Tux position of a foreigner in the service of China is not in any respect an ensy one. He has, it is true, in general large pay, and a status which owes much of its magnificence to its extreme indefiniteness. Heis suddenly placed in a post where he is richer than he has been before, and where he is supposed to have wide opportunity of furthering the cause of civilization. But really, when a situation under the Imperial Government is tested and examined, it is found to be by no means so agreeable a place as it appeared at first. There isa well known proverb about the difficulty of serving two masters, and the truth of thig utterance must be imprinted very soon on the mind of every European or American who accepts the pay of the Peking Government. We say ''two masters," for really the man who accepts the sycee which comes from the Imperial Treasury, is rarely able shake himself free from the traditions that have grown up around him, or to "Jet" all that Anglo Saxon blood so com-plotely that his nature shall partake of the nature of a rice-fed Mongol. In spite of the popular cries and phrases, a Christian cannot become a Chinaman—yot duty and honour compel him to labour for the good of China. He then begins to read his agroomonts in a non-natural sense, and to try and reason himself into the belief that the good of China and the good of his native land are identical. To aman with broad views, it seems that this is really the case; but no man, without casuistry of a perilous kind, can persuade himself that the Chinese Government, which pays him his wages, intends him to act directly or indirectly in the interests of foreigners. He must mystify himself first as to the ultimate objects for which he labours, before he can do his duty to his barbarian paymaster. Of course, here as everywhere, there are three courses open. First, a man may resolve to serve China, and to earn his silver by a bold and steady defiance of the principles of progress which, in these days, form the basis of action amongst the leading statesmen of his mother country. Secondly, he may play China false and mock her while he takes her money. Thirdly, he may appear to strengthen her, but really only indulge her in the wish to seem efficient and strong, while ho smiles in his sleeve at the badness of the best attempts she makes, to take rank with Christian nations. The official of thie temper will fool the Viceroys and Mandarins to the top of their bent. He will encourage them to spend enormous sums on munitions of war, fully knowing that the fleet of a fifth rate nation would annihilate the whole flotilla, on which Imperial money has been 80 freely lavished, "in the twinkling of an eye." Wo published, a fow days ago, an account of the capture of the city of Shanghai by the British forces in 1842. Now since the date of that event, the natives have been drilled and armed in Western fash(on, and have been supplied with gunboats and other military and Naval appliances, Yet no sane man behoves that the Imperial troops, to-morrow, would make any better show than they did before they had spent so many thousand taela on endea-yours to get into "line with us. There might at first be more loss of life than there was twenty-eight years ago, but the end would not be loss disastrous to the Is justifiable then to encour people to spend money in such prod costly toys? We confess we are not quite easy 03 to the moral character of such procedure; but ifa man sets before him the primary duty and paramount necessity of making a purse, ho will, of course, easily reconcile this and many other things to his conscience. We must not however allow one common fallacy to pass unchallenged we refer to the assertion that, do what we may, we could not make China strong. There is no greater delusion. If the sums now launched in insignificant attempts at defence, e.g. powder mills that do not make powder, and gun boats that could be destroyed in ten minutes,—were expended upon large steam Rams placed in the Yangtse and the Peiho, in procuring efficient War ships and in drilling Foreign mercenaries in sufficient numbers, China might puzzle the armies of England, France, or Russia, But here the egotism of the national character comes in, and checks her march in the direction in which she seems to have begun to move. For her self respect would be severely wounded by employing foreign mercenaries, and he would be a bold counsellor who should advise the Government to take so odious a course as to enlist them. Besides, the spirit of the time prevents foreign States from desiring to annex China. So that all this military apparatus could only be set in motion to quell internal commotions. The true wisdom of China would be to furnish herself thoroughly with all the appliances of modern civilization, and to adopt liberal institutions; then rebellions would not be dreaded, and the necessity for extravagant outlay on munitions of war would be done away. As it is, perhaps the foreign employe would be equally unwise to counsel efficient armaments, as tore-commend the construction of inefficient ones.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.