WITHIN AN ACE OF WAR.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 10 May 1901, Page 4

WITHIN AN ACE OF WAR.

The Tien-Tsin Siding Affair.

Strained Relations

The Hongkong correspondent of the Sydney "Daily Telegraph" writes as follows under date April sth: Wc have had an exciting time during the past fortnight. Wc have stood on the verge of international war, straining at the leash, with the rest of the Britishers waiting for the word that would set the civilised nations of the world at each other's throats. Of course you have had an outline of the crisis. How the Trouble Arose.

The details are interesting. The trouble in its first phase arose from a dispute concerning the ownership of certain land at Tcin-Tsin, the land which Russia seized, and, with but feeble protest from England, declared hers by right of conquest. This acquired territory extended to the vicinity of the railway station, and a new siding being necessary, it was surveyed, and found to run into the area claimed by Russia. This fact was," however, not considered serious, and the work of laying down the line was commenced. In due course the boundary of the Russian territory was reached, and then" the Russians took a hand.

"You can go no further," said the Russian officer, "we arc going lo make a road here, and your railway will obstruct us. Stop it." He also brought a squad of Cossacks along, to give weight to his words. The British officer in charge reported the matter to General Gasclce by wire, and the answer came back : "Carry on." He carried on. The Russians fixed bayonets, and drew swords. He wired to Gaselee again. "Carry on," said the General; "complete the siding ; use armed force if necessary." A Dramatic Scene. Half an hour later a company of Punjaub Infantry was drawn up, facing tho Russians. * " Charge magazmes, " said the offie-r : then, to tho Bengal sappers: " Carry on work." Righ l : up to within a feet of the disputed hind they woiked, while the burly Cossacks dug a trench, and throw up earthworks. A few minute

more and the rifles would bo spitting out death. Then came word to suspend operations ; the matter would be settled by diplomacy. Still the guards were maintained, and the sappers, free from the railway work, made trenches facing the Russians' hues, and looked to their rifles.

It was a dramatic scene —the trenches, with their lines of armed men scarcely 50ft apart ; the sentries stationed within a yard of each other. Everyone with a camera hied him to snap, as both sides stood at the ready, while the diplomats diplomated. But they had made no more progress a week later, and arc probably in the same position now. The guards had not been withdrawn when we left Tien-

tsin. Day and night they faced each oilier with bared steel and loaded rifles. But they were good friends through it all. if the order came they were prepared to shoot each other in a business like way, but pending that order they earned a few dollars by engaging in pantomimic struggles at the direction of some enterprising war correspondent on the look-out for sensational pictures. Australians Under Orders.

All of this affected the Australians considerably, and at Tier.-isin, early in the history of the trouble, the Victorians were under arms, and ready for the threatened fray, while an order to stand to arms dropped like a thunderbolt, or the New South Wales Contingent at Pekin. We had heard nothing of the dispute there then, and rather fancied that it was the French we were to face, not that it mat-

tered very much. Speculation as to probable developcments was, however, nipped in the bud by the receipt of a further wire at midnight—"Chen-Waing-Fu detachment will leave for Tien-tsin by the morning train ; tho other detachments to hold themselves in readiness." It meant a busy night, but the men turned up spick and span at the station in the morning, and entrained in tho next ear. Strained Relations With tho French.

A detachment of French marines was also being hurried south. The men of the two nations were at no pains to conceal their animosity, and the officers saluted with exaggerated politeness. The sudden despatch of our men meant that tho case was urgent, and consequently the announcement, when they arrived at Tientsin, that the crisis had practically ended surprised them. They quite expected to face serious business, but beyond hiding a pot-valiant Frenchmen in an informal way they shed no blood. They were also surprised to find that the prospective enemy was Russia. They were convinced that it was France, and had wasted a good deal of frothy eloquence on that assumption. The connection of the French with the affair was comparatively trivial, and had no political significance. General Lome Campbell had found it necessary, owing to tho misconduct of French troops to close the British concession against them. The Frenchmen declined to respect tho order. Their officers pleaded that they were unable to control them and it became necessary for the British to do so. Frequent street fights followed. Occasionally the Frenchmen were dealt with, sometimes a Britisher was taken to the hospital and sewn up, for the Frenchmen use the bayonet freely. Naturally, feeling ran high, and the Russian trouble having arisen, it was feared that the Frenchmen, whom the officers claimed to be unable to control, would get completely out of hand, and add their weight to that of the Cossacks. The situation was intensely strained, when the French General arrived in hot haste from Pekin, and put all his energies into subduing what he described as tho worst regiment in tho army. He had partially succeeded when we loft, but the reformation was so incomplete that he had decided to replace the rebellious regiment at Tien-tsia .by another more amenable to discipline. For a couple of days the position was pregnant with possibilities, but as fcir Earnest Satow said, when I sought his opinion, "If a man insults you, aad you don't knock him down at once, you won't do it twenty-four hours afterwards" The Chinese Disappointed.

The amicable settlement of the dispute will bo a severe disappointment to the Chinese. Thoy have been procrastinating and postpoining with the hope of international complications claiming the attention of the Allies, and their hope was within an ace of realisation. One single shot would have been sufficient to plunge the European Powers into a war, beside which the conflicts of tho past would be mere skirmishes. In the excitement of tbe crisis the Chinese situation was forgotten. No one gave a thought to the terms of settlement. Prior to the crisis disgust at the persistent bungling of the representatives of the Powers, and consequent indifference as to the progress of the negotiations prevailed. Most people had reached that stage when they look forward practically to the permanent military occupation of China. Now that the cloud has blown over tho diplomats will resume their peaceful paper warfare, and the wily Li will humbug till another cloud arises. Perhaps next time it will burst, and tho comparatively small affair with China will bo forgotten in the storm. International Feeling.

Looking back at the events of tho past fortnight, there were some unmistakable sign of theieeling of some of the nations, The Japs, for instance, stood to arms through it all, ready at any momont to hurl themselves on their natural enemy, and gratified at such an opportunity of securing Britain in a Russian quavrei of her own as ally. Tho Jap sooner or later will meet the Blav, and the prosent will suit him very well. The Americans mado no actual demonstration, but one of their highest officials had a word or two to say to General Lome Campbell. "I bear you aro taking on the whole world, General," ho said ; "it is a big job, General. If you happen to be pushed, why just send round for us, wc are with you every time." This feverish declaration of the support of tho of the Americans was not official, but it was heartfelt, and it represents tho feelings truly between tho soldiers of tho Powers concerned.

There were plenty of incidents tbat prou.ucd to prccipitato tho conflict in Tien-tsin, not so much with the Russians as with the French. After they had been ejected and forcibly excluded from the Briiish concession they marched up and down tho boundary, passing within a few feet of the British sentries, and shrieking "Vivo les Boers 1 Bas les Anglais 1" Occasionally a Britisher hit ono of them under tho car ; their was a rough and tumble, the rival guards turned out and rescued their respective man, and the game went on as before. JMtish officers were hooted, British ladies insulted, and numbers of acts performed which might easily have formed the foundation for international complications. Forbearance is anti-British, but the fact that it was generally exercised in Tient-tsin was responsible for the preservation of peace.