New-York tribune., 1900-07-12

Secretary Navy Washington.
Arrived yesterday. Two battacns 9th Infan-
try and one battalion marines, Colonel Meade,
forces at T4en -Tsin engaged in maintaining heir
defences. Ordered Solace here to take sick and
wounded TO Yokohama hospital
Oregon proceed soon TO dock at Kure towed
by chartered steamer and conveyed by Nash
Just learned from Admiral Seymour at Tien-
Tsin foreigners there are hard pressed
REMEY.
According to this dispatch, the infantry and
marines are the way to Tien-Tsin, which
is two days march from Taku. Two battalions
of infantry and one Of marines. it is estimated,
will make a force of about twelve hundred or
thirteen hundred men, a reinforcement which
will be exceedingly welcome and valuable TO
the allied forces, which according to Admiral
Remey are hard pressed" Whether the third
battalion of the 9th Infantry is Immediately to
follow the other two. or TO remain temporarily
at Taku, is not known here. Colonel Meade. of
the Marine Corps, is the senior OF Colonel Lis
cum, Of the 9th Infantry, his commission bear
ing date Of March D. 1899 while the latters is
dated March 81, 1899
OBSTACLES IN THE ROAD TO PEKING.
When the allied forces are strong enough to
advance from Tien-Tsin toward Peking, they
will enter a region in which military operations
will be difficult There is only one road besides
the railroad. and that is a bad one. which will
offer serious obstacles to the movements of ar
.tillery and wagon transportation, on account Of
the nature Of the soil, which in the rainy season
becomes like bog The usual means of freight
transportation, aside from the railroad, which
appears not be available al present beyond
Tien-Tsin, are two wheeled carts drawn by two
OF six mules. How many of these can be OBJ
tanned after all the lighting and destruction that
have taken place and are still in progress is
question.
According to Mr.. Rockhiu, Director of the
Bureau Of American Republics who spent
number Of years in China in the diplomatic ser
vice and is thoroughly familiar with the coun-
try the river above Tien-Tsin cannot be de-
pended as a means Of transportation either
for an army or its necessary supplies, being too
shallow in the dry season and too uncertain in
wet one on account Of the difficulty of follow
ing the tortuous and treacherous channel. The
Peking expedition viii therefore probably march
across the country, which is a broad, fat and
almost treeless plain. Most of the trees are
planted about tOmbs, and in the opinion of Mr.
Rockhiu and others it would not be polite to
destroy them. The question Of fuel therefore,
would be one of some Importance, and that of
water also. except as il could be procured from
the river or the canals which intersect the plain
The wells throughout the country are small and
the water is drawn from them with small
buckets made Of twigs, All water must be
boiled. and the Chinese never drink IL otherwise.
The land is highly cultivated. and heavy crops
Of millet and other small grains are raised. No
cattle are raised for beef, and almost all the
meat consumed is pork-which only the Chinese
will eat because it is so dirty-and mutton The
sheep which furnish the mutton raised in
Mongolia, and in the province through
which the expedition is 70 march. The nnfliet
will not rtpen until early September, and would
not be suita bIe TO feed to animals until that
time No rice is raised in the Pet-Ho Valley.
The population Of Tten-Tsin numbers about
one million, large proportion Of which are dis
orderly and turbulent-"abour the toughest in
China" one who knows them says If Tien-Tsin
is TO be maintained base Of military opera
lions, or held at all a large garrison will be re-
quired, and If the railroad is to be reOpened and
held as a means OF transportation and supplies
every mile of it will have to be strongly guarded,
for it runs through q province which contains a
population OF twenty-five millions practically all
of which is hostile TO the foreigners.
In speaking Of the difficulties of a military
campaign there Mr.. RockhlI to-day remarked:
see that the contingent ordered from India
by Great Britain for the Peking expedition is
TO be provided with about ten thousand coolies,
or camp follOwers-abouI to each soldier. l
presume that the japanese contingent and the
French contingent drawn from Indo-China Will
be similarly provided, and l. seems TO me that
II would have been good plan 10 furnish our
forces with like means Of transportation Other
wise, they may fall behind the others, be
chiefly useful for garrison duty or TO guard the
railroad, if it is 10 be reOpened, and kept open
as a means Of communication and supply.
MINISTER WI SHOWS CONFIDENCE
Minister WI does not think that the Peking
expedition will encounter serious difficulties.
however, and is of the opinion that the 10000
troops Of Japan will have no difficulty in reach
ing the Chinese capital. When reporter to-
day called his attention TO the reports OF the
vast number of Chinese outside of Tien-Tsin
the Minister exclaimed: Villagers villagers!
They have no leadership. They are not disci-
Then You do not think 20 coo Japanese will
have trouble in getting to Peking?" the reporter
asked.
I believe they will get there if they have the
courage TO go. Ten thousand disciplined men
could 90 TO Peking. I do not think there is any
doubt about that I could lead 10000 disciplined
men there; that Is, I could not, because I am no
soldier, but a soldier could do IT,"
The confidence Of Minister WI in the ability
Of a small body Of trained men TO go TO Peking /
is not shared by all the people here who are /
familiar with the conditions that will be met
between Tien-Tsn and Peking. though the dis /
tance is only about eighty miles In the first !
place, the Chinese outside of Tien-Tsin have (
small and artillery, and their immense /
numbers give them strength and courage. But
II IS not the Cinnamon as military people that |
are regarded S likely to give the Japanese the |
most trouble. but the physical conditions that /
viii be met by the invading army. The rainy !
season is Just coming in China, and the /
march will probably be made to a considerable /
extent through q flooded country. There is a |
network of canals through the region 10 be ira |
versed by the invading army, and ii is under |
stood that these canals could be used oy tne |
hostile Chinese in flooding the country ahead OF
the army. AT any rate, the difficulties are so
great that Japan has a task that VIII renect !
great credit her II IL is carried promptly |