The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-02-28

From the London MAIL
 More perhaps Is heard and known in this country of the army of Japan than of her sister service; but without her navy she would not and could. be the center of the worlds interest as she is today.
 Admiral Togo the man in chief com mand at seat of her splendid fleet, Is likely to be one of the foremost figures of our time; for on him will devolye, in all probability, as prodigious a re- sponsibility as fell to the lot of Nelson in our own national history.
 It is his destiny to wield one of the finest, one of the most formidable in- struments ever forged. In her navy Japan has created, in less than 10 years. as perfect and as tremendous a fighting machine as any on the globe. At this perilous crisis in her fortunes she has chosen to place the working of this machine in the hands of Admiral Togo a choice, we may be sure, that has been made with the utmost deliberation and after a complete survey of all the possibilities of the situation. Japan feels this is a matter in which there must be no mistake, and the unanimous appro- val of the nation expressed on his ap- pointment to the chief command shows that he is regarded as the right man in the right place.
 Not of Noble Birth.
 Admiral Togo Is now about 55 years of age. He is not of princely or noble birth, but Is a simple gentleman, Sam ural of the great Satsuma clan, as so many of his fellow-officers are. His senior In rank, Admiral Count Ito (not to be confused with his namesake Mar quis Ito), who was in chief command of the navy during the chino-Japanese war, and Is now chief of the naval head quarters staff in Tolxi, is also Satsuma Samural, and formely the whole Japa- nese fleet was officered and manned by the Satsuma. in the same way that the Japanese army was drawn from the Choshu clan
 Nowadays, neither navy nor army is entirely given over to these, the two most powerful of the clans of Japan; but many men from all over the empire are to be found in both services When Togo entered the navy. however, its whole personnel was Satsuma
 Admiral Togo received great part of His cuutdtion ILL lnt NdVdl COlleRe, Greenwich, where he went through the regular courses of instruction current some thirty odd years ago. He thus un- derstands a good deal of the history. training and traditions of the British navy. and be has brought the knowl- edge thus acquired to bear on his own with excellent effect.
 Returning to Japan, he was employed in various capacities. In 1894, when war broke out between China and Japan, he was In command of the Naniwa, a cruiser of 3650 tons, one of the vessels composing what was then known as the first flying squadron of the Japanese navy. During the war he greatly dis tinguished himself, and earned the repu- tation of being first-class fighting man.
 Togo Becomes Famous.
 of the sinking of the Kowshing that his name first came into worldwide prom thence At the time some adverse criti- cisms of his action on that occasion were heard, but these died away on a fuller knowledge of the circumstances.
 His countrymen have never forgotten the part he played in this episode. "Togo.'' they say, 1t was Togo who sank the Kowshing." And they draw a confident augury from 1t.
 In the course of the war Togo saw a great deal of actual fighting. so he is a naval man of no little experience. He was present at the first battle of Phung- do, at the battle of Haiyans, took part