Oct. 21.
Yesrenvav's news gives a distinctly unfavourable account of the Imperialist situation. We have yet mach to learn of the true course of events. But there is clearly no question that Thursday's fighting ended in a temporary success for the insurgents, with their opponents retiring away from and down the river. Worst of all is the report that Admiral Sab is doubtful of the fidelity of the bluejackets. But, considered—dispassionately, the telegrams which we publish to-day are not otherwise than might, for the time beitig, have been expected. As far as can be estimated the revolutionaries outnumbered their opponents by at least two to one; according to some estimates the disproportion is far' greater and that in 1 comparison of trained men only, without calculate ing the revolutionaries' newly drilled recruits. Since the two sides met, there has been time for the revolutionaries to bring up reinforcements and more guns from Wachang, and to execute a flanking movement, but not for the arrival of the bulk of the Imperialist forces. Moreover, General Yin ('hang has not yet begun to move. The assumption is that he is strengthening his hold upon Hsinyangchow, the key to his line of communica tions, and wait before taking any decisive action until his forces are all assembled. There remains the question of the fleet: and here it may be remarked that prudence alone would dictate a tial withdrawal when the military have retired to Seven Mile Creek. Whether the men of the fleet are indeed disaffected or not—and the story of the lost gunboat may yet resolve itself into one of a lucky shot and the surrender at discretion of the crew—the moral effect of having to stay under fire without support from the land would be too great to be risked. Until reinforcements arrive from the north, Admiral Sah's business is to cut off communication by water and repair his ships, both of which can be done just as well below, as at, Hankow. So long as Peking can maintain its hold pon other centres, as it undoubtedly appears to he doing, nothing is to be gained by hastening matters at Hankow, nor, we may yet believe, to be lost, in the long ran, by some amiral] initial reverse.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.