The San Francisco call., 1904-02-29

work to prepare for similar expedition
in the following year. But he learned
something in going down the Amur
which led him to enlarge his plans. He
had learned that there were no Chinese
settlers upon the north side of the
river, that China during the 10 years
since the treaty of Nertchinsk had done
nothing either to settle, develop or pro-
tect the country. He therefore took
the liberty of establishing Cossack set
Elements upon the north side as he
went down the river, that they might
be at hand to render assistance in the
return Of his troops in the autumn
after the river should be frozen over.
Meanwhile he had ordered the evacu-
alton of PetrOpavlovsk and the concen-
tratiOn Of the Russian fleet at the
mouth of the Amur River. Here again
he was successful. completely battling
the efforts of the French and English
10 interfere with his plans. The Rus
sian settlements upon the Pacific coast
were saved.
After the close of the Crimean war
the work Of diplomacy began, and
China was induced, for what she
thought was adequate compensation, 10
cede TO Russia all of the unsettled re-
gion which Muravieff had brought TO
light on the north side of the Amur
River and on the east side of the Us
surf. a branch which comes in from the
south where the Amur takes its sudden
turn to the north. On an elevation i'm
the angle between these rivers the city
Of KhabarOVsk arose, and in a most
conspicuous place a statue was later
erected TO Muravieff, who for his great
services was decorated as Count Amur-
ski. Through these negotiations Rus
sia obtained the magnificent harbOr of
NladiVostok. in about latitude 43 de-
grees. which is that of Portland. Me.
This is one Of the most magnificent
harbOrs in the world, to be compared
only with that Of San Francisco and of
Rio Janeiro. and was so far south that
il was free from ice the larger part of
the year. Naturally the Russians at
once set about fortifying this. It's hills
were crowned with forts, drydocks were
established. the Pacific fleet was en-
larged and Vladivostok was for fifty
years. and is now, an intense center OF
Russian activities on the Pacific coast,
where her soldiers were gathered and
her fleet protected and where a new
door was opened for commerce to reach
the interior Of Russia's Asiatic do
minions. But still il was a long and
tiresome route TO reach the interior.
for the route involved the transport of
100 miles overland and then of more
cation to reach Transbaikalia and the
great military road passing through ST.
IBERIA. But meanwhile the colonization
of this new territory was proceeding
with great rapidity. Tens of thousands
Of Russian peasants had come in to
make permanent settlements and bring
all Russian institutions into the valleys
Of the Amur and the Ussuri rivers.
EUROPE BALKS JAPAN.
Thus matters went on until the war
between Japan and China in 1894.
when Japan Inundated the Celestial
Empire. captured her great fortress.
Wei-Wai-Wei and Port Arthur on op-
posite sides of the entrance of the
Gulf of Pechili. But, in finally con-
Guiding peace with China, Germany,
France and Russia, with England as
a silent spectator, came in and ad-
vised Japan to withdraw from Port
Arthur, and to be content with the
Island of Formosa as her indemnity
for the war. 1t was not thought best
by these European powers that Japan
should get a hold upon the continent
lest il should disturb the balance of
power. and lead to the subjugation of
China In the meantime France took
occasion to strengthen her hold upon
southern China. Germany to take pos
session of Kiaoehau, on the south
side of the Shangtung Peninsula, and
England to seize Wei-Hai-Wei, al
though this was not done until after
Russia had obtained from China the
concession of Port Arthur as a naval
station.
Soon after these occurrences the
Russians obtained by treaty permis-
sion TO build a railroad from Trans
baikalia across Manchuria to Vladi-
vOstOk. with a branch line running
from Harbin 700 miles southwark to
Port Arthur. They also obtained the
possession of Talienwan, afterward
called Dalny, for a comercial- port
near by. According to this treaty
the president Of the railroad was al
ways to be a Chinaman, and the Chi
nese were to give military protection
to the road and to shield it from all
extraneous attacks, while the railroad
company should preserve order and
decorum on the lands assigned to the
railway and its appurtenances. The
Chinese Government was to have the
privilege of purchasing the railroad
after the lapse of eighty years.
In accordance with this agreement,
the Chinese Eastern Railroad Compa-
ny set to work building 1900 miles of
railway through a region that hitherto
was inaccessible, and was on the
point of accomplishing it's work in
the summer of 1900, when the Boxer
revolution broke out. AS / travelled
through the whole length Of the rail-
road under construction at that time
/ know from personal observation that