Evening star., 1904-03-26
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impossible the maintenance of even a trail
over the Chang--pai-shan mountains, which
guard Manchuria from the Korean side. A
Japanese army of invasion, starting from
the northeastern Korean boundary near
the upper reaches of the Yalu or from Pos
siet bay, with the intention Of penetrating
to Grin, 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 necessarily have to pass. The
mountains in this part of Manchuria attain
an elevation varying from 5000 to 5000
dered we'll nigh impossible by great masses
of ice and snow.
Would Have Troubles.
An army pushing its way up the Lao
tung province would also have its troubles.
Neither the peninsula nor the country
north to within 100 miles of Grin is noted
for fertility. 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 mountain 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 Rus
sian government, local sources of foodstuffs
have, Of course, been much more made
quate. The population of this province in
1898, according to official Russian figures,
was 100000. The western and wider half
of the Liau-ho valley is supposed to be neu-
trail territory, Russia having restored 1t
some time ago to Chinese jurisdiction. The
eastern half of the valley, except short
distance above Newchwang, is very mar
row, mountainous spurs frequently coming
within few miles OF the waters edge.
Such is the around Mukden, where
this part of the valley is not ten miles
wide. Fighting along the Liau-ho, there
fore, would be no easy matter. although
not so difficult as over the rest of the
province.
Bases Of Supplies.
The two armies, once they start fighting
in Liao-tung, must have outside bases of
supplies. The country is not worth its salt
in forage, and in many sections there is not
sufficient wood with which to have decent
bivouac fire. Even the Liau-ho valley is
not particularly noted for forests or fer
tility. Hence the Russian main base at
Harbin and auxiliary bases at Grin and
Mukden, the latter drawing its supplies
from the other bases.
Harbin lies in an enviable position on the
Sungari river, Manchuria's principal water
course. A great plain stretches away to
the south and southeast 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 and is pierced by the
Nonni a tributary Of the Sungari. The
Nonni is navigable to Tsitsikar by steam
ers Of light draught. This and the Sungar
river each has many tributaries rising in
the mountains bounding the plains. The
East Chinese branch of the Trans Siberian
railway pierces both plains from west to
east, from the base of the Great Kinghan
mountains to the foothills of the Chang
pai-shan range for distance of 400 miles.
AS result. Hardin receives in great guam
titles by river and rail the products of the
steppes-wheat, corn, oats. fruits, vege-
tables cattle, hogs, wood, grasses and.
horses in droves. The railroad also gets it's
fuel from the extensive forests. In the
Liao-tung peninsula the Port Arthur branch
Of the line uses the products of the local
coal mines, many of which the Russians
have opened The peninsula is rich in
coal as the north country is in forests.
A Productive Region.
This plains region, which would stretch,
100 miles wide on an average, from Ashe-
VILE (the American Girin) to Chicago. is as
productive as the prairie bottoms of ILL
nois. For centuries it has been the store
| house of the country around for hundreds
of miles. Its products have been exported
along the ancient highway north and east
to the Amur and littoral provinces of Sibe-
ria, and south to the Liao-tung peninsula.
In addition exports have also gone west to
the Trans-Baikai country, through the gap
of the Great kfnghan mountains at Kailar.
It is from these plains that the wheat is Sc
cured to supply the ten flour mills of Har-
bin which produce 100000 pounds of flour
a day.
Up to six years ago, when the Russians
went into Manchuria, the population of the
northern province (Helung -kiang) was
1900, GOO, with by far the larger part of the
| inhabitants tilling the plain which occu-
pies the entire central part of the province.
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