New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-08-15
TtptN'N PIN or CAMPAIGN.

TIL. fleets ~ China and Japan appear not I'D
have done as much fighting last week aS was n'
,r,, r.nor,cI Tn. former did none at all There
,,,s pn great engagement between q dozen or
,n,r. shlps ON each side. The Chinese Navy mas
o,.,,or.,,lv oJ,pt,d Tor its motto the name or
f.. hos, vorshlp-tbe Chen. Yucn. lately reported
sunk-nnd remains literally "oni OF sgh'' save
f,r II couple Of small gunboats seen scurryihe
FORWARD across the Gulf OF Pe-'hiH Inc
Japanrsr suuadrcn. while lnccssantly active mas
NOT met with any such losses as were ruino"h
II few days ago. and has not fought any great
battle It went a-gunning for the chinese h''''
but rs our special cable dispatch today assures
us failed 10 ind 1t: and thus It's dcmonsir'-
lions AT Wrl-lIai-Wei and Port Arthur amounted
To mere "Reminiscences In force.
While there has been little actual lighting,
however the operations have been decidedly sig
ntcant They make clear 10 the WORM INC
general scheme ~ the Japanese campaign anu
show IL 10 be- such rs might be expected Irou II
brave and cntcrprislng Power Well v'rsed ih
military strategy. Port Arthur Is on the great
promontory known ~ the Regents sword ui''u
ing the Bay Of Corea from the Gult VI l"ao
Tong. while Wel-liai-Wei Is on the ehan'uhs
promontory south Of the Bay or Corea Inc
Japaucsc fleet, therefore, Is occupying the strait
OF PrChili, or lying in walt JUST outside III 20
r,an waters SO long as Ii does 80. the Nhin'Se
fleet is kept cooped mp In the Gulf OF frIhi
and communication by sea between CHINA anu
corco IL entirely blocked AT the same time the
Yellow Sea is kept clear for japanese trans
ports 10 hurry the troops or the Mikado 10
Corco. not only to Fus;n. but to iasan. CheInhl-
mn and Seoul itself While Japan holds the
Strait Of Pc-Chil she Is mistress OF the slt'ia-
tlon. The southern Chinese squadron Will hard'
IL leave the lower coast unprotected. ana. In this
season OF great storms. come up through the
Eastern Sea 10 the rescue, but until 1t does So.
ar hc Tien .Tsn squadron fights liz way out Into
fine Yellow Sea. Japan will have Corea all to
herself
For on land the Japanese have vast strategic
advantage. They can dcbark their troops withln
II hundred miles OF almost any point In all Corea.
In II weeks tim, they can transport an army
from home and mass II wherever they please on
,hc peninsula But the Chinese, deprived OF the
sea route. and through their own stubborn
blindness. having 10 railroads. must march their
troops overland. thousand miles, over 'he
mountains and across the rivers OF Chill and
Leao-Tong. and the wellnigh impassapi' snail
Ali range. Il is a long and difficult Journey,
and they may tApt'l III It's Fhi' ~ 'h'i "'"''N''
soldiers struggle through the narrow and pre-
| ciplto,s mountain passes TO be confronted by
the Japanese army. already In full possession
Of the disputed land There Is one man IN
China who would have had 1t otherwise. lie
would long ago have had n railroad system
over which In few days armies could have
been hurried 10 the Corcan frontier he was
prevented from executing such plans by the
Grass conservatism of Court and people. Aud
now. by unsurpassed irony OF fate. he stands
degraded ard denounced because the war finds
China unprepared'
News from the seat VI war Is mcagre and not
always trustworthy. Ideas Of the present situa
ton are therefore largely gucsswork. and prog
| nosticati0ns hazardous. But II seems reason
able. according to all information now at hand
to suppose that the Japanese are sending troops
into Corca far more swiftly than China, and are
thus gaining the vast advantage Of first posses
sion. II also appears probable that the next I'M
portant naval engagement will be IN the Strait
Of PeChlll. where the Chinese feet will en-