Our Tientsin correspondent notes the appointment of Ting Jih-chang, who was once well known to Foreigners as Taotai of Shanghai and subsequently Fatal, of Kiangsu, to be Assistaat to Li Hung-chang, in his office of Com. missioner of Foreign Affairs for the Northern ports. We have no information as to the exact bearing of the appointment, and our correspondent deprecates it, under the impression that Li will take the opportunity of handing down Foreign officials to his assistant, and withdrawing himself behind a denser cloud of dignity. We are rather disposed to foresee, in the appointment, a provision against Li's possible retirement. It is well known that his mother's health has been lately failing, and, as she is aged, her death may happen at any moment. Under one of the most stringent rules of the Chinese Service, the Viceroy will then have to retire from office for a long period of mourning; and we anticipate that Ting Jih.chang will be appointed reign in his stead. Like his great patron, Ting has risen with startling rapidity from quite inferior office to the highest appointments in the State, Fifteen years ago, he was Chebsien of. a small city in Kiangsu, which he deserted at the approach of the Rebels, Whether or not he might have usefully shown greater courage, we are unin. formed; at any rate, he shared the stereotyped fate in such cases. He was degraded; and' next came to light as a Wei-yuen or attache to the staff of Li Hung-chang, when the latter was combating the Taepings in Kiangsu. Appreciating his undoubted ability, the Jatter appointed him Taotai of Shanghai, where he distinguished himself by considerable oficial energy, and displayed no unfriendly feeling to foreigners. His great folly was in connexion with the Pootung-Kintwan telegraph, erected by Mr. Reynolds. From Shanghai, Ting went as Salt Commissioner to Yangchow, and while' there succeeded in getting up an insur. rection among the Salt Manufacturers, by some interference which was not at the time, very clearly brought to light. So much laxity and smuggling, however, arise from the oppressive salt: duties in China, that this occurrence should possibly not be scored to his discredit. He was soon afterwards sent' as Special Commissioner to Changchow, near Swatow, to settle some Foreign difficulties which had arisen at: that port. Li Hung-chang next secured for him the Governorship of Kiangsu, on his own promotion to the Viceroyalty of Nanking; and from that bust he had to retire in consequence of his mother's death; and we now find him again called to high office at the side of Li Hung-chang, in the North. A Cantonese by birth, Ting is generally hated by the mandarins, who look upon him as a parvenu because he does not owe his success to literary attainment, and is not-always accurate in his ceremovial politeness. His views of Foreigners and their gifts are apparently modelled upon those of Li. Too intelligent to despise Foreign inventions, he is probably imbued with the prejudice of his class against Foreign intrusion bat his personal opinions are not im. portant at the present, because his conduct as Assistant-Conimissioner will bea reflex of his chief's will; and we may be sure that, if our surmise as to his future destiny be correct, Li ha,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.