Political. The word " political" would apply so very generally tu Chinese affairs, that it is as well we should explain at the outset: we only purpose, under this heading, to attempt a brief sketch of Chinese internal politics, so far as the Peking Gazettes and other sources of information have brought occurrences to our knowledge. The title might perhaps be improved, but we adhere to it as a traditional one in the N.-C. Herald, and reserve as usual our retrospect of events in which foreigners are more immediately concerned, for the customary chapter on "Fordign relations with China."
Glancing back at our retrospect of 1870, we find the condition of. the country has improved, though not so materially as might have been the case, had a stronger Government had better means of applying the large sums drawn from the more prosperous provinces for the purpose of quelling insurrection in others. Beginning in the North-west, theinferenceseemssafe that. Imperial authority has at last really regained'an ascendant, Woe have been 80 often deceived by untrue reports of Mahomedan. annihilation, followed by exaggerated reports of Mahomedan success, that we quite well know how unsafe it is to rely implicitly on the iréidescont accounts. of glorious victory published from time. to time in the eking Gazette, Still these have a certain value. A city would not be reported taken unless it were by bribery very likely instead of bravery, but still taken; and a8 we can trace on the map the actual scenes of the successes reported, we can assure ourselves that Imperial authority is being actually re-established in Kansuh. The process is tedious; for it does not suit Chinese Mandarins to terminate too quickly a profitable campaign, nor Chinese soldiers to fight too actively for arrears of pay. The country, too, difficult; no crashing victory can be gained over enemies who sally forth from mountains and can disperse among, these at will. Bat that the Mahomedans are reduced to this style of warfare, indicates that they have been overcome in the field.
In Yunnan the prospect is less brights For the first time for many months, the Peking Gazette very lately contained 9 reference to yunnan. Of course it was to chronicle an important victory: the Gazetts is not designed to spread. news of disaster. tion was transparent, and we have no reason to believe that any real Progress has been made towards sub this pr evince. The improved eae. of other parts of the Empire may mit greater efforts to'bo made during the ensuing year; and it is the more likely that this will be done, as the Peking mandarins are said to view with much jealousy, the negociations that have lately taken place between British India and Tali, If so, they had better exert themselves to restore Imperialist sup throughout Yunnan, and carry out the liberal poli regard to commercial intercourse which the Mahomedan authorities favour, and which secures for them the sympathy of Indian merchants, Here, as elsewhere, their fortune lies very much in their own hands.
Kweichow, at the beginning of 1871, seems to have been more than half out of hand. The Miaotze, who appear to survive in greatest strength in -this quarter of China, had descended from their fastnesses and overrun more than half the province. Within the last six been mate in feosrering the invaded. months great s seems to have
districts. It may be that the Imperial troops have been really handled with some energy, or it may be that' the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.