Waar the Egyptian Government has of its own motion, more or less willingly compelled by the force of circumstances, done in the matter of its financial arrangements, affords a precedent of what will possibly be found to be the only satisfactory resolution of the present condition of affairs in China—namely, the placing in commission of its revenue and administrative functions, so far at least as foreign interests are concerned. The experience of the Jast fifteen years has shown how difficult it is to bind, by any mere form of words such as can be introduced in a treaty, a Government so shifty and regardless of principle as that of China; while the farther development of our relations has proved the want of elasticity inseparable from such an instrament. In many cases, the treaties have, indeed, been made uso of as an instrument against ourselves, and the omission of a provision, the want of which no foresight could predict, has been held sufficient justification for the most glaring interference with the evident purposes of the treaties as a whole. Te was doubtless expected by the framers fof the Treaty of Tientsin, that the decennial revision stipulated for would enable its provisions to be periodically adjusted to the altering requirements of the day. Experience has, however, shown how unfounded were these expectations, as, indeed, a juster estimate of the manner in which the revision was stipulated for might have clearly shown, The want of firmness shown by the British Government, when the time for revision came on, unfortunately came to the aid of the retrogressionists 5 so that, in default of any prospect of ameliorating their position by a negotine tion which bad avowedly dwindled down into one of simple barter, the British mercantile community preferred the alternative of leaving matters in statu quo, which, at all events, spared them the necessity of an open and tangible retreat from positions already gained, The most superficial observer of affairs in China, cannot fail to seo that the issues have materially altered since the time that Lord Elgin treated with the Chinese Government on the banks of the Peilo. In many respects, the treaty then made was simply tentative, founded upon our own knowledge, or want of knowledge, of China and the Chinese Government. Notoriously were we ignorant of the financial system of the Empire. We knew, indeed, as we had learned before 1840, that oppressive internal dues, in addition to more direct interferences, seriously hampered the development of trade; but no one could be found who could point out the precise manner in which those hindrances acted, In consequence, the stipulations of the treaty negotiated by Lord Elgin were general rather than particular, and, so far as the principle involved was con cerned, were fairly satisfactory. From the very beginning, this evident fact was, however, allowed to be more or less placed to one side; and, as oppor. tunity offered of encroachment, the narrowest literal construction was placed on each separate clause, and so quietly acquiesced in, that the wonder is, not that the treaty has been found to work so badly, but that it has been possible to work itatall. The plea of ignorance, which to a certain extent accounted for the immediate shortcomings of the Treaty of Tientsin, of course could not now apply with any degree of consistency to its revision; but, even with full knowledge at the moment, the progress of events marches now: a-days so rapidly that, beyond a hard and fast line, some more elastic medium is needed to accommodate affairs to the changing requirements of the day, At the time of the Treaty of Tientsin, stipulations about railways,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.