Que letters from the North are begin-Sing to throw sonic light on the progress vot negotiations.' Mrs Wade seems to be gorrying out his programme piecemeal, and the process seems to be very much *Jikedrawingeye-teeth. It is evident that "the report which came down's fortnight ago, of the matter having been settled "at! Tientsin, was premature' in con-*glasion, though substantially correct as 40 the terms which bad-been Inid down. ""Tt¢"would be unfair to, criticise too "closely.Mr. Wade's action in dallying with Li' Hung-chang, until we know uy good motive for lations at Tientsin instead of. proceeding to the Capital. The **inetinet of the Chinese Government has always been to keep Foreign Envoys away from Peking, and to make them negotiate with Mandarins de-Wlegated for the purpose. But our opinion has been "strongly adverse to allowing Li to assume this posi-~'tion—to' stand guard as it were at the gates of the capital; and we ox-pressed' it clearly a few weeks ago, "onthe occasion of the Peravian "Minister's detention by the Viceroy. To ontaiders, generally, it will seem that Mr.' Wade was mistaken in not going straight to the capital, and that so much time and dignity were dost' by the delay. But it is possible sothern: may shave been motives of which the' pablic have not cognisance. 'At any rate, it is clear that what. ever was done at 'Tientsin was not recognised by' the Government as binding, and that negotiations had eventually to be carried on directly with the Tsung-li Yamen. - If it is true that Li wished to pose as Plenipotenflary, and that both his own Government and Mr. Wade threw him over at the: last moment, the blow to his prestige will be severe; and the surmise is.by no means unlikely, in view of his notorious arrogance, Our Admirals seem best to appreciate Li's character. It la' well known that "Admiral Ryder refused to call on him, on the occasion of this late visit to Tientsin, and there is @ tradition that Admiral Keppel refased to receive him at Hankow, in 1870, on account of his insolent carriage. 7 However this may be; the Li Hung-chang episode is past; and, for the last three weeks, negotiations have been carried. on directly with "the: Foreign Office at the capital. The points gained, so far, seem to be the despatch of an Ambassador to Eng. Tand to apologise for the outrage; the accordance to our Minister of right of intercourse with the several Government Departments at Peking, other than the Teung-li Yamen; the publication of this concession in the Peking Gazette; and the despatch of a high mandarin to anna, to investigate the cirenmstances..of the outrage. The last these conditions is bel been Mr. 'Wade' first: demand,: on re: ceiving news" of Margary's "murder, and to have been only- yielded by the CObineso under threat of immediately withdrawing'the Legation; the second is said to have been conceded under equal pressure, at the Jast moment, on the evening of the 28th September and though the first was granted more readily, its fulfilment seems for the present to be in abeyance. Thus far are dealing with facts. We have seen the edict delegating Li Han-chang to Yunnan, and we have a copy of a memorial and edict, couched in satisfactory language; condemning the murder of Margary and the supineness of the Yunnan officials, and ordering Li Han-chang to hasten his steps to the scene of the outrage. We have also the edict appointing Kwo and Hsu as Ambassadors to England; and we have the edict granting right of intercourse between the Foreign Ministers and the several departments of the Chinese Government. These latter concessions involve also, to acertain extent, the demand for publication of important Foreign matters in the Peking Gazette, from the very fact of their being notified in that organ.
We presume that the demand for right of intercourse between the Legation and the Departments of the Chinese Government at Peking, other than the Tsung-li Yamen, was made by Mr. Wade inport execution of the design to place our relations on a more satisfactory footing; and we infer the interpretation to be this: The Tsung-li Yamen is not a recognised Department of State, in the same sense as the Grand Secretariat or the Grand Council; it is more in the nature of a Commission—comprising, certainly, high Cabinet Ministers, and practically permanent in its nature, but constituted only in 1859 to meet the occasion, and not ranking officially as one of the great Departments of State. This position accorded with the Chinese profession to regard Foreigners as accidents, waifs and strays from afar, thrown up on the coast of the Central Land, and charitably allowed to remain and eat the rice of hospitality, by the Monarch of the human race. The exclusion of all reference to Foreigners from the Peking Gazette was part of the same conception; and the principle has been pregnant with trouble to us, in our intercourse both with the officials and the people. The concession, then, of right of intercourse with the old and recognised State Departments, and the publication of the fact in the Peking Gazette, are important steps gained towards placing our relations with. the' country on a better footing. We congratulate Mr. Wade in having attained this object, and have no doubt that he will. see: the Chinese do not put him off this time with a hollow promise, but that he-will exercise the right accorded, and aée: that the edict is. really circulated throngh-
Excelléncy's mind, "and'we 1 that, this time, he will. nob tolerate evasion, eT OaSM Leaving, now, what has been stay settled, and turning to'thé remainder of the programme, we find' ourselves left, to very vague conjecture." It is believed that Mr. 'Wade had threatened to withdraw from Peking at the end of September if a satisfactory settlement were not arrived at; and the date'of the edict conceding the last'pointyielded coincides with that alleged by report' s the last of his intended stay: It re. mains to be'seen whether' his other demands have been also' yielded, or whether he deemed this*conoession of sufficient importance to' justify him' in prolonging negotiations. The reticence of the Legation is extreme; but'the outside world has all along contrived to get an impression of what'was doing and the impression in' the' present instance seems to be that the settle. ment is partial; and that though' there is no present likelihood of' rapture, other matters remain tobe settled which are pregnant with difficulty, the fatare. Tt la notable: that-we have no' word, yet, regarding" the' crucial points—the fons of ango of the whole ne. gotiation—the punishment of Margary' murderers, and the opening of a'trade route between British India and Yunnan, We have yet to learn whether these have been conceded, or whether they are still in abeyance. In the' meantitne, the rumour that Mr, Grosvetior' is going home with despatches instead' of going to Yunnan, leaves open' wide field for conjecture, into which' we do not at present care-to enter, 'TRANSIT PASSES, We have only the vaguest bute from Peking that, included in"the demands made by Mr. Wade' on the 'Téung-li Yamen, and to which that' body'has a decided objection, are certain stipulations with regard to Transit Dues," "We hare had few opportunities of HegSng the opinions expressed by Mr, Wadéjlind sanctioned by the British Government, on this important question, that we'are scarcely in position even to offer a surmise on the probable. natare of the demands made. We, however, do know that in Szechuen, and: through.'the greater portion of the Southern -provines, Transit Passes have' hitherto been a dead letter; while in the''contral provinces, though nominally granting them in accordance with the Treaties, the Chinese have. contrived: to insert so many petty stipulations," and: to. clog the delivery of the: goods with 80 many difficulties; thatthe trade in Imports with the' interior' is.sadly lampered, and shows signs of decadence both la amount and profitableness:: i We have abuudanes'-of proof from native sources; both official: and mercantile,"in~'
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.