Ir is not improbable that the recent death of Tsong-kwo-fan will have a tendency to keep back, for a time, the onward progress of the Chinese. His was-amind slow to move, but emi-nantly retentive. There is reason to believe that his two visits to Shanghai were not ineffectual in. leading his thoughts to the great differences in s0- cial "development between his own people and the foreigner, and that the activity displayed on all sides, so unusual amongst his countrymen, made an impression: on his by no means really sluggish intellect. We can readily comprehend the difficulties which stand in the way of a high Chinese Mandarin adopting a course contrary to precedent, and it is on this ground mainly that we fool bound to look with a favourable eye on what Tseng-kwo-fan has really done. It.is quite trae that no great public works wore inaugurated daring his tenure of office; no railways were started nor telegraph lines erected. Still he had accustomed those under him to think on these things, and encouraged a desire, however affected, for Finis course of conduct, there is''no ogress in the arts and aciencos.
doubt, has done much to remove the difficulties in the way of a more enor getic successor. such a man ocoupied the post of the late vice roy, a fow years. ago,; he -would have found his schemes thwarted in every direction, and probably would have paid for his rashness with degradation, if not worse punishment, The old viceroy, if he did not act, encouraged enquiry on all sides; and this very enquiry, which has afforded a mass of information to the Chinese officials undreamt of by them: before, is natu rally one first stop towards accom. plishmont, There is little doubt that the late viceroy was not indisposed to make a trial of many western invontions. It is some years since, in the abstract, ho declared himself in favour of opening the coal mines; and though money seems since to"
been expended by the Chinese is direction, with, as yot, no result, there exists, from thiel very fact, some hope of the ultimate accomplish: ment, of the os the same may be said with regard to telegraphs, There is good reason to believe that the Chinese officials see the advantage to themselves, of more rapid moans of communication of intelligence; and there is little doubt that Tseng-kwo-fan. himself would rather have liked the erection of a line to his own capital. His, however, was probably not the mind to endeavour to carry out such an undertaking by forcible means, or even in opposition to popular prejudice bat the very fact that he was known to be not unfavourable. to such projects had, with his officers and the people under him, a marked effect. There are some problems so evident that men's minds have only to be turned to them to apprehend their trath, and the advantages of western arts is one of these. On the whole, the manner in which such questions are likely in the fatare to be treated in China, has under gone a change. No sudden reval-jon has occurred, but-men have-been ited to think; and though the thinkers are in a minute minority, the ferment, if not rudely crushed ut, will not improbably spread. Tseng may than be said to have prepared the road for more energetic measures. Whether the Court at Peking is prepared to encourage them by the appointment of a successor of advanced views, or will
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.