27th January.
Ir would seem from our latest advices that Russia is bent on giving her Baltic Squadron an opportunity of showing the stuff of which it is made. Se this be so, the conflict cannot be long delayed, and it may be interesting in the interim to cee what modera history has to show with regard to naval battles east of Suez.
is, of course, a mere truism to say that most of the naval fighting over Eastern quarrels has been done in Western waters, There have, however, been many tussles since 1621, success before the Taku forts, and when our trading vessels opened the later still to the battle of the Yalu fray by boldly attacking their Portu-between the forces of China and guese rivals who refused to allow them Japan, All these are too recent to any commercial opportunities which need further reference. they could deny. The main result They have this much in common of these early efforts, which would be with those that preceded them, that, considered highly amusing, if not however importants and decisive piratical, in these days, was our cap-they may have been, they. have ture of Urmuz in the following year. been fought between combatants of Then came an almost endless series no great strength, This was true of quarrels with the Dutch who, with of the Anglo-Freach combats of ourselves, came -in to reap where the an earlier day as of the Anglo-Chinese companies carried on open war against Portuguese had sown. Our trading and Chino-Japanese of our own times. We may even goa step further and theirs whenever occasion offered, and declare that the amount of sea-power this naturally brought the two States brought into actual play during the to loggerheads as well. Thus early, present war has been very small England had begun to look upon the indeed. sea as her own especial domain, and Yet how tremendous the results. a claim, first made by Alfred the First the transference of the Great, und afterwards enforced by Portuguese tude to Holland and Edward III, was vigorously upheld Britain, then mainly to Britain alone; by the Stuarts, vis, that our flag next the dominion of India; then the should everywhere and on all occa-trade of China; and now the predomsions be saluted by that of any other pation, This, in addition tour grow-the Russian ear had actually laid mance of Jay in lands: on which
ing commercial importance, naturally his paw. Such are the prizes of brought us into almost constant naval success, conflict with one or other of our Ib is not surprising that Russia rivals, and, though the great fights should determine to stake her all on occurred nearer home, isolated con-the final throw of her maritime dice. fiots happened under the warmer We are possibly on the eve of events skies of the Indian Ocean, It was which will definitely'and completely Pocock's naval victory there, nothin alter the course of the world, In no of much importance in itself, whicl way whatever is the present struggle gave us India Such is the ad-of less importance than any of those vantage of sea-power, In 1764, to which allusion is made above. In we were at work nearer our present one way it is infinitely more momen-abode, for Admiral Cornish captured tous than either. For each of the Manila and her treasure ships, to earlier struggles was but a difference the tune of about £2,000,000. We of opinion between members of the subsequently, however, gave up the European family; this is a conflict of group to Spain on promise of an indemnity which has never to this race; the partly-Caucasian against the Mongol; anda marvellous thing ib day been paid. The campaign of is that Russia has so played her cards 1782 saw some very hot work in the as to have turned all the sympathy Indian Ocean between our Admiral which might otherwise have been Hughes and the great and glorious given her over to her enemy. Suffren, his French opponent, and Where the great fight will be the same neighbourhood was the fought is probably known only oh scene of further fighting in the Admiral Togo and his confidential Napoleonic campaign of 1810 when officers. Plain sense would place it we took Mauritius, following that at that spot where there are most up next year by capturing Madagasadvantages for Japan and most dtawcar. backs for Russia, and this would Since then most of the naval appear to be as close as may be to conflicts that have occurred in the Japanese home waters. With Eastern and Far Eastern waters the eyes of their friends upon thera, have happened within the memory with their encouraging cheers still of men now living. We come to ringing, with a plentiful supply of all the operations before Canton, the necessaries while their enemy. will cession of Hongkong, the failure and be hard put to it to gob coal enough
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.