THE WAR CLOUD.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 2, 4 January 1904, Page 3

THE WAR CLOUD.

I " WAR IS INEVITABLE." i I A FEW HAN'S LOXCEK. I JAPAXESK SQl'AillioN' ON SI SOCIAL SEKVICE. SIUPPJNI.; ON NEI'TUAL VESSEL.S. Recviwi'i J. a.m. LONDON, Jan. 'l. ! lU'Utvr's Tokio coi ri s|)(;nili nt says [ that six armoured erui..i'i.-t ai.-ii Iratj tle-j-Vtips, willi Admiral Kanul- - iriuia.aar k to leaw Sa-af.o ■on Sunday i'oj' Ma.sainpo, wjn'i-c tlie liussi'an cruiser Uasuoynik is .stationivl. ]t is that Japan inU'ii-Js to pi event th<> Kuss'ian cruisoia Oroiitomhoi. Russia. RuHk, and Bogatyr, \v-hich are at Vla<livost'ook. with Ihe 1/oit Arthur sipuulron. Japan is transferring much of her shipping to neutrals, principally : to Britain. Received 4, 0.04 a.m. J .ON DON", Jan. :i. Reports retviviMl at Washington ironi Ansorican repivsentativiv.; ahj'oud are that olliciul opinion in the EtirojK-an capitals xtill clings to the belief that war will l.v averted. On the other h'and, the bestinformed di[ik)7natisis in Pekiii are advised that war is inevitable, possitbly wifQhln a U»\v dajvs. KOREA. PACTS AND EKi !'RES. Korea is of enormous importance to Japan, both from the statcgical and commercial point of view, and to this is due the anxiety which has pervaded tin.* Japanese nation with regard to the future of the Hermit Kingdom, ever since Russia's advance to the Vt'H.v.v. Sea l-ecame aa accomplished fact. With the country under Japanese influence, or even so long as its condition remains independent and neiitr.il, the .subjects of the Mikado might feel secure ; with Korea in tFie. possession of ti;e great Slav power., the Japan"se maj well display solicitude for their future as a nation.

Iniitseli, tiiiough by Nati;»- e in many ways, Korea can hardly be described as a very impot tant ( (•untry, in the aauds oi a rea'Jy progressive administration, it might make a splendid «ield for industnai development. Down to a few years ago, partly owing to its geographical situation, ai.d, to ::ome e> Ur.t. to the attitude of its Government and people, who did not welcome iht advent of the inquisitive si ranger, in this respect resembling Hie Chinese, it was practically unknown to foreigners.

Korea has an area <>l about S.a.COO sniuaio mites, not quiU' eijU.J to tliut of England, Wales and :Sc.i Lt<i nd comlAned, with a pop'ilv ion esti mated by various uiilhoi iiies at from 8,000,000 to .H\.i>oo,o')<i. I'm.in the Yalu Kiver, vvhi,:h forms tnc boundary with Manchuria, to (lie extieme southerly point F is ii'ioui COO miles, and the greateit width is about 135 mill's, the totat coast line 'being 17-10 miles. Seoul, or Soul, tho seat of govei mnent, has about 200,000 inhabitants, and iy twentylive miles distant from its port— Chemulpo, with which it is connected by a railway, built by Japanese capital, and the only one at present existing in the country, though others are projected from Seoul to Fuaan, and from Seoul to Wiju. Masampo, on the South-eastern Coast, whore the Japanese are reported to have latftled troops, is one of the more recently opened ports, but it is very little known to foreigners, and its chief importance would appear to be due to its strategical position and its intricate and winding harbour, which, it is thought, might be converted with small dilliculty into a naval base. Fusan, a near neighbour of Masampo, is about fifteen hours' journey by sea from Nagasaki, and i.« practically a Japanese town, so far as appearance and the character of its trade is concerned. Over 13,000 Japanese live there, either ashore or as a floating population of fishermen. Chemulpo, with its line harbour, ranks next to Fusan as a port. Tl.jt inter. ,r of Korea is very mount ainoi is, bjit it Las not been very much explored, thong), it is beAevod to 1a- very mil in minerul wealth, as it certainly is in agricultural resources. The "open ports," hi Addition to Seoul, are now eight in number. They aro Fusan, Chemulpo, YuenSan, Chin-naiu-po, Mokpo, Kunsan, Masampo, and Song Chin. Tho inland town of Yong Chin is hlso regarded as "open" by the representatives of the Foreign Powers. I'y far the greater pi oro> tk'ti of the trarin of Korea is in the hands of the Japanese, who maiutam post odices at several of the open towns, and own the only existing railway. Sixty five per cent, of the vessels mtered at the ports in I'JOl were Japanese, and of the total trade of the country, imports and exports, which in 1801 amounted to about £2,300,000 -no less than £2,100,000 was done with Jnpan. SOUTH AFRICA. -o CHINESE LABOFU. CAPETOWN*, Jan. 2. The petition in the Transvaal in favour of Chinese labour has already reeeivo.l 17,000 Mignatures. Ladies are actively canvassing. MURDERS IN NIGERIA. LONDON, Jan. 2. News lias Ixvn receiver! that the Of/poto tj"i:») killed Captain I'.vorrtan. British lle:.«ler/t at Ilnsha, southwards of Ilenne. also Mr Burnt».v, suiii'i'ii)tciuJciil of police. A punitive is Ifoilng omtmsed.