The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-09-21
AN ECHO OF THE WAR.
Progress of the Great Stru ggle
With Black Flags in
FOrmOSa.
IMPORTANT POSITIONS TAKEN
One Hundred Non-CommiSSlone
Chinese Officers Massacred
During a Mutiny.

TOXIC, JAPAN, Sept. Count Matsu-
kata, Japanese Minister of State for
Finance, has resigned his portfolio and
been succeeded by Mr.. Watanabe. who
formerly held the same Office. The alleged
reason of the Counts resignation is the
Cabinets resolve not to convene special
session of the diet for the purpose OF sub
hitting bills providing for large increases
of the army and navy. The Cabinet was
perfectly willing to adopt that course but
the compilation of the bills proved such a
lengthy task that their completion could
not have preceded the time for the ordinary
session of the diet by an interval sufficient
to warrant the convenlng of special ses-
sion.
The fact is, however, that Count Matsu-
kata had been with difficulty induced to
retain his seat in the Cabinet after the re-
lection of his advice that, in making peace
with China, no cession of territory should
be sought, the only condition imposed
being large indemnity. That course
would have averted the Liaotung compi-
cation, but it is now clear that China could
not possibly have paid any such sum as
that suggested by Count Matsukata. His
resignation caused a general depression in
the stock market, for he enjoys the repu-
tation Of being an eminently practical
financier.
On August 30 the Japanese troops in
Formosa captured the important position
of Chang-hua and Taiwan and pushed
their advance guard to Lokiang. On the
18th and 14th of the same month they had
O,,lo
moved slowly southwark through a road
less district, thickly covered with brush.
Miaoi being the capital of a province a
determined resistance was expected there,
but the Chinese confined their defense to
the hills on the south of the town.
There about 1000 of them took up strong
positions and held them with considerable
show of resolution. The Japanese found
the task of scaling the hills extremely diff
fcuIt. They had to crawl up the steep
ascents under cover of mountain guns and
more than two hours passed before they
came TO close quarters. The casualties,
however, were gnitcant-one killed and
five wounded-whereas the enemy had
from seventy to eighty killed.
On the following day the guards advanced
against Miaoli, some companies crossing
the hills, others marching round their
base. They found the town almost en-
tirely deserted, the residents having de-
camped with all their valuable property.
Until few days previously, one of the
Black Flag chieftains most trusted cap
tains had been in command, and extern
sive preparations had been made to repel
attack, but when news came of the utter
rout of their comrades at Chinto-shan and
Tsienpi-shan, the garrison lost heart and
retreated in the direction of Chang-hu a
town thirty-five miles farther south.
At the latter place force of fully 5000
Chinese was concentrated, including a con-
siderable body of re-enforcements sent up
from Tainan by Liu Yung-fu, in response to
an urgent request from the Governor of
Chang-hua. A still larger detachment of
requirements, EN- route for the town when
the japanese invested it, did not arrive in
time to take part in the defense.
Having captured Taiwan on the 9th,
with loss CT fifteen killed and wounded,
they moved to the assault of Hakkesan
and Chang-hua on the 2Sth and obtained
possession of the two places after a brief
hSheI 1ilc nOoI AOtCNOlthy 1edtuIe Ol
which was the great disparity between the
losses on the two sides, the Japanese
having only nine killed and wounded,
whereas the Chinese casualties are said to
have totaled $50. Several prisoners were
taken, and there fell into the hands of the
victors 400 pieces of ordnance, of various
patterns and ages, over 100000 rounds of
ammunition and a quantity of telegraph
apparatus.
The bulk of the enemy fed toward
Chia-i but portion headed for Lo-kiang,
a seaport town about eight miles distant
from Chang-hua. The former, hotly pur-
sued by battalion of cavalry and a flying
column of infantry as far as Torokumon,
left many dead upon the road, and the
latter, being followed to Lo-kiang, made
no attempt to rally there, but passed rap
idly southwark, leaving the town to be
occupied by the japanese advance guard.
In all these operations the Imperial
Guards were assisted by cruisers of the
japanese fleet moving down the coast.
AT Chang-hua the advance of the troops
has been stopped for th@ present. The
march from Shinchuh to that place,
distance Of sixty-seven miles, occupied
twenty-one days, commencing on August
and ending on the 2Sth. The heat was
intense and the supply of provisions very
defective, especially during the last four
days, when the men had to depend en-