The Latest.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 38, 15 February 1904, Page 3

The Latest.

ADMIRAL TOUOS KEI'OMT ON JAPANESE LOSSES. COOLNESS OF THE OFFICERS. (Keoahwl Feb. 15, 0.21 a.m.) LONDON, Feb. 14. Actiratal 'Sojjo reports that the Japanese advance stiuajdron on the oii the Bth attacked the Russian advance squadron outside of I'ort Ai-Mtur when the Poltava, Askold, arad two other Russian vessels were apparently torpedoed. The fleet attacked tine Russians at noon on the 9th in the oiling of Fort Arthur, and in forty minutes the enemy were greatly demoralised and stopped lighting. One vessel was apparently retreating into thw harbour. The Japanese fleet suffered very slight damage, una its lighting strength was not dec-reused. Four Japanese were kiHed awl 54 wounded. The Imiierial Princes were on boaud the Japanese men-o'war, and went tluroug-h the engagement un-hai-mnl. The officers were as cool as at amy time (luring manoeuvres. AN OFFICIAL REPORT. (Hc-icived Feb. 15, 0.2] a.m.) SYDNEY. Feb. 1,4. The Japmnic-se Consul has received Ml ollicinl leport of the attack on Port Arthur. It states that the JapoTKie bud four killed mid 54 wounded, and adds : "Our ships were but sligjl.tly damage, none having I lost its lighting imwer. The torpedo flotilla rejoined the main Ktpiadron after the buttle. Officers and men were l.igl:>-s|.iiiti-d and uelmwd with great coolness, just us if iu ordinar.v manoeuvres." The rejiort also contirms ti.e attack on the incrcliairt ;,hips Z.nsho Muni aind Nukauourn Maru amJ tine s.inwng of the latter, adding that U.w Russian warships are known to be still in the vicinity. There are no Japanese warships close at hand. MANCHURIA'S . UNHAPPY POSITION. (Revived Feb. 1.-,, l.io a.m.) LONDON, Feb. 11, Fng-lam f, France, and Ccrmany's intcrpivtationts of Colonel Hay's Npte assumes that the- logic and force of events ha,u- placed jUaiichuria outside tip scope of neutrality. TOMMY ATKINS OF JAPAN". THE SOLDIER AND THE MAN. To those who allow themselves to lie impressed by im-ic uvoii..Pip >is, t'lo spectacle of little .la|ian casting i bur gage at th.- fi-.-t of gjgumic. Kus]«ia is (says the Toki,> rom-simmlent I of the Daily Mail) inlmitej ly hunmrous. Iln-i unless memory • fails me, many prophets w'n tried i to predict before the event were lirmMy persuaded in IH9-1 tluu t1.1.-re could | be'hut one endijig to the China-Ja--1 pan war—and that the complete humiliation of Japan. I have a very ' diistj.ict recollection of having jnter- ,' viewed at Vancouver un intelligent Britisli oflicer, who had ' cvn detailed to accompany the Japanese army, and be seemed groat ly tic-khd when I suggested that Jtipan Iniglit poss|jty defeat her bulky op; .om-nt. lie used the stock nrgumci.ts : China could, overwhelm Japan by sheer weight of inmJ.ors ; the <Miiiiaii).-in's physique was lUr supeHior to that of the Japanese, and he had no fear of death : China's resources were imnicasurnl ly greater, etc. It is not 1 t-'C-cts-.iaiy to enlarge upon what actually happened. A few far-sec .'hjv nVy] then:- were, on I hespot, who realised from the first that the issue was certain. They recognised in the Japanese army and navy—stmall as the latter Una was—a compact am! homogeneous whole, organised in arcoidu'ire with the iK-st Occidental models, commanded by officers trai|iid in the l.'est Occidental schools, and by a spirit not imported, hut indigenous to the soil—the.yamnto daniadu'i or soul of old Japan, which is invariably in evidence! when there is lighting to be done. The mikitai-y unit, it is f'rue, has been drilled to the hi-g'jest degree of mirhamical accintacy, so that his responds- to the word of command may almost be termed a reflex action ; but, on the other hand, he retains in addition to that burning patriotism, already referred to, a resourcefulness and intelligence Hint stamp him, to my mind, as the superior of the Russian soldier. Ho tomWnes elan and dash with Itiefl-

a.hle phlegm in critical moments, ns witness the absolute naturalness with which the Japanese 1 roups ing the last Oliinesw campaign would take advantage of a lull in theTninjr to extinct a fan from Ih' ir gaiters and I'an tbem:vl\eK. Bui while not the underlying trmh of Fai'st ai'i's deliut'. ion ot' t'ho y.fltialilitvuions oi' a good I'tvruil, it is nef.vtf.S'ary to point out the; s./e. and weight in tluj individual are not necvssarih s.uionyms for stivng-h. and thi.it. <*v< n when .strength is possessed h\ one o/ the-v Ctdiaths t;'o <!. e-' of skill and brain power ettsenth.il to its successful application is very often lacking; and now that the Spanish-Ainei ican and the South African wars have proved the paramount importance of initiative and inte'lli-gWice in "the man behind the giMi," I think it is not unfair to conclude that, other thing's-equal, the army and navy possessing the more sell'-reliant and better educated units will win. Kipling" avi-rs that blackguards and gimtlemen make tv.'j best soldiers. Such a r,| lp "»!«y to the heterogenous communities of the Occident, put it cannot be extended to Japan, where the two anus of the service are composed of men the majority'of whom are inspired by sentiments of awe and devotion to the Emperor to which Europe can furlvitfii no a'dfv|uale parallel, and where, too, the unwritten tenets of Bushido (uli 1 itary-kivig>!vt-ways) are still cherished amid the vortex of iconoclastic zeal which hats followed the downfall of feudalism. 1 have no hesitation then, in affirming that Japanese morale can )x> spcoM'd to none in the world. But I kave it'fj.'rred i njbove to tho physical factor. T'ho shibboleth of Japanese diminutiveness has been so obstinately perpetuated by writers like I Pierre Lot.i and Matthew Arnold that, should one attempt to qualify these sweeping generalisations one runs the risk of being denoiwod as a heretic, and of luei'ii'gi treated as a literary But the truth is that a fnrei'jurter measuring five ! feet six inches in his stockings feels deei'd.'dly small at Yokosuka or Hiroshima. No 'doubt the average stature is below these figures, but in the crack raiments five feet seven, a'ght, and nine intfics are common tights, and what is far more important than height, the Japanese !?arj!Jor or soktoer impi one as of stiU'Klier build thmn the English "or American—to use types most familiar to ordinary readers. In coll((>ial parlance, Hie Japanese Tommy Atkins and Jacky are "built from tie ground up." Their chests, necks, nnd calves are nvipiently 'too big for their clothes, ami, withal, the Japanese sailor and soldier look, and have shown themselves to bo, as hard as nails. I have heard it said trial, though the Japanese army ami navy might be expected to ltyyht well if successt from tha start, a few initial reverses would induce a panic. Yet the Japanese, from almost the earliest histcMlioal epodh, have 'been a miliary race, and l-he entire record of national achievement in the domain of politics:, literature, ethics, and art may almost l;c summed up as a recoid of the dbin-js of the military cas'te. But if thi* contention that Japanese troops lack .moral stamina fails signally when uulged i»i tile light of pre-Mei.i days, its diaracter is 'still moie glaringly exposed wlun Vhq facts of recent years are taken into consideration. The Chini.i 1 war of 189-1-5 may pos.-ihly he deemed inconclusive testimony in view of Chinese cowardice : but at least in the North China disturbance of .1000 the international forces were all suO'ccUd to the same conditions, and t.e emphatic ami universal veidjct of experts is that the Japanese were seconvL to none and superior to moftt. No more than in 1894 or in 1900 will they order upon their war unprepared. For minutiae tie Japanese have talent amounting to genius, and no detail, however apparently insujfmfioant, is likely tc be overlooked. Compare the men, compare tho ofliecis of 'the Ixdlig'erents. On the Russian side wo find the former •dull, brutisji, H'irty, and indifferent ; treated like dogs, and pro'lval)ly ameruvble to no other treatment ; the latter notoriously corrupt as a class. Oil the Japanese side we lind the men, despite strict discipline, blight, alert, clean ami neat |n the r p(i;»oiis. kisnly interested i?i their calling, and ready and eager to fight to the last, -gasp for Mai Nippon ; the oOicers equipped in every branch of milvtnry ami naval science, and, for tho most part, above suspicion of dishonest psactices. THE RUSSIAN WAR CHEST. A cable messvage received on Jan. 24 stated on the authority of London'l/ankers t hat Russia for months (.net had been recalling her gold rewrves from abroad, and't.hiat the Ruut-dan Hunk -now holds £92,000,000, It i-s well known tilvat Russia has been accumulating gold i'or some time paist. In the Hank of Russia on Nov. Hi 1901, the gold and sil\er ag'gu-gt.vtod £7l ,985,000. A yuir later it had increased to jLB2.S-l-l.iUKt. In November last the amount had swollen to £89,22<>.000. Jn two shv.rl monitbs the aggregate Iras bvon laisixl nearly tlv.'ijv* millions ; to £92.000.000. J'here has been no like of the leading commercial nations of the world. In-U-.icemher in two years ()n» iiK-nts have been av follows Bartks. iK'c.,l9ui. ]x>c., 190;j £ £ En.gland, c 29,2<hi.(*)0 2-B,Hi') t (mmi Erait*ce, g 9S,;i(IO,000 9;Vloo,ooo (idnuiliy, c 4fi, 150,000- 44,188,000 Ans'tro'-lhm-Waria, g 4(>,219,000 4f>,70r,,(t00 Spain, g 14jM«i,ixio 14,':>:{0,000 Belgium c 4,y>.V1,000 4,850,000 Ilollanxl, g 5,711,000 4.129,000 N. York, e :i:i,9o(i.oHo :i0,:i22,0ti0 Russia, c *74,985,000 *W),220,*000 *Fi'gtms for Novendicr. *c—canh. g^-gA)ld. Host of til*. l nut ion a I banks lost gold <dui i-a-g the Iwo years. There was notliiing exceptional in die business coind'itioiis ot liussia i'LXpiirinir the 'great a'd/d'Hioii of gold.