The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-03-20

RoJEsrvENsEY's force, Including a. II
does more than twenty battleships and
cruisers, nine Of which have been built
since 1900, Il much superior 70 that com
manded by Admiral TOGO. There Is no
doubt, also, that the Russian fleet has
left Madagascar waters, and according
20 the latest news from st. Petersburg
II is on Ito way 10 the Far East. A Japa-
nese squadron, the size Of which Is un-
known, IL known TO be cruising south OF
Singapore, with the obvious intention OF
interccptlng RoJEsTvBNsKY should he
attempt to traverse the Straits Of Malacca
or the Straits Of Sunda. There are many
other ways, however, of reaching the
Far East from the Indian Ocean, and
rs RoJEsTYENsKY's objective Is plainly
vladivostok, he may, II he can rely on
securing sufficient coal from accom-
panying golfers, pursue a circuitous
route, passing 20 the east Of the Philip
pines and Of the japanese archipelago,
In the days Of sailing ships 1t would have
been difficult for the ablest naval strate-
gist to intercept the Russian Admiral,
for it will be remembered that the French
feet carried BoNAPARTE's army TO
Egypt in spite Of the fact that the British
we're supposed to control the Mediter-
ranean, and that NELSON came near
missing the Franco-spanish armada,
which had been assembled for the pur-
pose Of reaching and dominating the
British Channel and thus enabling the
army collected at Boulogne to invade
England.
In these DAYS Of steam, however, when
fuel is indispensable, it is scarcely credi-
BILE that RoJEsTvENsKY can reach Vladi-
vostok by way OF the Pacific, and we
therefore take for granted that he will
enter the China Sea by one Of the many
channels that traverse the Indian archi-
pelago. In that event his Japanese
opponent should be able TO learn Of his
movements in time to meet him with all
of the war vessels that Japan can spare
for the purpose part OF her feet being
needed TO protect communications with
the mainland against a possible attack
on the part Of the Russian cruisers
stationed at Vladivostok. There seems
! TO be a consensus among naval experts
that owing TO the superior efficiency
Of the japanese seamen, engineers and
gunners, TOGO will be able to destroy
| or disperse the Russian feet, but from
strategic point Of view there Is mani
| testify a large element of chance In the
matter, and anxiety must needs be In
tense at Toxic until the outcome Of the
naval battle is made known. ToGo's
defeat and the consequent interruption
Of communications between Japan and
the Asiatio Continent would, Of course,
spell catastrophe; and even RoJEsT-
vENsKY's safe arrival at Vladivostok
would materially change the aspect OF
things.
Assuming that TOGO will manage to re-
tain control Of the sea, and that Marshal
OYAMA will continue his triumphant
progress northward until he occupies
Hardin, at the junction Of the railway
running from Lake Baikal TO Vladivo-
stok we deem it probable that during
the course Of the summer this naval
fortress and the Russian coast strip
bordering the Pacific south Of the Amur
| River will fall into Japanese hands.
/ The island Of Saghalien can, OF course,
be occupied whenever the Toxic Govern
ment thinks It worth while to detach
a body Of troops for the purpose. That
| OYAdA's army, once possessed Of Har-
| bin, could live of the country for the
! coming year, so far as food Is concerned,
may be taken for granted, inasmuch as
| Manchuria is one Of the great grain
producing regions Of the world. II
would be incomparably easier to feed
a great Japanese army in Manchuria
than it would be to nourish a Russian
army Of equal size in the neighborhood
Of Lake Baikal. That further foreign
loan would have TO be secured before
1906 is certain, but Japan's remarkable
success has assured to her all the credit
on the London Stock Exchange which
she Is likely to need
So long as the war lasts Japan will be
at liberty TO use all the resources of
Manchuria east Of the Lao River, and
there IL no doubt that under her super
vision Manchuria's output OF grain will
be immensely increased Should Rus
STA persist in postponing the conclusion
Of peace for several years, Japan would
have a plausible pretext for the perma-
nent annexation Of Manchuria- That
is one Of the reasons why neutral Powers
interested commercially in the Far East
desire TO see the war brought to an end
as speedily as possible,