The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-02-16
BACK To HIS OWN
GEN. MILES RETURNS FROM HIS
TOUR OF THE WORLD.
HE TALKS ABOUT HIS TRIP.
VIEWS ON THE COUNTRIES
THROUGH WHICH HE PASSED.


MarcOnigram to King Edward.
Was Impressed by the Efficiency
of the japanese Army and Navy.
At PeLin His Party Was Received
With Courtesy and Attention.
Found Russia at Its Best in the
Midst of the Winter Season.
New York, Feb. 15.-Lieut. Gen.
Miles, commanding the United States
army, his wife and party, arrived here
to-day on the steamship Lucania. The
General, who has been abroad five
months, has been around the world.
One feature of the trip across the
Atlantic was the sending of Marco
ingram to King Edward VII on Feb 9.
When the Lucania was eighty miles
from the Marconi station at Crook
haven, Gen. Miles sent the following
message:
"Mid-ocean greeting, with best
wishes for happiness and health to
His Majesty and the royal family"
The following reply was received by
cable on the arrival of the Lucania in
port to-day:
II have submitted your message to
the King. 1 am commanded by His
Majesty to thank you for your good
wishes and to say for him that it af-
forded him much qualification to re-
ceive you at Windsor.
"Knollys."
With the General were Col and Mrs.
NJ. P. Maus. Henry c. Rouse, New
York; w. B. Wilberg of Cincinnati;
Mrs. Miles, and Sherman Hoyt.
To his interviewers Gen. Miles said:
"I have been abroad for five months.
1 left Sept. II for the Pacific coast
and there made an inspection of the
forts and the coast defenses from
Puget Sound to Southern California.
Saw the Japanese Forces.
ION the LIST of October we sailed on
the transport Thomas. In the Philip
pines we spent a month. / examined
the military situation and visited the
principal stations and forts and in
spected the troops. There were no Sc
rious hostilities at that time. The TO-
900 troops there were in fine condition.
From the Philippines we went to Hong
and Yokohama We visited the mill
tary. academy at Toxic and saw some
thing of the japanese troops.
THE Japanese army is very we'll
equipped and disciplined, and so is the
navy. When 1 was there they were
discussing the question of raising a
large fund for the equipment of the
navy. In the army they have modern
appliances. The cadets are efficient in
their system. Their system of inspec
ton and routine is much the same as
ours. They pay a great deal of atten-
ton to drills, physical condition and
gymnastic exercises. The corps at the
Toxic academy numbers about as
many cadets as we have at West Point,
and it is a well constructed and eff
cient corps"
Received at Pekin.
Continuing. Gen. Miles said the par
ty went from Japan to Port Arthur, and
thence to Pekin.
Il remained there a short time. We
have there a small detachment of
troops-the legation guard at the cap
ital. Everything there is quiet. We
were accorded an audience by the En-
peror and the Dowager Empress. They
received us with a great deal of cour-
tesy and attention. We saw the troops
of the Chinese army and the troops of
the allied forces which are still there"
Gen. Miles party went through
Northern China to Siberia. passing
through Manchuria en- route, and so on
to Moscow. He said:
Good Time i'm Russia.
I'VE We're eighteen days going from
Pekin to Moscow The roads are very
good, and the train service excellent
The weather was very cold at times,
hut in mir nAlA
than l have experienced in our North
west. The railroads have as good
roadbeds as the Union Pacific and the
Canadian Pacific.
From st. Petersburg we went to
Paris, where we spent five days, thence
to London, where we remained eight
days, and so on to New York. We
received an invitation to meet the
Car, but we were delayed a day. and
SO did not arrived in time. An audi
ence of the Car would have been CIV
en-, us but we could not remain. Our
party was extended an invitation to
grand ball at the winter palace, but as
we would have had to remain at least
another week for the purpose, we re-
luctantly had to forego the pleasure.
was there five years ago as the guest
of the government, and all the officials
treated us very courteously. On that
was winter, which is the best season
of the year to obtain an idea of life in
Russia.
Edward Was Gracious.
81 paid a very pleasant visit to King
Edward when we reached England, and
was most graciously received"
In Paris the General was the guest
of honor at a dinner given at the resi-
dence of Gen. Brugere. commander-in-
chief of the French army. Asked as
to his plans, Gen. Miles said he was go
ing to West Point to visit his son, Sher-
man, If he could find the time, and was
then going to Washington to make his
report.
st will in no manner forecast what
will be contained in my report"
The General looks hale and hearty,
and both he and Mrs. Miles appear as
though the trip had agreed with them
and they had enjoyed their stay abroad