Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-07-07
sons Of gentlemen. and arc admitted from
sixteen to twenty years of age.
River Gunboats. |

sons Of gentlemen. and are admitted from
sixteen to twenty years of age.
River Gunboats.
In addition to the regular naval force
there are dozen pretty heavily armed river
gunboats that have done revenue service
These vessels range in speed from seven to
twelve knots have been built since SO and
would prove invaluable adjunots to the
Chinese army when working in the shoal
reaches OF the rivers beyond the approach
OF the heavier foreign vessels of the gun
boat type. There are several transports
vessels from 1900 to 1,40O tons-which
could be made considera BILE factors of naval
force, while the war junks which have
hlled many of the southern rivers would
easily afford disciplined compliments for
the modern fighting craft of the navy.
1t must not be forgotten that piracy has
been daily calling with thousands of the
coast-born Chinese for hundreds of years,
and men with that undercurrent of desper-
alton can be found in plenty to do the bid
of reckless leaders of torpedo boat de-
stroyers and the like in the pursuit of
guerrilla warfare.
China's Regular Army.
OF trained military force, as we I'M
derstand the modern application Of the
term, it is not likely that China can boast
at present Of more than sixty or seventy
thousand men; but of military retainers
unframed coolies there are in reserve quite
three hundred or four hundred thousand.
Or the trained troops, the bulk Of whom
are armed with Mauser pattern repeating
rifle, most Of which have been made right
In the Chinese arSenals, our military and
naval attaches speak in very complimentary
terms. The men are a fine lot physically.
well set up and very snappy in their move
ments in drill. Their discipline is excellent
and they hesitate at the performance of no
maneuver, no matter how novel. The cav
airy proper and the irregular cavalry are
q f,,a hol
their sturdy native ponies, they go through
their evolutions with the same quick elias
tic movement characteristic Of the other
trained troops that have felt the influence
directly.
The artillery. equipped with a large num-
Der of typically up-to-date ordnance, are
capable of very effective work, and the
same active spirit prevails there as with the
two other arms of the service. 1t is in
transportation and organized commssariat
that the Chinese army is weak, but with
the vast numbers of available coolies the
dlfhculty OF efficient transport can be rene
died to large extent.
Source of Weakness.
The provincial independence of each
the source of its greatest weakness. as was
proved in the war with Japan, but the les
sons of that unsuccessful struggle have
been taken to heart and to some extent the
error has been corrected.
In equipment the troops that have not
been trained in accordance with European
methods are armed with a very hetero-
geneous lot of fighting TOOLS among which
the ancient and Ineffective gingal takes a
prominent part. Tie Eingal is a weapon
some nine or ten feet in length, weighing
between forty and fifty pounds. Three men
are required to work it. and, when ready to
be fired, two rest 1t upon their shoulders
while the third tries to point it and to fire.
The terror of such an arm is more one of
imagination than performance and the mo-
bllity of troops armed with such burden
Is sure to be seriously handicapped.
Has Seven ArsenaIs.
OF arsenals China has seven. One at
Tien Tsin, one at Shanghai, one at Nam
king, one at Hankow. one at Foochow, one
at Canton, and one at Ching-tu. While the
really fine mechanical equipments of these
stations are largely occupied in turning
out useless gingals and some other obso-
lete guns of more modern pattern. still
very considerable share of work is given
over to manufacturing ordnance and small
arms of a thoroughly up-to-date type. in
Guiding fine repeating rifles, heavy navy
and coast defense guns, ard siege and field
pieces of recent design. The workmanship.
in most cases, is of 4 very superior ORDER
and the machinery in the shops is of the
best British and German make. while the
superintendent or foremcn are generally
technically trained foreigners or Chinese
similarly educated abroad.
ROBERT G. SkERRETT.