Two chests of opium were seized and taken possess ry the Court, it being supposed that the Chinamen in whose possesaunuggle it The chests are held, pending the tion the opium was fouud were attempting to appearance of the alleged foreign owner, Gxtragts, CHINA AND THE PARIS EXHIBITION, To the Ettitor of the announces that arrangements have forthe ion of Chi ing Fr Mr. Hart, Inspector-General ion by toma, as presi and Bredo: ind sciences.
Tt would, however, be premature to jump atauch a conclusion just yot. Idoubt whether country that th emanates pr moroly from th the Chinese h employ for the ari toms. China was the Vienna Exhibition, but and with what result? Very 16 process was followed out as that now contemplated. The whole thing was in the hands of Mr. Hart and his stof, from the collection of the specimens tot!
at the close of th 'The so-called commission " ce of foreigners, nominees of fr. gentlemen, including himself, wore' decorated in recognition of their serves sentatives of China by ment; but, beyond the tradesmen and Chinese employed by the Custome officials in forming the collection, and possibly a friendly native official or two, whose aid was found essential, it could not be assorted that any interest was taken in the Exhibition, as such, by the people at large, if even they were aware of the fact of their national participation in the Exhibition at all, Even setting the people aside, there was no evidence to show that the Government officially favoured the scheme, or that any eminent Chinese mandarin identified himself with its obj The Chinese, as is well known, possess a G ernment Gazette, in which all official move. mouts, however insignificant, are recorded and yet no notification that I am aware of appeared therein of the intention of the Go national ye may be said lent to participate in the friendly inter-as regards the present case; and although it will be gratifying to find Chinese products and industry represented at all in the coming Exhibition, and every credit may be due to
direction, atill it is only fair that the matter Mr. Hart for is enterprising effort in this should be understood in its true light, and that the public should not be misled accepting the acts and i dividual as. it Government.
In your City Article of the 7th inst., in Properly challenged the Cisineso Betas respect to a proposed Chinese loan, you very any one foreign enterprise of promi: lorated within the Empire, of to one undoubted mark liberal tendency in their Government and until this challenge can be satisfactorily answered it is, I maintain, premature, not to say ridiculous, to pretend that the Chinese, as a Government and people, can be practically represented at an International Exhibition in the Western Hemisphere.
Iam, Sir, faithfully yours, London, 3st Deo., 1877.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.