The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-10-27
ALL EYES ON ENGLAND.
A Crucial Period in the M litary
Affairs of Great Britain,
TO SHOW STRENGTH.
Object Lesson to Europe-Raisiuc CT
Army Twice as Large as was
Sent to Crimea.

London, Oct. 14.-AU Europe is watch
ing Great Britain at this crucial moment
III her military affairs. Foreign states.
men and military experts regard the re-
suit of war with the Beers as Il foreyoue
conclusion. What they sean with such
anxious interest is England's tremendous
preparations for the contest. BY the re-
suit Of these efforts viii her strength be
gauged. In assembling an army twice
as large as that she sent to Crimea and
considerably greater than Wellingtun's
force at Waterloo England is Offering an
illustration, for the first time in MANY
decades, OF her ability to fight Oh land
@A1honsh her naval strength has often
bcen demonstrated to advantage. it has
stu! been matter Of doubt whether her
military arm would compare fayorably
with that of continental nations. and in
the throeS OF such Il test she has been
engaged this week day and night.
Gangs of men are working necessarily
at the ports that dot England's shores
transforming liners into troopships
Largely augmented forces are ceaseless-
~ turning out ammunition and ordnance
stores Some idea Of the activity in this
branch can be gained from the fact that
3,NO,OOO rounds Of slnall-arn amInlui-
ton left Woolwich last week.
Working Day and y xht.
Although the manufacture of the ia
vorlte new bullet Mark Five" has been
retarded by an outbreak of lead-poisoning
among the employees, this department is
working day and night. Tons of scrap
ENC are being shipped to make gas for
the war balloons, which are being taken
out on Il more extensive scale and with
more complete equipment than ever be-
fore.
Meanwhile the men for whom these im-
PIGMENTS of war are being made are
pouring ont of barracks to the DOrtS.
standing by to embark, drilling, nanen-
VerlnS and practicing at the targets ey-
cry spare hour. The reserves are swarm.
ing INTO lAldershot in unheralded patches
ana acknowledging their rifles as if the
transformation from civil to military life
were merely an everyday occurrence.
The huge mobiliza ton at Aldershot is
now Ill charge of Ma. -Gen. Thomas KEEL
ly-henny, lnspectOr-general of auxiliary
forces and recruiting, who has succeeded
Gen. Sir Redvers Butler. All the work
Is new. 1t is the first time that any
tnlng or the kind has been attempted
effect. A visit to -AlderShot produces the
impression that everything is going like
clockwork, but it is too early vet to ex-
press definite opinion regarding the
British mobilization.
For the reserves themselves. who art.
Obliged to leave their wives and families
on a pltlful pittance from the govern
ment, much public sympathy has been
aroused, eXemplifying the truth of Rud-
yard Alpllngs .jeer, "a special train for
Atkins when the band begins to play"
General Spirit of Patriotism.
\ number of reserves who were not
called out have asked to be allowed to
serve in South Africa, and similar
ism is seen on all sides. Sir Re.lvers
Bullers force includes the flower of the
English nobility. The excellent Boer
craftsmanship, combined with the fact
tnat 1t Is an unwritten rule in the Brit
lsh army that officers must always stand
under hre even though the men are lying
down. makes mourning probable in many
noble British house.
The admiralty is, perhaps, more on
trla! than the army, especially as it is
well known that Gen. Lord Garnet VOL
seley. commander-in-chief. does not ap-
prove system which gives the navy
such far-reaching power in transporting
troops In 1882 Great Britain dispatched
10000 troops i'll three weeks to Alexan-
dria. Egypt, Il feat that elected the in
tense admiration of Count Won Moltke
but the task of shipping more than o.
OOO men has no parallel in the history of
England: Already the two branches of
the service are begi Ginning to blame each
other for various delays: but it is scarce
~ apparent that there has vet been any
serious lack of facilities The shipbrok-
erS have undoubtedly worked something
IKE corner on the admiralty. as they
did during the HiSpano- American war,
and the recent breakdown of two trans
ports is still the cause of considerable
abuse of the admiralty.
Uncle Sam Can Sylnpath T..
The weakest point in the whole mobi-
lizaticn seems to be the army service
corps. corresponding to the United States
ccmmissary: The various stations have
been Quilted to obtain the necessary Off
GERS and men, yet many line officers as,
sure the Associated press that the ar
rangements are graveiy Inadequate for
such corps. In this connection the Ma
val and Military Record says:
1T is quite clear that. if England had
to provide Il second or third army corps
for foreign service, these. or either OF
them, would have to go out without a
full equipment. That this unpleasant,
discovery will form the subject Of in
quiry in Parliament goes without say
ing"
The new battleShip Bulwark will be
launched ON Ocober Is. She will hav.
been under construction less than seven
months. This will create Il launching
time record and a weight record for time
under construction, her displacement be,
ing $1,000 tons.
The admiralty is experimenting with a
new ENTHUSIASTICALLY invention. the
contrivancc of w. H. Sullivan. which
includes a device for determining dis
tances between ships There is consid-
cradle speculation as to whether Signoa
Marconi will be able to induce the Unit
ed States navy to adopt his system.
The Associated press is authorized to
deny reports printed here under a New
York date that the three powers con-
cerned in Samoa are at losgerheadS over
the claims of British subjects for dam,
ages during the bombarlment.
Allia, ce Story Ridicu Ell.
The reports regarding Il combination of
Russia and France against England and
the United States are ridlculed. although
it can be asserted. without attempting in
any way to give credence to such stories,
that Russia's naval credit for 1900.
amounting as it does to S7.5O0.OOO rou-
hleS. has caused great surprise in naval
circles. where it is believed that tho chief
motive for the Russian government is to
increase enormously the sea power of
Russia in the far East.
Between the church congress. now in
session at the Royal Albert hall. and the
preparations for war, it is hard to say