Show ARMIES m THE EST Russia and Japan are commonly considered to be the two great military powers on land In eastern Asia They I are the two that aro close at hand and I it is the supposition that cither ot I them could readily throw into China for example 0 inuch more numerous army than any other power That maybe may-be true of Japan and when tho railroad across Siberia is finished a few years hence it may be true of Russia At the present moment which is the time of urgent need It seems desirable to revise re-vise the estimate Russia has at this time two general bodies of trooos in eastern Asia One of them is at and around Port Arthur and Dalny and on the Russian fleet which makes its headquarters there I con Hlstn or consisted at the outbreak of the Chinese troubles of about 7300 men less than 1000 being Cossack cavalry That force was firot drawn upon for tho I SMen Tain and Peking expedition and has thus probably been depleted It Is possible however that prior to the Chinese Chi-nese attack on the Amoor it was rein forced with levies from the other body namely that In the Amoor and adjacent provinces The latter body comprises some 35200 Infantry 1700 cavalry and 5500 artillery n total of 15400 men I we add thereto the Port Arthur contingent contin-gent we have a grand total of 52700 Russian soldiers available for service in that part of the world There are n few more companies at Vladivostok and elsewhere but they are practically fixed where they are for necessary garrison gar-rison and police duty and could not be drawn into the field for general military mili-tary purposes The total number of men on the Russian warships in the East Is less than COOO So Russias entire en-tire military force In eastern Asia which is all she can muster there for weeks is less than the army which the United States has sent to the Philippines Philip-pines and not more than onefourth what Great Britain has sent to South Africa The Japanese army makes of course a far different showing because the entire en-tire military force of the Japanese empire em-pire is at hand Apart from what the Japanese could do If put to calling out nil available men it is to be observed t that the standing army ready for Instant In-stant employment conslsL of thirteen divisions one of guards eight of the line and four of the reserve Each division divi-sion is in Itself n complete army consisting con-sisting of two brigades of Infantry one regiment of cavalry one regiment of Held artillery one pioneer battalion one military train battalion ono rail way battalion and one telegraph battalion bat-talion all equipped with as perfect arms and ammunition as the world contains The total muster roll of these tese forces ready for Instant service Is something more than 175000 men Such a host Japan has been ready to launch against the Boxer hordes at the word of the powers But the word has not been given What forces other powers may or might send to the Chinese coast in case of need Is matter for speculation We have seen what Great Britain has done In South Africa She has a great fund of military potency not very far away in India not of British troops but of the splendid warrior races of Ghoork has and Sikhs the former with n traditional tra-ditional enmity toward the Chinese I Germany and France would have further fur-ther to send but they have enormous resources upon which to draw But it Is to bo noted that all such would have Ito I-to go by water and therefore in case of any disagreement among the powers I pow-ers the power that held command of I the sea would hold the key of the whole situation At the present time the British Brit-ish and Japanese fleets in those waters enormously outclass all otherc N Y Tribune S |