The Story of Russia Part 15

Slowly, but heralded by the marvels it would accomplish, the Baltic fleet under Rojestvensky sailed to Madagascar, welcome to whatever aid the French ally could bestow. j.a.pan said nothing, but made a note of it. She cleaned and sc.r.a.ped her sea-worn, battle-scarred vessels, under the supervision of grim, silent Togo. Oyama, the j.a.panese commander-in-chief, reenforced by the veterans of Kuroki and Nogi, was playing with Kuropatkin until he had the game in his hand. After (p. 282) ten days of hard fighting, the discomfited Russians made a masterly retreat to the Sha river, after evacuating Mukden, the cradle of the present Chinese dynasty, (August 26-September 4, 1904.)

Kuropatkin deserved credit for the manner in which he extricated the remains of the czar's army. Oyama did not feel safe in following up the pursuit. His game was that of a skillful chess player. First make sure of the result with mathematical precision, then strike. The j.a.panese were deaf to the demand for brilliant dashes.

After the battle of Liao-yang, the armies seemed idle so far as news from the front went. Oyama attacked his former antagonist on the Shakhe River and drove the discomfited Russians beyond Tie pa.s.s.

General Kuropatkin was superseded by his former subordinate Linievitch who, however, accomplished nothing to warrant his promotion.

Meanwhile the Baltic fleet left the hospitable sh.o.r.es of Madagascar, proclaiming its search for Togo, together with the determination to punish the impertinent j.a.panese. In the latter part of May, 1905, Admiral Rojestvensky made a dash for Vladivostok through the Tsu channel, the southern entrance to the Sea of j.a.pan. Togo intercepted him, and a battle followed which, in its results, stands unique in the history of naval warfare. At a cost of three torpedo boats, 113 killed, and 444 wounded, the j.a.panese sank 6 Russian battleships, 1 coast defense vessel, 3 special service boats, and 3 destroyers, besides capturing 2 battleships, 2 coast defense vessels, and 1 destroyer, The losses in killed were 8,550 and over 3,000 prisoners, among them (p. 283) Admirals Rojestvensky and Nebogatoff, were taken to j.a.pan. As a result of this one-sided battle, Russia's naval power is broken. (May 27-28, 1905.)

While President Theodore Roosevelt seized this opportunity to approach the belligerents in favor of peace, pointing out the hopelessness of continuing the struggle to Russia and appealing to j.a.pan's magnanimity, the world was startled by the revolt of the Kniaz Potemkin, a first-cla.s.s battleship of the Black Sea squadron. The mutineers found no support, and what might have proved a serious danger to the house of Romanoff, ended by the ship being sunk in Roumanian waters. She was recovered by the Russians.

President Roosevelt's efforts toward bringing the two powers together, proved successful. Washington was agreed upon as the place for the negotiations, but the plenipotentiaries, Sergius Witte and Baron de Rosen acting for Russia, met Baron Komura and Minister Takahira, who represented j.a.pan, at Portsmouth, N. H., where the United States acted as host.

The incompatibility of j.a.pan's demands and Russia's concessions on several occasions brought the plenipotentiaries on the verge of rupture. With the single-mindedness born of an unselfish purpose, President Roosevelt exerted all the personal influence he could bring to bear upon czar and emperor with the result that the victor gave the world an astounding lesson in magnanimity. j.a.pan made peace possible by withdrawing her demands for indemnity and the cession of territory beyond that of which Russia had robbed her,--the southern half of the island of Sakhalin, which will be once more Karafuto for the (p. 284) j.a.panese.

The terms of the Treaty of Peace were agreed upon at Portsmouth on the 29th of August 1905. The war had lasted from the 5th of February, 1904, or 572 days. Russia paid in men 375,000, in money $1,075,000,000,--all for peaceful absorption and support of prestige.

Ca.s.sini's shrewd move, ten years before, in robbing j.a.pan of the Liaotung Peninsula and Port Arthur, has ended in j.a.pan's obtaining possession of that key to Peking, with the promise of holding it beyond the possibility of recapture, until China recovers its manhood.

The Treaty of Peace was signed September 5, at Portsmouth, N. H.

What will be the effect of the war upon the Russian people? While the plenipotentiaries were discussing the terms of peace, autocracy launched a ukase calling for a consultative a.s.sembly. Russian thinkers, however, reflect that, so long as autocracy exists and the tchinovnik admit no other authority but that of the czar, another ukase may revoke the doubtful boon.

No one knows what the morrow will bring, either to us or to the Slav.

Yet it seems absurd to suppose that, after the lessons of corruption and incompetence of the present government, the educated Russians will remain quiescent while the great empire continues on its downward course. Mediaevalism has come into contact with the spirit of the twentieth century, and has been found wanting. It seems as if the dawn of a new era for Russia is at hand.