The morning call., 1894-08-26

no good means of moving troops. A rail-
road has been planned from Hankow to
TientSin and also from Hankow to Can
ton. These immense works could be put
to the making of materials for this road,
and as there are coal and iron in their near
vicinity the building of the line would be
comparatively easy. About forty Belgian
engineers are now in the employ of this
Viceroy. These men understand all about
the making of railroads and the working
of steel and il the Government will fur
Dish the money this. the greatest of all
trunk lines of the world, could be built
1t would go for 100 miles through the
most thlckly populated part of the Chinese
Empire and would connect half dozen
odd cities ranging from half million to a
million people in size.
Ii Hung Chang has gunworks and an
arsenal, the shops of which are nearly a
mile square and in which all kinds of
modern guns are made. 1t is much similar
to the Shanghai arsenal which described
in the letter published some months ago
when l told how the Chinese were prepar-
ing for war. No one can go through these
works without wondering at the marvellous
skill of the Chinese. In both of them they
turn out big guns. and the Kiagnan arse
nal is turning out 12-inch guns which
weigh over 100, 900 pounds and fire single
shots which weigh over 700p0unds. There
were more than 200 varieties of shot and
snrapnel. and in addition to this there were
specimens of all sorts of powder which are
being made at the powder works. Many of
the varieties l saw we do not make in the
United States. ! am not sure that we make
the brown cocoa powder which is used for
the firing of these big guns. This comes
in the shape of nuts, just like those by
which a big bolt Is fastened, and it takes
something like four bushels of these DOW
der nuts TO fire off one of the twelye-inch
guns. Still, the Chinese are making
this powder and they have lately
sent for a German chemist to teach
them how to make smokeless DOW
der. They are making pebble powder
for from FIVE to eight inch guns, and
they make all sorts of other powders from
that of the rife to that OF the largest guns.
They have been ordering new cruisers
during the past year and they recently
sent an order TO Armstrong;, the big ship
makers Of England, for two new vessels
which are each to cost S1,250, 900. They
HhNd mum UtI VI lldiuOu ulEu IN bleSp
arsenals. Ii Hung Chang has several
thousand. The Viceroy OF Marking has
1000, and there are thousands at work at
Hankow, Canton and Foochow. The
hours of work of these men will be doubled
from now on. ] am told that the Chinese
learn very rapidly and that there will be
little difficulty in increasing the force.
The making OF small arms is TO be pushed
and Qui Lee rifles will be turned out as
fast as possible. These are sort of Rem
ington, which the Chinese consider the
best gun iD existence, and the old match
locks and lances will be done away with
as soon as possible.
With all this you would think that the
Chinese would have given up their bows
and arrows and the weapons which have
come down from the middle ages. They
have not done SO by any means. Some
OF the interior troops still carry bows and
arrows, and archery is a regular part of
every military examination. These MILL
tary examination are held all over the
empire, and the candidates have to shoot
with bows. both on foot and in the saddle
/ saw just outside Of Picking an archery
match of this kind. There were. per-
ha2S, 10000 Cinnamon looking on. and
the soldiers rode ON the gallon by
one target after another, shooting
arrows as they passed. The targets
were about the size OF a man, and
did not note one of the hundred
whom saw shooting W no missed in a single
instance. They also shoot at balls lying
on the ground as they go by on gallop,
and they practice fer years before coming
to Picking. The candidates are weeded out
again and again before they get to the
capital. There is first an examination held
by the project Of the district in which they
live. The men who pass this shoot again
before the literary chancellor, and their
next examination Is before the Governor
OF the province. Such examinations COM
prise great tournaments. and out of the
thousands who are examined only forty or
fifty may pass. Those who stand highest
at Picking always get official positions, and
nearly every officer of the Chinese army