Arizona republican., 1904-07-01
PHOENIX. ARIZONA. JULY l, 19o+
Something About rlanchurla.

Since the outbreak of war in the far east books dealing with the region of the conflict have multiplied in number, and the reading public has been deluged with a mass of information, more or less valuable, concerning Jap an, Korea, Manchuria and the Russian possessions. One of the latest publca- tions is a book by Alexander Hosie. who for a number of years was the British consul at New-Chwang. Mir. Hosie is stronger on facts than on literary style, but in general his book "Manchuria; Its People, Resources and Recent History" (Charles Scrib- ner's Sons. New York;, is valuable contribution to the literature on the battle-ground Of the present war.
 Manchuria, it appears, while po- tentially one of the richest sections of the Chinese empire, is but little devel- oped. We are accustomed to read of the dense population of China, but Mir. Hosie tells US that while the land of Manchuria in general is fertile, only about one-t.fth Of it is under cultiva- ton. IL is capable of supporting vast population. With proper railroad facilities it should be capable of almost unlimited development. It is now practically impossible to SOW, reap and export beans, the most valuable trade product of the country. in the same year. They have to be carried by cart and stored at depots cn the waterways to await shiI when the ice breaks up in the following spring. The rail- ways already built under Russian con cession are well run, and, although the rails are rather light, would be more valuable trade developers than they are did not one of the articles of agreement insisted upon by the Chi nese government stipulate that in lay Ing down the track cemeteries, villages and towns must be avoided! In travel ing over the Trans Baikal divisicn of the Trans-S Siberian railway, the author found the rails to weigh only 4S.6 pounds to the yard, necessitating the use of very light engines; and, with gradients frequently as steep as one in sixty, he doubts if the line can ever cope successfully with heavy traffic CT develop a high rate of speed. Yet even at that time, in 1900, he met on the av- craze six trains day transporting Russian troops to Vladivostok, Port Arthur and Dalny. On the peninsula the Russians seemed easily to frater- nize with the Chinese employees of the railway.
 "One thing must be said for the Rus sian scldier-his pay may be small, but his generosity is unbounded. I have seen him part with his loaf to a Chinese beggar-whO was well repre- sented along the line-and appear de- lighted that the meal was appreciated. Many of the soldiers had a smattering of Chinese, and one man-it was at the end of the journey and after nu- merous refreshers-endeavore to ha- rangue a crowd in their native tongue. His speech created consider able hilarity among his audience, and he seemed gratified at his success"
 The standards of education are not SO high in Manchuria as in China, and the alphabet, having been made to or der by the founder of the present dy- nasty, is extremely simple, consisting of only twenty-six letters. The brig ands, of whom we read so many re- ports in the newspaper dispatches, have their crigin in the northern prov ince of Hei-Lung Chiang, which is the Chinese Siberia. Many of the exiled criminals escape, and, banding togeth- CT, overrun the central and southern provinces as outlaws.
 The military forces of Kirin are kept busy hunting down these brig ands, who. knowing that their capture means sudden death fight with the greatest determination, and frequently infict heavy losses on their would-be captors. Brigandage has practically become a profession ir the central province, and even in the southern province. where it is less rampant, parents have been heard discussing the advisability of fitting out their sons as highwS yfnen."
 The gold mining company at San Sing. in Kirin. was compelled to keep in its employ two hundred cavalry and seven hundred infantry. When two of the cavalry officers were captured by the brigands the company had to pay 5C0 ounces of gold dust for their re- lease. It is moro profitable to be a brigand than to develop the mineral resources of the country. Among the agricultural products of Manchuria beans hold the first place. The opium is highly esteemed, and is largely smuggled into China. Cabbages grow to great size, but are not so large as those of ShanT Tung.
 A gentleman in Che-Foo received a letter from a friend in Lai-Chou, an- nouncing that he was sending him a