We can hardly suppose that Russia and England will permit
a war between China and Japan; but the chance of one is coming very close. The Government of Corea has been -oppressing its Japanese settlers, and the Japanese, who have a right to send troops there, have landed six thousand men, taken possession of the capital, and demanded certain "fiscal reforms." The Chinese, who also have a right to send troops, are rolling forward a small army just to see what the Japanese are about, and the idea at Shanghai is that the two armies will come into collision. That would not matter but that -Corea is full of fine harbours, and most tempting both to Russia and Great Britain, and they will probably try to pre- serve the status quo, and prevent Corea from falling to either China or Japan. If it comes to a fight, the Chinese will probably win on land, but they may sustain disasters at sea, which will render them willing to accept a compromise.
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