used to be put forward by the late British Miniater in. Eh want of knowledge of the true of commerce on the part of the m here resident. 'The manner in which Si Rutherford Alcock put' forward position was not calculated to improve the good fooling existing between himself and hi als in China, He, howe bartering, with the result of the abortive Convention of Peking. In fact, in all these matters, it would be well for th respective classes to stick to what they comprehend best. For the mercantile man to interest himeelf mainly about mercantile matters, leaving it to the Minister to more particularly devote his ion to the political features of our relations. It is, therefore, unfortunate that our it Minister, regardless of is predecessor, should have 7 moreover, th curious difference between the two cases, that, whereas the former British representative was attempting to operate entirely by the force of persuasion, and every attempt at a display of coercion, or even the remotest allusion to physical pressure was forbidden, our present ter was in the jon of @ man penalty for it and national only exact penalty, position to make demands lation of our intercourse as would remo disposition to repent such crime as the murder of Margary. [t seems, therefore, somewhat out of place to find the wow convention speaking as a "measure of compromise," and the more sv that this so called promise is one in which the b ly been gained by the Chinese diplomatist. Had, in fact, the position of affairs been changed, and had been able to make a demon-off the mouth of the Thames, we might have expected that, to cover his retreat, the Minister might have made a profession of compromise. Few will, however, hold that the time who national crime has to be expi: moment most suitable for ise. As I have before which, if ca nent to British trade in Eh ary nature of its Jations, and the raising up of now barriers ereourse, must-have the effect of in-1g instead of allaying the obstacle to friendl; incompreli h merchants in China, why, e interests were to be made a matter of barter bet\ the British Minister and the Chi Officials, they should not atleest previously consulted. If the Minister desired to pour out upon their heads some great boon, or even if he attempted to take way some privilege which they dearly prized, it would be understandable that he should prefer to work in the dark, When, however, the work to be done is merely a measure of compromise, that one 0 is to be granted in' lien of another n up, and that these privileges in both are purely mercantile, it might. rea sonably have boon expected that thos most interested should have had some: thing to say to the Minister's bargain It would probably have been found that the men whose lives were devoted to the ignoble game of buying and selling, would have been found superior players to the dilettante amateur who just takes a hand to soe how the game is played. The same spirit of yielding on every point curiously exemplified in the of the convention. Tal atter of "duty paid imports.""
ipulat the treaty of Tientsin that, if it were thought advisable to roexportauch, the exporter should be entitled a drawback for the amount of the duty nally paid, to be valid for the pay-lent of import or export duties. No mention was made of i was not ai ined, the longer, joyed originally pai Without any reas: tly, Sir Them Wade takes elf to limit right to three years, contrary to the practice all the world over, and seriously lumpering mercantile operations, Merchants have always found the system of draws back certificates a needless encumber and often n source of loss in their business, and naturally looked for come amelioration, instead of further obstruction the fiat place, it it turns out not to be enjoyed the use of the money ithout any cost, and it certainly cannot plead that it is harshly dealt with in being salled.on to pay back the deposit. Itis, i fact, somewhat in the position of a bank aping curren What should aay of a banker i to have to meet the cheques of his depositors?" Ayain, taking advantage of the treaty, and pu to its furthest extent, tuted a set of irksome rul pretence of preven really to place iteolf in position of taking advantage of trivial error. In other countries the themselves are'suflicient proof tht duties have been paid: "'here is no suspicion of smuggling in China; anid gonds of fo import are of sufficiently distin character to prevent their
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.