The Warwickshire Herald. — 1894-08-23 (Birmingham, West Midlands, England)

PROSPECTS OF SEVERE FIGHTING. Intelligence from Yokohama, dated August 7th, brought to San Francisco by the steamer China, states that so fierce is the war feeling among the Japanese that the Constitutional Reform Party has issued a manifesto, declaring that it is the duty of the Army to force its way into China and to dictate the terms of peace under the walls of the Capital, and to display the glory of the Japanese Empire. The party is a wing of the Opposition, and is led by Kusomoto, who was Preaident of the last Diet, and other distinguished politicians. Particulars of the state of affairs in respect to the cecina in Cores have been brought to Victoria( British Columbia), by the mail steamer Empress of Japan. When the vessel left Yokohama on the 3rd inst news of war and rumours of a blockade filled the air. All along the Chinese coast beacons and buoys ' had been removed, and numbers of merchantmen, including the Canadian Pacific Company's steamer Empress of China, had in consequence run aground. Railway and telegraph lines were being hastily constructed in both China and Japan to facilitate the speedy despatch of troops, and torpedoes had I been laid at the entrances of all the rivers. More , ships and further supplies of arm' and ammunition were being ordered and exceptionally stringent press regulations ordered, been adopted by the Mikado's Government to prevent anything but officially corrected war news from being published. Hence it is that all advices brought by the Empress of Japan are strongly Japanese in tenour. [ The chief item of interest in connection with the ' movements of the navy are the capture et the old Chinese despatch boat Bang Yang, Li Hung Chang's favourite vessel, the shelling of tbe Chinese cruiser Tat Yuen, with the loss of 18 lives, and the sinking of a Japanese cruiser of the first class by the Tsi Yuen's sister ship the Chen Yuen, commanded by Admiral Lui Paitzeng. The Japanese papers do not publish the name of the lost cruiser, and only refer to her destruction in the most casual way in obscure corners of their issues. In Cores China still appears to have the advantage of numbers in her land force, although Japan is credited with having 20,000 men in the field, and more troops are being constantly landed by both belligerents. When the steamer left there appeared to be every prospect of a severe engagement in the neighbourhood of Seoul before many days. Each of the European Powers had landed a small force to protect its consulate in the Corean capital. The King of Cores, on July 27th, released five important prisoners of State—namely, a sister-in-law and a niece of Boku Yui Ko, the mother of Jo Sal Hitou, and the mother and daughter et Jo Ko Han, who were all implicated in the rebellion of 1884. It was generally believed that Boku Yui Ko one of the leaders of the insurrection, would be recalled by the King and appointed to some important post. It was reported that the Corean Government had officially intimated to Japan that they would promptly sever all connection with China. Preparations were rapidly progressing for the bombardment of the Woo Sung forts, and among the rumours prevailing in Shanghai on July 27th, when the mail left, was one to the effect that the defences- of the approach to Shan Kai Kaung, where the Great Wall of China meets the sea, had been greatly strengthened in order to make the railway secure from possible raids by the Japanese. Two of the Armstrong alpha. betical boats and two other gunboats were lying in the vicinity in obedience to instructions from the Viceroy, Li Hung Chang, while 2,500 men were being added to the land garrison. This force was regarded as strong en ugh to prevent Shan Kai Kaung from being rushed by any small Japanese naval force, which might escape the vigilance of the Chinese cruisers in the Gulf of Pechili. The sale of coal at Kelung, Formosa, had been forbidden to any outsider, the Chinese Government requiring the whole supdly. The Tai Ring colliery was rutting out 2,000 tons of coal per day, and the coal du,t at the mines was being made into Gripes. The l'ei Yang Fleet had been divided into two squadrons, one under Admiral Ting, on board the Ting Yuen, cruising in the Gulf of Pechili, and the other under Admiral Lui Paitzetag, on board the Chen Yuen, which conveyed the transports which left about July 25th for Cores. A third division was believed to be at Salien Wen, ready to escort to Corea the second army carps of 21,000 men, under General Sung. Most of the troops appear to have been landed at the Yalu River. The Foo-Choo Fleet bad received orders that, while ostensibly making a demonstration against the Loo Choos, it was to cruise between Formosa and the mainland. Private advices from Tientsin state that deplorable accounts have reached there of the state of affairs in the Chinese army in the field. Food is said to be scarce, and sickness rife among the soldiers. Officers and men are despondent, and complain ol tyranny and neglect on the part of those in suthority. The medical arrangements are scandalously inadequate, and if nothing is done to improve them the men will die off like rotten sheep. Dozens of soldiers have committed suicide rather than put up any longer with their miserable lot. The Tientsin people say the stimulus of battle will alter this for the better. Things are a good deal better among the Japanese forces, but they also are suffering a good deal from sickness, from which the mortality has been considerable.