The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-11-09

In Admiral BELKNAP's address at the
recent session of the Naval Wa College
the success of Japan over China is selected
as a brilliant illustration of what good
naval administration can do.
Only q little over two score years have
elapsed since PERRY, in 1854, signed his
treaty for opening Japan's ports to trade.
But the desire for a navy seems to have
seized upon her at once, and the purchase
of warships, with the establishment Of
dockyards, training schools and the Toxic
naval academy, quickly followed. When
in 1889 Admiral BELKNAP visited the
imperial dockyard at Yokosuka, near
Yokohama, he found ian establishment
and plant superior in equipment and COM
pleteness to any yard WI possessed at that
time" Annually for years the Emperor
used to assemble for inspection and ma.
nGuvrea good part of his army and his fleet
on Dwarf Bay, the evolutions of both being
conducted according to improved modern
methods. The noteworthy point is that, at
the conclusion of the manGuvres, any de-
feet observed was promptly remedied. The
crude forces of China fell an easy prey to
this alert and trained gladiator.
But the exact Importance of Japan as an
element in the naval control of the Pacific,
and the exact strength of her fleet, present
and prospective, are not easy to determine.
On the latter point, however, much informa-
ton may be had from a list of ships con-
tanned in the Japan Weekly Mail, exclud-
ing about two dozen fallen into disusc.
Japan's acquisition of battleships is an
affair of the last few years only, so that she
really has very few of them, although these
few are mostly first class. Indeed. the Shi-
kishima, of 1907 tons displacement, is
expected TO be the largest battleship in the
world, surprising England's Majestic class
by a few tons. Next to her are the fine
pair Full and Yashima, of 1860 and
12,517 tons. just completed, whose com.
bination of speed, armor, and armament
has properly excited great praise. The
Chin Yen, 7,735 tons, captured from China,
and dating back to 1881, is the fourth bat.
tleship, but very far inferior to the three
modern ones The Fuse is IN armored cor
vette of 3,777 tons, twenty years old. The
three coast defenders, Itsukushima. Matsu'
shlma, and Hashidate, 4,27s tons each,
must be added to Japan's armored re-
sources, while the Hiyei and Kongo, 1884,
are of wood, with iron s%hcathing.
In her unarmored cruisers Japan is
strong. With these she overthrow the fleet
Of China. The most famous of them is OF
comparatively recent completion, the fast
Yoshino, 4,2l6 tons, while the TakGsago Is
of 4,227 tons. Now building are the steel
cruisers Kasagi and Chitose, of 4,97S nnd
4,S36 tons, which will be fine vessels OF
their class, and two other new ones are the
Akashi, $500, and Miyako, 800, the lat
ter a despatch boat. The Naniwa, 3,70G
tons, the model for our Charleston, has fol
us always been the best known Of Jap
anese warships, her recent presence al
Honolulu keeping up her celebrity. o
the same displacement is the Takachiho
The Akitsusu. $3.50 tons, is a recently
built cruiser, and so is the Suma, 2,7O0
We find in the Weekly Nails list foul
other vessels of between 5000 and 3,O0t
tons, ten exceeding 1000, four gunboats o
the Mayo class, 622 tons five of the Chin
to class, 40, these last being captures
from the Chinese; and half a dozen othel
vessels under 1000 tons. besides twenty