In estimating the capacity of thi ese Empire to cope with Franco in Asia we should carefully distinguish b tween its military and its naval resource Paradoxical as it may seem, the Middle Kingdom, with its throe or four hundred million people, is just now botter pre pared for sea than for land fighting with ney of the Chinese to the fact that the f the European ideas and has been carried much further in vice, Not only have the Poking authorities, largely influenced by the progressive statesman Li Hung-chang, provided thomeclves with the arm-of improved type and arma. of engineers mon by absorbing almost the whole coasting trade of eastern Asia from the ports of Burmah to those of Japan. Moreover, it is far easier to obtain competent volunteer officers for the navy than for the army, the Chinese treaty ports being thronged with vessels belonging to the Government or mercantile countries and the Uni in mind the relative faci for procuring ficient officers and throughly trained in ral service, lot us Took at the war vessels which are now or may speedily be placed in readiness for action in Chinese waters. To say nothing of ten un armoured corvettes and thirty wooden gunboats, the Chinese navy comprehends two heavy ironclads, two steel-monitor England and furnished with Armstrong and Gatlin, 1 and six iron gunboats o english construction, and four pedo boats purchased in Germany.
ese _veasels will soon be added the ing-Yuen, an ironclad which is admitted by' French experts to be one of the most perfect embodiments of naval i ud_which is on the point of the Stettin navy-yard for China, deed, it has not already started.
have here plainly an armoured fest h, as regards both the number of ships and the weight armament, is superior to any naval force which Franco is likely to collect in Chinese waters. But the pro-ponderance is not greater than that of the Peruvian over the Chilian feet when the recent war in South America began, It remains to be seen whether the Chinese will be able to turn their armoured vestals and improved ordnance to account; bit repeat that the manning of the fleet lors thoroughly conversant: with n oan be accompli and that the commanders, ch gineera, and artilleryman will probably be drawn from the Europeans ployed in the Chinese service.. That, in other words, the navy of the Celestial Empire, when placed ona war footing, will be substantially a European force, may perhaps be taken for granted, in view of the absolute powers conferred upon. the comparatively unprejudiced. and, enlightened Viceroy Li in this: emergeney.
Regarding the actual condition of the Chinese army we have very little, trust worthy information, The Peking authorities themselves have to depend mainly on the statements of provincial commanders, and we have under our eyes the transla: tion of a report published a, year ago in the Peking Gazelte by an imperial oonser, vestigations prove thu!
uriteeism and contempt of discipline 2 rife as they ever wore in the military system. On paper, indeed, the regular army of the Middle Kindom numbered in 1880 aix hundred thousand m exclusive of the garrisons station Manchuria. There is reason to believe, that nearly half of the names ered and for which the officers draw no owners in the ranks, and that actually performing lours—some throe hun along the public highways. It la well. known, that the nucleus of the military force con-slats of the hereditary soldiery of: Manchu, Tartar, and Chin origin distributed under twenty-four banner and nominally comprising about 100,000 men. If it be true, as we often boon told of lat that there are troops armed with thoroughly trained in the uso, of auch, won-pons by European instructors, we should naturally look for such improved equipment and discipline, to the bannermen who are quartered at Peling, and in the metropolitan province of Cli Asa, matter of fact, however, we find that, the Imperial Guard itself, numbering some 17,000 mou, and specially charged with. the, protection of the Sun of Heaven, includes, aix batts hous, only four of which are armed with -breech-loaders, the other two being. still dependent upon matchlocks so cumbrous that two men are required to carry and 'The backward condition in respect of, w: pons may be inferred from the imperfect n of the Guard, which, by uch would never have should again attempt an vastly tioned' fortifications of. the ing, which, in view of the
capital, is improbable.
Not only is the greater part of the Chi-nose army unprovided with modern munitions of war or uninstructed in their but, if we except a fow European and American volunteers, most of whom are connected with the artillery, there: is a total dearth of competent officers, OF scientific strategy and tactics the native commanders ai i and absolutely no though tation or a commi nese pI whi individually he: is one of the bravest men on earth—all current fallacies on this head have been dispelled by those who have witnessed his prowess on the battlefield—is the worst-fed, worst housed, worst-armed, and worst-led soldier in the world With such admirable raw material it is possible, no doubt, that a man like the Viceroy Li might, create an efficient army, if.he were given time. But the French, if they are wise, when once collision is seen to be inevitable, will strike 'a blow at some vulnerable point of Ohina itself, and thus compel. the Middle Ki dom to, let them alone la-Touquin—N, Sun.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.