We have now Inid before our readers very fall information, from various correspondents, regarding the late Tientsin riots; and may venture, with some confidence, fo sketch their probable origin and bearitig. In printing these letters, we have reproduced our correspondents" own words; and repeat the desire we expressed n few days ago, not to be identified, in any way, with their expressions. We lave regarded them ax xo may different recitals, from each of which some new item of information might be drawn, We have left each writer to speak for himself; and have reserved out own comments, until we bad completed the series. It would be as reasonable to accuse us of sympathy with corruption, when we print a Chinese notification regarding sales of office, as to saddle us with opinions expressed by correspondents, in recording events of public interest and importance. We regret sincerely that an'opposite view has, in some cases, been taken; and that public feeling has been wounded by expressions for which we did not consider ourselves: responsible.
From the narrative given, the main facts of the case appear sufficiently clear; and all who were in China two years ago, will be struck by their remarkable similarity to the occurrence at Yangchow, in 1868. The accusations are the: same; the growth of excitement is the: same; the supineness, if not connivance, of officials is the same. The events differ only in degree—i the extent to which the mob carded their violence; and here, all parallel ceases. While the Yaugeliow mob confined itself to pillage and to rough usage, the bravos of Tientsin have gone to the extreme length of violence, and added murder in itsmosthorrible form, to their crime. The burrowing details which have come down to us, of priests and womenmassacred with every circumstance of brutality that the fiendish passions of a mob could suggest, have excited popular indignation and sympathy to a degree at which expression fails; and we doubt not that the same feel be evoked in Europe, hardly less intensely than when each mail brought news of some fresh outrage, during the continuance of the terrible Indian mutiny. All differences of political opinion will be merged ina common feeling of horror at the massacre, and of indignation at the atrocities by which it was accompanied.
As we have said before, the fullest information at our disposal has now been laid before our readers; and we desire to analyse briefly the facts stated, to arrive ata clear view of their ' political bearing. It seems that strong popular feeling was excited against the Roman Catholic Mission-sin Tientsin, by reports that they A been concerned in kidnapping children, for the p ose of converting eyes and various parts of their ady, into medicine; and this rumour 3 apparently strengthened by the rence of an unfortunate mortality ig the inmates of their seminary.
A report was spread, that one body had been seen deprived of its eyes; and this soon grew toastatemert that all the bodies lately buried were in a like condition. About the same time, a man caught in the act of kidnapping declared himself to be an emissary of the Priests; and this put the torch to the popular excitement. An outbreak occurred on the 2ist June, in which Mission premises were burned, and thei inmates pratally murdered; the French Consal and a member of his staff were killed, while trying to enlist the aid of the Governor to quell the tumult; and several other French subjects fell vie-tims to the rage of the mob. So far the facts seem clear. The vital question is, how far the popular outbreak was spontaneous, and what steps were taken by the authorities to prevent it.
Kidnapping, it must be remembered, is always going on in China; and we lately explained that the eyes and other parts of the human body enter into the Chinese pharmacopeis, as having a medicinal property. Ihe elements of the excitement, therefore, were ready to hand. It is not unreasonable to suppose that periodical panies may occur in regard to kidnapping; and that accidental circumstances might direct popular suspicion aguinst the Catholic Priests, who were known to havea large number of children in their seminary. But neither is it difficult to see how easily any one hostile. to the Mis. sionaries, with such materials at hand, could excite popular feeling to fever heat, by spreading false reports against them. It seems, on the one hand, incredible that officials who will be held personally responsible for the riot, should take pleasure in exciting ie; bat is inexplicable, on the other hand, how they should have neglected, as they did, to take measures to prevent it, unless the movement had their sympathy and tacit countenance. We are assured that the attack was not only premeditated, but that the intention was well known to the Chinese, to the victims themselves, and to the foreign authorities, for days b: occurrence. On the 18th, 20th, and again on the 2ist, H. B. M. Consul addressed urgent romer trances to the Governor of Tientsin but these were ignored; no reply was returned to them; no action was taken on them, And when eventually the mob did assemble, it was gathered by beat of dram; and dispersed at the same signal, after its task had been accomplished. In face of the full knowledge had by foreigners, of the threatened danger, of the fact that: the Chinese anticipated it by closing their. shops; and of the remonstronees addressed to Chung-how, by the Foreign Consuls, it cannot be held that the latter was taken by surprise as he declared, at the suddenness of the outbreak. And we have proof of the complicity of the Magistrate, in a proclamation posted by him some days previously, of a similar natare to those set out before the riot at Yangchow, tending to excite the mind of the people against foreigners. The most charitable supposition is, that the ofliciuls did not think the rioters would go the length they did; that some such demonstration as at Yangchow only was contemplated; but that they really were unable to control the demon they had permitted to rise; and now find themselves with a massacre, instead of a pillage, to account for.
It was necessary to sketch what had taken place before the outbreak, in order to sift the Chinese account of whit passed between the French Consul and the Governor, immediately before the former met his death. For we mast remember that this account is purely Chinese. There is no living foreign witness of the occurrence; and it is the interest of the officials to out case of provocation, sufficient to excuse the violence of the mob, and to account for their own inability to protect the Consul. They say the that M. Pontanier went to Chung-how's Yamen, revolver in hand, in a state of intense excitement; spoke and behayed with violence while thers, and eventually fived at the Governor hi the close of a stormy interview counts differ slightly in dotal report says the firing took place in the Yamen; another that the Consul bad persuaded Chung-how to accompany him to the Mission premises, and fired at him when he halted in the crowd. It is probable there may be a basis of trath in these statements; but we draw inferences completely opposed to those which the Chinese desire to suggest. Violent demonstrations were not in M. Fontanier's nature, under ordinary circumstances; but is it difficult to suppose that the most calm man would grow excited, at the imminence of the peril to his countrymen's, and even his own, life? A mob numbering thousatids, assembled under the Mission windows in accordance with pre-concerted arrangement, and with the avowed intention of wreaking vengeance on the inmates, for the imagihary crimes imputed to them; an officer whose duty it was to have strained every nerve to control the rioters, and to protect the threatened premises, politely requesting him to calm himself, and discuss the question, offering him tea, and suggesting at this eleventh hour that they should concert measures to prevent a climax which his own si pineness had encouraged! Was it surprising that M. Fontanier should see, 1 all this, a confirmation of the popalar rumour that his countrymen were doomed; and should express to Chung: how, in no measured terms, his opinion of the tragedy, and of the latter's share mits development? May we not further imagine, as a consequence of this quarrel, an attempt by the atfendants to expel the Consul from the Yamen; remark by the latter, ug stated in' one Chinese version of the story, that he saw his life was doomed, when this violence was attempted shots fired, in the straggle against impending fate; the Frenchmen. thrust from the door into the midst of the ra ing mob, snd cut down and mutilated the manner to which their remains bore witness? Che picture is partly imaginary; bat it seems to us more likely than that drawn by the Chinese, while admitting that there may be a basis of.trath, in the only version we can ever have of the tragedy.
What we have mainly to do with, however, are the broad facts of the case; men and women massacred un-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.