last issue we discussed the capabilities of the Russian Pacific fleet, the difficulties of Admiral Lestofsky with regard to the condition of the vessels under his command, the absolute want of convenient places for docking and repair except in Japan, the remoteness of the principal base of operations, Cronstadt, and the insuffi. ciency of the secondary base, Wladivostock, for naval operations on the littoral of China.
The conditions imposed on Rassia when making war on China are easily described. The geographical position of Russia makes it evident that while on some lives of the north and north-west she has means of putting both strategic and political pressure on China at distant outlying parts of the Chinese dominions, Russia is, and must be for many years to come, under extreme difficulty in. making decisive attack on China Proper, that is, China within the Wall. In fact, as an enemy of China, Russia has much less power for inflicting serious or vital harm than is generally supposed to be the case.
It is said, betwoon the north-westerly point of contact of the two Empires, the Kbokandian frontier, and the north eastern Russian station on the Pacific const—Wladivostock, Russia has massed in various positions 70,000 men, including Cossacks, but not including native irregulars, such as Khokandians, Kirghiz, and the levies from the tribal peoples of Siberia, Russian Manchuria, etc., ete. The two principal commands are that of General Kaufmann, who directs the troops in Khokand and Ili; the second, of equal importance, is the command of the Wladivostock district, which is said to comprise 20,000 mon.
The firat—attack-on~China "would probably have beau that of General Kaufmann. It would have been com. bined movements by way of Khokand on Kashgar, synchronising with another blow delivered from Kuldja on Tar-ba~ Chu-gu-chak.) As the movements would have been made in force, and under the orders of General Kanfmanv, who is a master of irregular warfare, it would have been vain illusion to expect that Tso's armies could withstand the storm. Further, the Kasbgarians, the Audi. gauls, the Dzungaris, and the remnants of the Moslem peoples of the vast stretch of the north-western territory of China, are hostile to the rule of Peking and would welcome the Muscovite invader. It is therefore probable that after a few weeks of operations, the whole of the armies Tso had collected, trained, and armed at such amazing cost, could be defeated and dispersed. But the object of such an attack by Russia would be Kashgar, which is a fertile country, rich in minerals, possessing a hardy population, and owning a possible but difficult passage to British India by the Karakoram. The loss of Kashgar to China would be sentimental, nothing more, and would have no effect upon the fortunes or duration of the war. Indeed the loss might be regarded as that of a bad and extraneous oulwork,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.