The Chinese have an intense respect for the wisdom of the ancients. The misfortune is that they can never reach the high example held out to them by the Fathera of their system.
Under the deadweight of error which has lately crushed our foreign policy, we have had also much reason to look yearningly back towards our Statesmen of the past." "There are few who would not. give something to see Lord Palmerston, just now, for a few years at the head of affairs. As, unhap-Pily, this cannot be—we commend to his successors, and especially to the successor of Sir John Davis as British Minister in China, two of his despatches, which should find place, in letters of gold, in the study of every Minister, and "in the state room of every Senior Naval Officer in China, May they have wisdom to profit by the wisdom of the past.
Viscouxs Pataestox ro Sin Joun Davis.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.