The times., 1899-11-21

Acquiring PeninsuIar Territory
The Work OF Improving the City.
United States Minister Conger, at Pekn.
China, has forwarded to the state Depart
meut report on the extensive public works
undertaken at ne new Russian port of
/ Talienwan, outlining the plans to make
that point great commercial centre. The
report shows that while Russia's method
of acquiring the peniHsular territory has
aroused the envy Of other countries yet its
intentions in developing its new posses
sion viii be of benefit TO traders with the
Far East. Minister Conger says:
The corrected announcement the other
/ day by Reuter- that Talienwan would be
opened as a free port as soon as the rail-
way is finished was really supererogat0Ty
+ this being one Of the terms of the agree
ment made between China and Russia for
( the lease to the latter power Of Port Ar
/ thur and Talienwan. We have now before
Us the plans OF the works that are about
/ to be undertaken in Victoria Bay and on
shore to make Talianwan a great com
merciaI pert and city, the fitting terminus
OF the great railway uniting the Far East
/ with Europe. We cannot but admire the
thoTOughness of the work as planned; it
( is grand in conception and has been thought
out in the minutest detail, and it is salts
factory 10 know that the work as planned
/ viii be carried out the sum Of 81. $50 coo
having already been appropriated for the
{ purpose. We have more than once in
Weighed against the manner in which Rus
gia has become possessed Of the peninsula
on which these great works are to be
: - ont b1tt ba
! that the use which Russia proposes to make
I OF her acquisition VIII be for the benefit
/ of all residents in ard traders with the Far
East. and that very high ability as well as
( enterprise are shown in her designs.
We have Two plans before us. the
+ former representing Victoria Bay and its
( surroundings, the latter the future city
and harbor Of Talieuwan. The bay itself
is landIOc6ed on three sides and is only
open to the east, and the new foreign city
and harbor viii be on the south side OF
the bay, facing due north, the city itself
being an obtuse-angled triangle with the
/ apex to the north. Provision is made for
the extension of the foreign city to the
south and southeast as required-toward
/ the hills-with large reservations for parks
. aud gardens; and for the inevitable Chi
nese town on the southwest; the new city
and port being connected with the trunk
line through the peninsula TO Port Al thur
by a branch line some ten miles long. The
only drawback TO the new city is that it
! will face north. and il promises accord
1 ingly TO be hot in summer and cold in
. winter It will be open to eastGrly and
northeasterly winds and sheltered from
winds coming from 8ny other point of the
compass. The 1854 edition OF the China
Sea Directory says:
Victoria Bay $50 named by Captain
Bourcher, Her Majesty's steamship
Blonde, in lS40) affords good anchorage IN
FIVE and one-half to three fsnthoms mud
In 1860 the chief portion Of the British
fleet and transports anchored in two lines
along It's south shore the remainder over
. on the eastern shore, off Odiu Cove which
is a SINUS, little anchorage with room for
four or five ships if they moor
This bay is sheltered from eli winds
! excepting those from ast-northeast TO
Cast-southeast. An easter.y gaze would
have a clear fetch Of ten miles but il is
not quite evident that one has ever o.
/ Cured in the spring and summer months.
The inhabitants On the nor side of the
bay stated that these ga.es were prevalent.
| and sent IN heavy sea, while on the south
side il was said that they were not known;
and the shores certainly showed no evil
/ deEce Of ever having been visited by one.
] The same people Esho stated that eSs er-
iy gales were 50 prevalent also added
that the bay was full OF sunkeu rocks but
| none as yet have been discovered that are
not visible q low water. 1t is more prob
able that in spring and summer tEe pre-
vailing winds are southwesterly, souther-
~, and southeasterly, occasionally east
/ crly, and certainly if the Wind from the
| latter quarter blows with any force
| heavy swell must necessarily set in
Two breakwatsrs are 20 be constructed
in front Of the city, TO enclose the new
harbor the one Cu the west side running
! due north. aud that on the eas. side north
. Eor' 'heaat with an arm at It's seaward eX
/ JrcInity running a litJe to the nCrthwarj
Of north-uCrthwest. Within and for d lit
! lie distance outside these brgakwaters,
which are about two and one-talf miles
apart tha harbcr IS To- be dredged ana
/ maintained at thirty feet and a charne is
/ 10 be- dredged and maintained az the same
! depth from seward in a ECrtheasterly Gi-
/ rectiOa. Close into the shore, where the
/ smaller class Of vessels viii lie, . some
what less depth viii be maintained. On
the east side viii be piers and gOdOwns for
the use OF vessels with passengers and gen
! erai cargo. the railway being carried along
/ the front Of the city. between the bund and
the harbor, 20 these piers. so that passen-
gers Will be abe to step direct from the
/ steamer into the train. There will be ample
accommodation here for steamers 10 lie
alongside the piers in twenty-cight to thirty
feet OF ua.er ana Shanghai viii have &c
bestir itself if il is rot 10 be entirely cut
out by the TeW Russian port The western
I breakwater Starts from small prCmontory
which juts out into the SEA. Here, there
viii be dry cock and a pier for vessels
bringing coal, lumber and other coarse
eargoes, a large space between this pier
and the western side Of the city being
reserved for so1owHs ard coal yards, lum
Der yards etc branch lines connecting il
with the railway Thus Of the triangle
which comprises The city. the northeast
side faces the harbor and here will be
the ezplanade; the northwest side faces this
promontory except at It's western end,
where there is opaning to the bay. and
he future extension Of The city will be
or the south side. The streets in. the new
city are laid out at right angles with OBJ
long blocks, the streets running northeast
and southwest and northwest aud south
east In the future extension OF the city
Of which the base OF the triangle forms
The northern boundary. the streets viii
rGa north and south and east and west
Full provision is made in The plan for
parks squares bazars and all the amen
tiles required ana possible in large city
that starts fun fedged from the brain Of
one designer and docs not grow up anyhow
as so 1Eany larga cities have done.
The drainage works and wat-rworks are
now being undertaken. and IN IT, mean
time no land Will be sold. II is Hpected
that in two years time the harbor will be
building when there viii be a great open
Id h. lon liz. Q f lFr r1.N . fq