Yang In about
thirty-six hours from the sea, where she
went aground. At low tide the Coreans
came on board and made friendly overtures
to the captain and crew, and also the Rev.
Mr.. Thomas, young English missionary,
who had come over to pursue his calling.
In day or two the Coreans bad won the
confidence of the new corners. and induced
them to come ashore. Here they were seiz-
ed, put in irons, and after some conflne-
ment, were tortured and put to death, and,
about the same time. the ship. after being
looted, was burned to the waters edge.
Portions of the keel, the knees and ribs are
still visible at low tide.
The end of Chinese interference In the af-
fairs of Corea has undoubtedly come Her
right as a sovereign state will not be inter-
fered with by Japan. 1t is somewhat strange
to have to record the fact that 1t was
China's Jealousy of japan that really
brought about Corea's semi-independence
Commercial demands first sent us to Japan,
and the pertinacity of an American naval
officer broke down the walls of seclusion
that for centuries had been sustained about
that country. The same demands took
Admiral Rodgers fleet to Corea in 1871, and
led him to engage In the conflict which the
Herald at that time, dubbed Our little war
with the heather" Japan opened the way
for us there five years later, and suspicious
CT her ambitious designs induced Li-Hurg-
Chang to use his influence to pave the way
for Admiral Shufeldts treaty in 1SS2-the
first Corea made with the ''outer barbarian
"a compact, the mere existence of which
struck a heavy blow to ChinaS ancient