Frederick citizen., 1895-02-22
TIE JAPANESE FLEET
Adding to Her Mercantile
Marine Service.
China Awakens to the FIR. .uds Per e.
trated upon Her Foreign Journ;.l-
lists Clutch at Straws General Won
Hanncken Now Drill Sergeant---A
Body Guard of O. 500 Men.

|
Hanncken Now a Drill Sergeant---A
Body Guard of $500 Men.
/ Toxic, Feb. 20.-Since the outbreak
| of the war Japan has added to her
mercantile marine thirty-two steamers,
| their total tonnage (burden) being ST.
654 tons. 1t is a fleet in itself, and
it means that several new tradal routes
will be opened when the restoration OF
peace puts an end to the military
transport service now occupying so
many vessels. The new steamers vary
in size from 542 tons to exactly ten
times that figure. Their average size,
as will be seen, is 2,548 tons. Japan
has not been obliged to pay big prices
for these vessels. She has acquired
them at reasonable figures.
Army Contrac.s in Japan.
Japan Is gradually ascending the
gamut of experience familiar to Euro
pean nations in these times of COM
mercial smartness. Her contractors
are taking advantage of the opportun-
ity offered by large orders implemented
under circumstances precluding accu-
rate inspection. The troops have found
tnat bales supposed to be distended
| with rice reached their destination in
a very limp condition; that Jars OF
soy seemed to have lost a moiety Of
thelr contents en- route, and that cases
OF canned meat contained a liberal
packing of stones. 1t does not appear
that such frauds have been on a large
|
IN Its denunciations, and the military
store ofncials themselves are charged
with winking at the dishonesty. Per
Contha, story is told of an official
TO whom the representative of a syndi-
cate of merchants rendered a sum of
SOO yen by way of bespeaking favora-
Die consideration for tenders about 10
De presented. The official informed his
subordinates of the incident, and then.
when the merchants themselves waited
on him to present their tenders. he
threw the bundle of notes out of the
window, pretending to be disgusted at
the paltrness of the sum.
China's Latest Awakening.
Struggling to manufacture bricks Of
progressive promise out Of the dust
OF chinese conservatism, II has for
years been the habit of foreign journal.
ISIS in the east to clutch at every straw
hkeiy to facilitate their painful labor.
captain Won Hanneken has proved IN
De straw of unusual dimensions. A
man possessing military experience.
nigh courage. and splendid physique.
ne had long been in the service Of
emma when the war broke out. He
mad organized her forces, planned her
iortresses-Port Arthur conspicuouslv
-anu superlntended her squadrons. AT
the outset he seemed likely to become
the nero of the situation. Jumping
INTO the sea from the sinking Kow.
shlng, ne saved his life by stout swim
ming ana in the great naval battle
OF september IL he played a fine part.
IL seemed as though a second Chinese
Gordon was about to step upon the
stage. Then came circunsta
STORY that Hanneken-now promoted
to the rank of general-had been com.
mlssloned to procure an unlimited
NUMBER OF German officers to serve a.,
vertebras for the Chinese armies: that
ne was authorized to raise and organ
iZe forces independently Of all control
except that of the throne, and that
the emperor had summoned him to Pc
Kih' IN order to receive from his lips
true statement of the belligerent sit
uatlon, his majesty openly confessing
inaplllty to trust the accounts Of Chin
ese generals and officials. All these
stories produced a profound impress
sion. AT last there seemed to be sound
reason TO conclude that China's ewes
were opening, and that the true nature
OF occidental civilization was beginnins
to be appreciated by her. Journalistic
articles of the most sanguine characte,
We're penned, and the dawn of a new
era was editorially announced. But
when Port Arthur fell, and when u
was seen that General Won Hanneken
had not found leisure or inclination to
personally direct the defense of the
fortifications planned by himself ana
supposed to be invulnerab BILE, people be-
gan 10 wonder, and the latest news
mas augmented their surprise. For Il
now appears that General Won Henna-
Kens great mission has dwindled 10
the functions of a drill sergeant. As
sisted by siXty-four foreign officers ha
Is engaged drilling a picked body of
$500 Chinese officers and men ar Tien-
Tsih, the ablest of his pupils being in.
tended for service with various corps
in the fighting line, but the ultimate
purpose of the $500 being to furnish a
body-guard for the Viceroy Ii himself.
1t Is not China. then, but the Viceroy
Ii that General Won Hanneken is TO
save, and as for the great awakening.
we'll. 1t Is postponed.
Method of Rrcov ring Fortress
China's ostrich-hke faculty OF self.
deception compels admiration by its
magnitude. Chinchow, in the Liaotung
peninsula. fell into Japanese possess
sion in the beginning of November.
Yet the Chinese government steadily
persists In the farce of appointing off,
Ger after officer to be commandant Of
the place. Six weeks ago, a certain
Manchu was named brigadier-generaI
or Chinchow, but as the recapture If
the town from the japanese wou,d
nave been an essential preliminary 10
entering upon office, and as the Man.
emu didn't quite see his way to that.
he set himself to discover in his own
body ailments incapacitating him for
the honor. Malady upon malady was
piteously described in memorial after
memorial till at last the emperor. ex-
asperated by this sequence of suffer-
ings. degraded the invalid and hand I'd
him over to the board Of punishments
for treatment. Another luckless wight.
| Chsaa.