A CONSIDERABLE amount of uncertainty appears to prevail with respect to the circumstances under which the British Government has obtained possession of Port Hamilton, and the position of the Chi: in the trans notion. We use the word transaction advisedly, because we do not for a moment believe that the step in question was taken by Enrl Granville without the knowledge, if not the full conoarrence, of China; and this is view of the question that is borne out by the statements in the home papers. It would be manifestly unfair to conclude that, because London journalists appear as ignorant of the whereabouts of Port Hamilton as the Duke of Nowoasile in George the Third' reign was of the whereabouts of Anna. polis, and as much in the dark about its geographical designation as the same statesman was about that of Cape Breton, they are therefore unacquainted with the proceedings of the Govern-mont regarding it. The Duke of Nowonstle enthusiastionlly agreed that Annapolis must be defended," though he hud not the vaguest idea where Annapolis was; and, similarly, the Times and other journals in London muy be perfectly correct in stating that the occupation of Port Hamilton by the British had boon previously acceded to by China in spite of their firm con. viction that it is either situated in, or ideutionl with, the island of Quelpart, That their assertions to this effect are well founded every Englishman here will only too willingly believe, Tt ie not the policy of England to go about seizing possessions of friendly the Powers for the mere sake of being 5" and we think it may be safely ooncluded that some understanding was come to on the subject between the Tsung-li Yumén and Sir Harry Parkes shortly before the Minister's lamented death, At the same time, it need nob be supposed thu the Chinese have formally ceded Port Hamilton to Bug-land, Zo begin with, it is, or was, not theirs to cede; it is the property of Coren, and a very dangerous precedent would have been established bad England treated China as the party principally to be consulted in the matter. No doubt, it is a ques-tiou in which China is very deeply interested; and it might be supposed, did we know nothing beyond the bare fact that this bit of territory has passed ander the control of England, that China lad a solid ground for protest, But it must not be forgotten that the step in question made for the prow
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.