The Savannah morning news., 1904-03-27

of the Gulf OF Liao-tung, goes up the
Liau-ho Valley to Mukden (Atlanta),
skirts 1t for $50 miles. then turns
northeast to Grin (Asheville), and
there branches in two directions.
One branch turns west down the
Sungari Valley Tennessee river), to
Bodune, seventy-five miles west of
north up the Nonni Valley clicking
River W to Tsitsikar (Cincinnati),
and on to the Anur river opposite
Blagovestchensk. Siberia (Cleveland),
where, during the Boxer outbreak, the
Russians relentlessly slaughtered
thousands of Chinese, choking the
river with their bodies.
The other branch goes northwest
$50 miles to Ninguta along the west
ern foothills of the Chang -pai-shan
Mountains. Here IL turns southeast
down the valley of the Gai-khe (the
Yadkin, N. c. 20 Hunehun and Pos
siet Bay Georgetown. S. c.. The
Kai-khe is tributary to the Tumen,
which marks the northeastern boun-
dary line of Korea and Manchuria.
What might be called a third branch
lin reality a distinct highway-be-
gins at Mukden. IT goes southeast TO
Wiju, on the Yalu river, and down
Korea to Seoul. passing through Anju
and Ping-yang. This is the highway
along which the opposing armies have
been skirnishing.
A Country of Floods.
These are the only roads in Man
churia that can be dignified by the
name. and even they are more like
trails than well-defined highways.
Twice a year all Manchuria, the Lao
Tung Peninsula and the larger part of
the province excepted, experiences
two great hoods-when the ice and
snow melt in April and the monsoons
come in June. This region has only
the melted food, augmented by heavy
rain storms, and after that it shrivels
and bakes. Wells and most of the
sterams. except the Liaou-ho, dry up
during the hot summer from April to
September. when the heavy frost
comes suddenly, and winter is ushered
in with vengeance. These floods
play havoc with the highways and the
bride paths connecting the towns, and
they make absolutely impossible the
maintenance of even trail over the
Chang pai-s shan mountains, which
guard Manchuria from the Korean
side. A Japanese army Of invasion,
starting from the northeastern Ko-
rean boundary near the upper reaches
of the Yalu, or from Possiet bay. with
Luc ttlLSlltlOn VI pNiCAl dhil8 ~ OAAAA
on the eastern edge of the southern
plain, would have to make its own
path every foot of the 200 miles of
storm-swept and rugged mountain
country over which 1t would neces-
sarily have to pass. The mountains
in this part of Manchuria attain an
elevation varying from 5000 to 5000
feet, and from September to April are
rendered well nigh impossible by
great masses of ice and snow.
Difficult Marches.
An army pushing its way up the
Liao-tung Province would also have
its troubles. Neither the peninsula
nor the country north to within 100
miles of Grin is noted for fer
tility. The soil is clayey, the vegeta-
ton scanty and the mountains are
barren. The spring floods augment
the mountain streams to rivers, which
litter the narrow valleys with noun
tain debris that is never removed;
and, except in the Liau-ho Valley, the
inhabitants have always had to de-
pend in large part on imports and the
plains to the north for foodstuffs.
Since the lease of the peninsula in
1898 by the Russian government, To-
cal sources Of foodstuffs have,of course.
been much more inadequate. The
population of this province in 1898, ac-
cording to official Russian figures, was
5000. 900.
The western and wider half OF the
Liau-ho Valley is supposed to be neu-
trail territory. Russia having restored
it some time ago to Chinese jurisdic-
tion. The eastern half of the valley.
except a short distance above New
chwang, is very narrow, mountainous
spurs frequently coming within a few
miles of the waters edge. Such is
the case around Mukden, where this
part of the valley is not ten miles
wide. Fighting along the Liau-ho
therefore, would be no easy matter,
although not so difficult as over the
rest of the province.
The two armies, once they start
fighting in Liau-tung, must have
outside basis of supplies. The coun-
try is not worth it's salt in forage;
and in many sections there is not
sufficient wood with which to have
a decent bivouac fire. Even the
Liau-ho Valley is not particular
ly noted for forests or fertility
Hence the Russian main base
at Hardin and auxiliary bases
drawing its supplies from the other
bases.
The City of Harbfn.
Harbin lies in an envlable position
on the Sungari river, Manchuria' S
principal water course. great plain
stretches away to the south and south
east for $50 miles to Grin, at the head
Of navigation on the Sungari, which
flows through the center of Northern
Manchuria. Another still greater plain,
and even more fertile, spreads to the
northwest. 1t is about $50 miles long
and 100 miles broad 11d ia yafa hxy
the Nonni, a tributary of the Sungari.
The NOnni Is naYiqahla To Tsifsikar hv