On the 26th of June, we dispatched telegram from Tientain to friends in land, respecting the lamentable in our midst on the previous Tuesday. The mi which We forwarded was duly received by those for whom it was intended, and the last mail brought us acknowledgements of the same—and comments on its fearful import. Others of our acquaintances have been favoured with similar responses to communications sent by the opportunity of which we availed ourselves. Now, seeing Lew ip te-Tegrams thus successfully their destinations, we mentally ask, what ented official telegrams from' being deli vered with equal promptitude? That fully adequate notices of so grave an occurrence as the Tientsin massacre were supplied, by at least one of the Ministers in Peking, for transmission by telegraphic medium, it were surely presumption to doubt. After being told by so high an authority as Bir. Otway, in his place in Parliament, and on behalf of the Government, that it' was believed the British representative in the Chinese metropolis would certainly " not have hesitated to despatch a courier with information" of the rumoured catastrophe, ifithad transpired, we are bound to suppose that courier and message were tively started. To what chapter of dents, then, do we owe it that the important tidings, as officially conveyed, was outstripped in its flight by privately transmitted intimations? The question cannot be dismissed: as prompted by an impertinent curiosity. It is an enquiry involving tissues of mighty consequence. To say that the British Charge d'Affaires never sent a telegram (i we cannot admit), would be to assert a most grave omission; to say that the floods. occasioned delay in isi transmission, would-simply be to charge the Minister} with censurable procrastination, in not sending the telegram by the eatliést portuny afer the muasre, seeing tat other messages then sent were duly received'; to.say that the official tel was sent first chance,—which we ought to believe to have been the case, until evidence to the contrary be forth coming,—inevitably raises the question, how then came it to pass that, while pri-reached their destination, jegrams 80 inopportune miscarried? It is much to be regretted that this momentous matter should be.so shrouded in mystery.
It is confidently stated that, Count Roche-chou art has received positive instructions from his Government, regarding measures for immediate adoption. We have in our on what purports to be fnbview of the source from whence it came; a programme of his. probable action, and, we are inclined to accept it as of some weight. It would be premature to. say more of it than that it iridiates a firn Fiamner, the hetnoumess of the offence eto. mark, inthe most. impressive
against the French, name and honour We shall. not be violating any confidence by recording that, although all righteous means employed for averting the horrors of war, the full claims of justice will be enforced, and whatever may be necessary for their attainment will be observed. We cannot say whether the Chinese authorities are at all informed as to the nature of the instructions which the French Minister has received; but we have been hearing from the natives, bath yesterday and today, that the ity officials are, from some cause, ure
all peaceably disposed persons, in finch lustting on the help of out the real ofouders i the-late outrages ried go about still" are reported to have been suddenly placed under arrest; suffered to go about at are rej and we are told that they and other criminals are to be. sent. at once.to, Poking. The sale of the obnoxious fans is sternly
ious epithets to foreigners is ed hibited, andthe application of oppo: with severe punishment. We even hear 'Arsenal are suspended, on the ground that hat some of the operations at the Imperis the mandarins would' not have foreigners think that any preparations for, war are being prosecuted. We are 0 accustomed to spasmodic demonstrations of this, nature, on the part of the: officials, and have so often seen them succeeded by corresponding supineness and inaction, that we receive with caution all stories of their zealous endeavours to conciliate rightously incensed foreigners. At: any rate, vals arise in which prisonéra are liberated do not lone sight of the fat that inter as readily as they were reported to have been captured; that vast numbers of well known leaders have been suffered to escape; that the feeling against foreigners is still, in many ways, most plainly lined; that the soldiers are generally and: inso-Jently announcing that they are here for war; that, stealthily and cleverly, the guns at the Taku Forts (including the' fine cannon presented by the American Government) have all' been admirably fixed in position; that, in the same quiet way, the Forts have been marvellously stocked with shot and shell; that large forces have been collected within six hours march of Taku; that many tens of thousands of Mongol -troops are collecting near Peking; and that the final expulsion of foreigners' from the North, during the year, is universally talked of and expected. "The U. S. Consul at this Pigthotntentions ofthe Chinese suthortet, xrt, who has special o} ities for gauge
has given to friends assurances of peace. He sees in all these things only prudent Ricted that, when Tseng-kwo-fan has left vision for self-defence, and he has pre-
us, and Li-hung-chang has entered upon his duties, the- aspect of affairs will be quickly and entirely changed. ' If"he be
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.