Evening star., 1904-02-29
GOSSIP OF LONDON
No Excitement Of the War
in the East
THE DEMAND OF JAPAN
THE REoUEaT THAT RUSSIA DE-
CLINED 10 GRANT.
Possibilities asto Britain and France
The Horse Must Go-some
TheatricAl Novelties.
THE DEMAND OF. JAPAN
Special Correspondent. of rae Evening Star.

Special Correspondence Of TIE Evening Star.
LONDON. February 10. 1904.
London still shows little or no excitement
over the news from the far east but has
accepted the position In q very matter-of-
fact way. This eutward calm. however,
has been slightly suf1sd with satisfaction
at the news of the Japanese attack on
Port Arthur. First blood for the Japs'' IL
the expression onaall sides. and English
men even In railway carriages. where dig
nifed reticence is Usually maintained, have
thawed out and spoken with restrained
pleasure Of the news There are q few
papers ana people Who are still waiting for
declaration of war and apparently believe
that modern war. like that of old times, is
impossible without formal announce
ment. The two most recent wars between
independent powers Of Importance are the
Chino-Japanese and the Hispano-American.
In the former case hOstilities had begun a
week, and In the latter case three days be-
fore the formal declaration Of war. It is
still more ridiculous to talk of mediation
and arbitration. Overtures in this direction
have been already rejected by both Japan
and Russia. In the simple language Of
Baron Hayashi. the Japanese minister,
here, "1t Is war;" war which has been
brewing for decade
Significance seems to be attached In some
quarters to the visit paid to the king yes
terday by Lord Roberts and Lord Charles
Beresford Whatever may be the purport
OF the audience there is no doubt that Lord
Charles Beresford is an authority at close
quarters on the military and naval position
OF Japan. 1t is just five years since Lord
Charles visited Japan, where he was given
a thorough insight into the methods Of
training and organization in both the army
anG navy. He formed the highest opinion
OF the efficiency reached in both arms. The
torpedo system IL
perior to that of Great Britain. The
physique Of the soldiers and sailors, too,
struck him as being much better than the
japanese were given credit for This he
attributed to the Introduction of a meat
diet and plenty of good food His general
conclusion may be read with interest at
the moment. THE naval and military
forces of JAPAN he said. will have to be
recl1oned with when solving the problems
connected with the future development of
trade in the far east, and their efficiency
must be almost as great a point of inter-
est to Great Britain as 1t is to Japan"
What Japan Demanded.
1 have the best authority for stating that,
In anticipation of Japan's action in recall
ing its minister from ST. Petersburg, there
was constant exchange of kilograms be-
tween Tokyo and London and Paris from
last Wednesday until very late on Satur-
day. In the course of this telegraphic cor
respondence the Japanese government, 1
understand, made it perfectly clear to
Great Britain that it could not without
running very serious risks, as conse-
quence of Russian preparations, delay ac-
ton beyond the end of the last week. This
intimation certainly reached the British
foreign office on Thursday night at The
latest, because telegraphic correspondence
was going on with the French government
early on Friday morning with view to
determining precisely the position of France
and Great Britain as the allies of Russia
and Japan, respectively, in certain partic-
ular regards. This correspondence is not
yet complete. but its genuine effect, as far
as 1t has gone, allows one to anticipate
that. in the course of hostilities and the
possibility Of deadlock arising should
Japan defeat the Russian naval forces
Great Britain and France will Jointly be
ready to offer mediation, and to make such
peace as may settle the. difference be-
tween Russia and sJaIan on a permanent
footing. .r
The Times speaks confidently as to the
moderation of the Japanese demands "We
have reason to know" says the paper
which, wha tever it's political eccentricities
does not speak on matters of fact without
authority, that they were of a moderation
which will astonishi the world when they
are disclosed" Accounting to the Times.
Japan did not ask Russia to carry out even
such sham evacuatipn of Manchuria as
that power pretended TO contemplate She
did not ask her to remove a single SOL.
der from any point in Manchuria that Rus
sia now holds. rShe did not call upon her
TO renounce one, Of the manifold rights in
Manchuria which Russia has extorted from
China. All that she called upon Russia
TO do was to recognize by bilateral agree
ment with her the integrity and independ-
ence Of the Chinese and Korean empires. 1t
Is suggested that such step would in
fringe the dignity of Russia The Times
very pertinently asks why 1t should do so
when England and France did not consider
1t any slight upon their honor to engage in
similar agreement In regard to Siam II
is untrue. according to the same authority.
that Japan has demanded the right to for
tfy Masan-po. or to take any steps which
would threaten the free navigation of the
Korean coast. On the contrary. she ex
pressed her readiness not to seek for anv
strategic advantages on any part of the
coast.
France and Britain.