Ir is now nearly forty years ago since Mr. Tradescant Lay gave a picture of our diplomatic relations with China, which was probably an unexaggerated representation of the state of affairs existing at the time. "The present "state of things in China," he writes, "ells loudly for amendment. Here we are treated as if we were a few poor "hunger-bitten creatures, just escaped "from a Inzar house, with all our sores qnd loatheomeness about us, and in the extremity of our distress were fain to "be fed with the cramps that fall from "the celestial table. Our conduct as merchants is so unprincipled and pro-yoking, and our converse as men 80 "fall of pollution and barbarity, that "nothing bat the amazing goodness of "the Imperial heart, touched with com-"passion at one forlorn condition, "could bear with us a moment. No motive of policy, no regard to the "advantages which the subjects of this "realm derive from commerce, has any "weight. with bim who sways the destinies of China; nothing but pure "unmingled pity would suffer us to "hover about the shores or to sojourn "upon a little strip of ground at the "very outskirts of the Empire. OF "this stale of humiliation we are "reminded by the tone and tenor of "every edict; and of this state of "humiliation we are made to taste the "bitterness in every way thata high-"flown pride and ingovius malice can Now though we=are very' apt: to declaim about the shortcomings of te-cent diplomatic proceedings, and though we have not by any means secured the advantages that a more vigorous and consistent action might have gained, we must contrast the present stale of affairs favourably with that which once existed. Immense changes have taken place in the relations of China and the outside world. We are in duty bound to look at the' condition of matters in the early days; unless we do this, we cannot estimate with any degree of accuracy the substantial benefits we have reaped. We cannot see Low hard must have been the task of acquiring the position which we are apt to consider so unsatisfactory. Still, we are by no menns disposed to say that diplomacy has achieved the results that we might fairly have expected from it, It is easy to explain the past by blaming' the Ministers who have successively represented us at Peking. Tt is easy to say if we had entrusted the conduct of affairs to! some one else, matters would have been different. - We need not indulge in these after-dinner platitudes. The shortcomings and failures of our diplomacy in China have resulted, we conceive, mainly from a defect in the constitution of the service.
China and Japan have been treated from the beginning as exceptional and outside countries. The diplomatists sent to Peking and Yedo are men who have risen in the China service, and who have not been generally regarded as available for any other positions. would be very hard, it is argued, if conspicuous ability in the - Consular service of these difficult countries had no reward to look to save a first-class Consulate. It appeared to be perfectly legitimate and reasonable that the fow men who had distinguished themselves in a remarkable manner in China and Japan should be entrusted in the falness of time with the prominent and honourable offices which crown the ambition of the civilian in this department of service, Now weare not going to repeat the time-honoured remark that knowledge of the Chinese language is to a diplomatist a curse and not a blessing. We are not going to approve the fantastic paradox that ignorance of the geographical position of Peking on the map is the sine qua non for securing the success of an envoy in that capital, but there seems little doubt that it would bes great advan. tage to British interests if the Minister, without being removed, could be changed more frequently than is possible under the existing regime. - As it is, a Minister is continued at Peking because there is no other place to which he can be sent. Whereas it is of the essence of diplomacy sometimes to introduce a new man on the scene, for though he may in effect only echo the demands of his predecessor, be may do them in a different way; above all he may. come upon the stage fresh and unfettered by compromising
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.