Tue Press of Europe has by recent efforts of pen and pencil, prepared us to recognise the Vienna International Exhibition of 1873, which is to be opened on the first of May next, as the great event of the year, and we are Jed to expect that it will surpass in extent and completeness all previous displays of the kind. The Far East promises to be well represented on, the occasion, chiefly, we believe, through the exertions of the Austro-Hungarian Minister to China and Japan, who has been largely successful in arousing an interest in the objects of the Exhibition, and in securing from public and private sources collections of rare value and utility for purposes of comparison and instruction, Foremost in adopt. ing every prominent and beneficial feature of modern civilization, Japan has taken up the matter with the avidity which has characterised her advances in other paths of progress, and by local exhibitions in several of her more important cities has paved the way for a better representation at the great World's Fair. China, on the other hand, has not come forward thus frankly; for although, as many of our readers are doubtless aware, the Commissioners of Customs at the Open Ports have been engaged during the past few months in carrying out an instruction issued by Mr. Hart, the Inspector-General, to form collections fitted to represent the share which this vast empire holds in the international exchange of products, it would have been preferable, as an indication of progress, had the Government shown such an intelligent appreciation of its interests in Foreign markets, as to have itself taken this work in hand. But what ever may be the causes which have deterred the native authorities from undertaking the task for themselves, and led to their delegating it to the Inspectorate of Customs, it is satisfactory to find that China will be adequately represented at the Exhibition.
In his first circular on the subject, Mr. Hart sketches a comprehensive plan for securing a complete representation of the commerce of each port, as carried on in foreign bottoms, and. for arranging the specimens. in an interesting and intelligible manner. He suggests that sufficient quantities of the various articles to serve a8 samples and specimens, can be obtained locally, for nothing, from respectable merchants who trade in them, but we believe grants have been made from the Customs exchequer to defray the cost where cost was unavoidable. The opportunity is to be taken advantage of, while making the collections, to obtain samples in triplicate, with the view of furnishing museums of commodities at the Ports, and forwarding one set for a museum to be formed in connection with the Inspectorate-General at Peking—an idea which is scarcely secondary in value to the main object of the cir-calor, and which may prove to be the nucleus of important results, The collection at each port is tobe independent—excepting as regards imports from Europe and America, which will be sufficiently shown by the Shanghai collection alone—what is wanted being not the productions of China as a whole, with all duplicates shut out, Duta complete set of specimens of the complete trade of each individual port. The advantage of this will be at once apparent, whether considered with respect to the local museums, or, as regards the Exhibition, from the clear manner in which it\will define the import and export centres of trade, With articles of native product and purely of native consumption, the system may lead to unnecessary reduplication, but a check will no doubt be placed on this by the final grouping and classification which the collection intended for the Exhibition will receive from the Commissioners appointed to accompany it to Europe. Again, in this matter of the appointment of Commissioners, while we fully concur in the wisdom of the selection from the Customs' staff of Messrs Bowra and Detring to take charge at Vienna, we cannot help regretting that the Government sends no Chinese representative. We have the fullest confidence that the foreign members of the Customs are eminently fitted to carry out this particular work in the best manner, and are even ready to admit that it would be almost impossible that it could be fairly done without them, but we should have hailed it as a distinct evidence of interest, had the Govern. ment appointed a native official to act with the foreign gentlemen composing the Commission. As it is, the concession to international good feeling and universal advancement, if concession it may be called, wears more the aspect of reluctant acquiescence than of anything like voluntary progressiveness.
Besides pointing out the course to be
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.