The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1904-03-22
A VIEW OF THE WAR FROM
A PRO.RUSSIAN STANDPOINT
By G. Frederick Wright, L., D., F. 6. S. A.

/
run it will be of little avail for Japan
to win victories on the sea and obtain a
fopthold upon the border of the Asiati.
continent Even the possession of Ko-
rea will give them little permanent adj
vantage in contending with an expand
ing land power such as Russia, APP
preaching from the West. A little at
tention to the physical geography OF
the region will show how strongly en-
trenched is the Russian position, even
though she temporarily lose her su-
premacy upon the sea.
Korea is a mountainous peninsula, re-
lated to Manchuria somewhat as Italy
is to central Europe. 1t contains an
area of $1,000 square miles, being about
as large as New England, with half of
New York added. Manchuria has an
area of nearly 100000 square miles, be-
| ing about as large as that portion of
| the United States east of the Missis-
sippi river and north of the Ohio
Across its entire northwestern border
Korea is separated from Manchuria by
a range of mountains almost as mac
cessible as the Alps, which separate
Italy from Europe. The southwestern
terminus of this mountain range is a
promontory in the Chinese Sea, and
furnishes the remarkable harbors of
Port Arthur and Dalny. But a line of
islands practically continues the range
across the mouth of the Gulf of Pc
chill to the Shantung peninsula, which
is also a mountainous mass. Port Ar
thur, on the north, and Wei Hai-Wei,
on the south, We're the strongest for
tresses of the Chinese Empire, which
were taken by the japanese in their
war with China in 1895.
The plan of campaign against China
was essentially similar to that upon
which the Japanese have set out
against Russia. The fleet was first at
tackled and disabled and driEen into
Wei-Hai-Wei where it was finally de-
stroyed. For the capture of Port Ar
thur force was landed on the Lao
tung Peninsula to the north of Port Ar
thur, between there and Newchwang.
Thence, approaching Port Arthur in
the rear, the Japanese easily overcame
the Chinese forces, and made their vic
tory complete by the capture of the fort.
A similar plan was pursued in captur-
ing Wei-Hai-Wei. Both these fortifi-
cations had been laid out by the high
est engineering skill, and We're supposed
by Lii Hung Chang to be impregnable.
When this was proved false by their
capture, he is reported to have said that
they We're impregnable only in front,
and that it was unfair to take them in
the rear. 1t remains to be seen wheth-
er the Russians have overlooked the
Importance of rear Notifications, but
more important still to see whether the
Russian soldiers fighting on a retreat
ing line behind Notifications can be
overcome as easily as the Chinese SOL
diers We're.
But even if Port Arthur should be
taken, that would be merely an out
post The real position of Russian
strength lies in the valley extending 500
miles from Newchwang up the Laio-
tung river and over the low pass into
the Sungari river, passing by the large
cities of Mukden, Telling, Kai Wan and
This is an exceedingly
fruitful valley from so to 100 miles in
width, penetrated through it's entire
length by the Russian-Chinese Eastern
railroad 1t is in this portion of Man
churia that the larger part of the popu-
Iation of the province is concentrated.
L he region can dilplS supply the NUS
sian army with all the food it needs for
man and beast One of the first things /.
by the Russians after
the railroad was to build |
steam flour mills at various points along |
the line. Only few months ago | re- !
ceived n letter from one of the promi- !
1ent Russian engineers asking me to !
out him into communication with an |
American firm that could supply his ,
steam grist mill on the Sungari river |
With the requisite machinery. Two |
'ther such mills l know to have been
,uilt at Hardin. So the commissariat
# the Russian army will present no
problem. The Russian army can never
,e far from it's base of supplies.
As cavalry is likely to play a most
part in the war, it is special
y worthy of notice that the northern
,art of this valley is famous for its
lorses, Quanchentze being one of the
,reatest horse markets in the world,
or, stretching farther off to the north
vest, there are vast plains not yet
rought under cultivation, which are
coupled mostly by rowing bands of
ianchu Tartars. whose principal
wealth consists in horses. AS is we'll
,nown, the Cossacks, who form large
ortion of the Russian army of occu-
'ation, feel most at home on horseback,
nd this is the branch of the service i'll
which the Japanese are specially def
lent. There are no horses worth speak
ny of in Japan, and their cavalry is
scarcely more than n
aricature. In horsemanship the Co.'S
ack has the same superiority over the
apanese that the japanese has over
he Russian in seamanship,
AS already said, the Russians occu-
ying this central valley of southern
ianchuria are protected on the eastern
ank throughout the entire distance,
Intending from Newchwang to Nladl-
ostok, distance OF 600 or 700 miles,
y the lofty, snow-clad Long White
which can be penetrated
rom the Korean side by an amy only
18th the greatest difficulty, since the
,ussiung already pgtuNN the only lrug- .