Ir is perhaps too soon yet to expect any practical result from the recent visit of the Prince Ch'an to the land and sea defences of the Const of Chilli.
The whole oredit of this movement is given to Li Hung-chang, who alone among high Chinese officials has dealt with the relations with the outer world on @ liberal and practical basis, and who alone has facilitated direct intercourse between the Mauohn rulers of the country and foreigners. he iuterviews with the Prince which were granted to the foreign Consuls ab the particulars of which the Shi Pao, must have been arranged by the Viceroy, and, considering the exclusive traditions of the Chinese vent foreigners having access to the highest poraonages in the Empire would alone entitle Li Hang-chang to a tinguished place in the world's estimat. tion. Hoe places the vital interests of his country above the narrowing policy of a hierarchy of place-hunters, The visit of the Prince cannot but hi had the offest of strengthening position of the Viceroy and of gi him a new lease of power, It will interesting to watch what use be makes remarked that, notwithstanding the liberal clear insight, high courage and strong position of the Viceroy, Lo has nevertheless accomplished very little of permanent value to his country. The explanation usually given of thie failure is his unetendiness of purpose, He usually sols out on o straight course, and with a clear aim, but once started be rolls about like @ ship without ball and is blown hither and thither by every changing wind, and never completes his voyage, Such has been the general estimate of his character hitherto, and it is rather too much to expootthatat thence of sixty-four be is likely to change very much for the better. With all Lis shortcomings, however, Li Hung-chang is still the only man to whom the country can look to lead the way to more solid ground than that on which the affairs of the Empire at present rest. Hence the interest which necessarily attaches to tue proceedings of this one man, who has been often called the one-eyed among the blind, The fleet on which the Viceroy doubtless prides. himself, and on which large sums of money have been spent, was proved during the French war to be of no more use than if the ships had been made of brown papor—and that, solely for want of trained crews and efficient officers. The vessels themselves and their armament were fit to have sunk the whole French fleet, if only they had had men to handle them, and it was a most humiliating thing to sce the stronger hunted like hares by Uke weaker, and the supply of grain to the Capital out off by a couple of French cruisers. Phe experience has not been lost on the Viceroy, and by the engagement of Captain Long to organise the navy, he has shown that he thoroughly grasps the situation, If Captain Long is allowed full sway, we have not a doubt thatin a few years China will have fleet that needs not fear either France or Japan, Not that we attribute any special merit to the in As we have said before, the Chinese might have got a German or a French officer who would have done the work equally well. The choice of the man, though important, is really of secondary importance to the mauuer in which he is treated. Hitherto all chance of accomplishing any good for the Chivese navy ing been destroyed by the shillyshellying of the authorities, Officers who were able and anxious to render have been thwarted by nee of Tao-tuis and ignor-in blue buttons, and the service made a laughing stock to the whole world. If the appointment of Captain Long indiontes a new parture, we may congratulate the Chine ese Government on its new found wisdom. But thoro will be all the old influences at work to prevent the good which might be done, and, judging from the past, it would not groutly surprise as if Captain Long were again to find all his efforts to create a Chin navy parniyeed by the imbeciles who will swarm round him, and agaiuet whose devices the Viceroy's courage will fail, as it has always don The policy of handing over the bare hour and defence works of Port Arthur to the control of French officers and contractors, is one an which we cane not pronounce without knowing more than is made public of the hidden motives which prompt it. lhe mere con ception, if it does nothing more, proves at lo the remarkable freedom from prejudice of the Chinese, for who would have ventured to predict twelve mouths ago that they would have placed their most important defences in the hands of the French? The fear of some fature Courbet doing by Port Arthur as was done by Foochow weighs nothing with these maguamiuons people. And when we see by the home papers the special legislation which the French Government has resorted to, for the arrest and punishment of avy German officers Who may be fou fortified place in France, the liberality of the Chinese in like case stands out con. ously. It is a country of paradoxes, as we know, and th which Chinese offici regard many who serve them faithfully and have no interest but to do so, contrasts no leas curiously with the entire abandon. ment of precaution in cases wi according to the maxims prev among the general the most need fo ever, the idea of making over Port Arthur to the Freue may only be one of those passing whims for which the Viceroy is celebrated. These constant vacillations, however, may cause the work itself to be delayed so long that a uew war may be upon the Viceroy's bands before be has come to a final conclusion, or been able to put any consistent plan into execution, What we hear of the discharge of efficient military instructors does not augur well for the fature of the army, It looks as if the great exertions made by the Chungtaug and his generals in ing the troops for review by the ce had exhausted their energies, and that now they were about to fall back into their old apathy and neglect fora while, The Peking officials, who had never soon anything before but bows and arrows, or at the best. matohlocks, perhaps thought the Viceroy's drilled troops perfection, But the Viceroy himself knows very well thatthe splendid show the troops made, although ry creditable, wns not of a sort to inspire much. terror into an enemy who likes nothing better than that the army opposed to them should carry many flags. It is admitted by wil oxporis that the Chinese troops are excellent raw material for an army, but they are no more an army than a shipyard fall of iron and sled is a torpedo bent, They lack the organisation, discipline, and leading, which alone would make them formidable, yet these are the very points which these wise people think may be sutoly neglected. The foreign visitors who understood military matters very well, were of opinion that a properly drilled and officered body of 2,000 troops of any European State could ave out through the whole mass of the Chibli army like n knife through a piece of chose, It is of course very dificult for the Chinese officials to tolerate among them olive foreign officers, for cho more conscientious these are, the more does thi wy oust ree flection" on the iguoravoe and the dolonce of the Chinese, but where the security of the country is concerned, might be expected roman official of such high rank as the Viceroy that he would not allow the intrigues of blue buttoned Tao-Mais to destroy the efficiency of his army.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.