The morning call., 1894-07-28

troors, but wherever they have had good
Western leaders they have shown themselves
efficient and courageous. To-day they are In
good condition for great war; and the story OF
the events OF the next year may make some OF
the bloodiest pages of history.
| wrote from Shanghai of my visit to the
great Chinese arsenal at Kiangnan. and 1 de-
scribed Its hundred acres OF foundries, fac
tories and powder works. Since then have
Travelled thousands Of miles through different
parts of this great empire, and find every
where evidences of the wonderful prepa alton
which these almond eyed CeleStials are making
TO fight the bar5arians. as they call US. at
Marking, 200 miles from the seacoast, visited
a naval school, presided over by English off,
cialS, and saw the cadets go through their
manr uvers AT the city Of Han Yang / in
spected a gun factory, we've they were making
small arms, and at Marking 1 saw vast powder
works and the smokestacks OF all arsenal COW
ering many acres. Here at Tien-Tsin, LII
Hung Chang has between fifty and one
hundred acres OF buildings, in which the
finest of modern guns are being made He has
schools for the education OF officers for his
army and navy, and nearly every one OF the
great viceroys of the empire has his own mill
tary establishment. There is big navy-yard
at Foo Chow, below Shanghai. where the Chi
nese are making torpedo bo is and modern yes
have been building boats here for ten years OF
all sorts and sizes. | have seen some OF the
cruisers turned out at these yards, and they
are equal to the same class OF boats you Will
find in Europe and America. They make also
armor-plate and big guns, and, though they are
now importing their steel In the shape OF In.
gots they are putting IN such machinery as
will enable them to make their own steel with
their own iron, and they expect to place them
selves on an entirely independent basis.
The chief feet in the navy is the north coast
squadron, which is directly under him and
which is. perhaps, as fine squadron as you
VIII find outside of the greatest European
forces. 1t consists OF four barberle seagolng
armOrclads, one OF which is 5000 tons In size,
and two others OF which are more than 1000
tons each. II has humber Of deck protected
cruisers, torpedo f1otla and eleven gunbo Us.
The Foo Chow squadron has number of fine
boats, and in addition 10 these are the Shang-
hal fiotila and the Canton fotilla. These are
under the Viceroy at Canton. and the Foo Chow
squadron is, l think, under the Viceroy of Nan
king. Two of Ii Hung Changs armOrcladS have
a speed of fifteen knots an hour and they are
armed with four 12-inch Krupp guns. These
guns have Hotchkiss cannon and tubes for
Whitehead torpedOes, and they are of the best
Workmanship the Germans can turn out /
can't describe the excellence OF the guns which
The Chinese are making themselves. The guns
and ships which they are importing are Of the
best They have, in short, everything that Is
known to modern warfare, and | see every
wheIe their ships manned with rapid firing
Hotchkiss guns, Calling guns and the giant
monsters known as 6, s., 10 and II inch guns.
The Japanese have almost equally good fight
ing material. and war between the TWO ma
tlons VIII result In an enormous loss of lille
and property.