We publish, to-day, the first portion of memorial which has been addressed by the Hongkong Chamber of Commerce to the Earl of Clarendon; and we must confess that we have seldom read a more exhaustive and argument tative address. The facts and illastrations are "a thrice told tale" to the Foreign resident at Hongkong or the ports; but the; will in all probability be new to politicians at home. The argoment is terse and conclusive. The Yreaty of Tientsin purports to be a treaty of "Peace, Friendship, Commerce, and Navigation between England and China; and, though in many particulars defective, it undoubtedly contained provisions which, had they been faithfully observed by the Chinese, would have led toan enormous increase of mercantile transactions between the two countries." This document has, however, been lightly esteemed by the Mandarins, and the question to be decided is—Has the time arrived when the Chinese ought to be compelled to observe the treaty in its integrity. Like all Eastern nations, the Chinese are destitute of political honour, and the only obligations their raters will ever acknowledge, are those they are enforced to observe. Delay, on our part, to insist on our rights, is simply strued to be a sign of weakness. This position is substantiated by important quotations from Sir R. Aleock's dispatches to Lord Stanley; e.g: " Experience leads infallibly to the conviction that, where Treaties have been imposed by force upon an unwilling Government, as all with China have been, they can only be upheld by similar means;" and again, "the Diplomatic Instrament kas no binding power with Chinese, when its stipulations may be evaded with impunity, or whenever it is believed that the force that imposed them is no longer extant or available"; and in a still more emphatic passage, is weakness, or the suspicion of it, which invariably provokes aggression, and with Eastern Nations is a far more fruitful cause of bad faith and danger, than either force or the abuse of it." Then follows a telling list of the provisions of the Treaty of Tientsin, of the infraction or evasion of which we have long complained, and the enforcement or extension of which is desired. These are tunately too familiar to foreign residents, and need only be enumerated briefly. he 9th clause about travelling in the interior, The 10th clause which relates to the opening up of the Yangtsze; andthe 11th clause which touches on the opening of several additional ports; one of which, Kiung-chow in Hainan, eleven years after the signature of the treaty—still remains cloned, Lhe Chamber strongly deprecates the cession of the acquited right to trade ay this principal mart in the large island of Hainan, and the only port open to foreign trade on the West coast of China. The guring violations of the Transit due clause are also ably dwelt on; and are pat forward as reasons for doubting the efficacy of the new arrangement—to which, from a conviction that it will not be observ ed, the memorialists express strong objection. They next go on to remind ELM. Governwent how large an amount of capital has been sunk at the Treaty Ports, in reclaiming concession land, building storehouses, and making other preparations for the increased trade which was expected to result from the Tientsin treaty, "and which would undoubtedly have ensued, bat for the misconduct of the Chinese, and the leniency with which their bad faith has been regarded by the British Government."—Lord Clarendon is fare ther reminded that, by the Order in Council of 1865, severe penalties are declared as incurred by all British subjects who break the treaty, and yet that Chinese, violating the self same articles, are allowed to enjoy impunity. Gratitude is expressed in becoming terms, for the small mercies which the Into supplementary convention promises. The memorialists express satisfaction that Wola and Wenchow are
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.