Tur telegram we publish elsewhere respecting the British Ministership at Peking is an important piece of news in many ways. It is now certain that Sir Thomas Wade will not return to Ohina, and that the post of Minister is vacant, Whatever may have been the merits or shortcomings of Sir Thomas's tactics during his term of office—and on this point it is only fair to say that opinions do differ—thore is every reason to believe that a new appoint. mont will bring with it a new policy; and this of itself is likely to prove a great boon, We do not wish to be understood as saying that Sir Thomas Wade's diplomacy has been so bad that any chavgo must be for the botter. Bat we do say that half a lifetime spent in the atmosphere of Peking had the effect of sapping those energies on the part of the Into Minister which be possessed in so vary high a degree, and that his diplomatic Inbours have never produced any great results to British interests, whether public or private, in China, We have, however, written 60 many valedictories on Si Thomas Wade in times past that it not necessary we should repeat them now. Oar business is with the question of his successor, and the regret we fool that Sir Edward Malet has declined the post will, we believe, be universal. We have no hesitation in saying that he would have been one of the best incumbents possible. A clever, amiable, popular mau in his private capacity, he is also an accomplished diplomatist, with great firmness of disposition and no small experience of Chinese politics. But Sir Edward no doubt looks fo: ward toa Baropean career, and it is difficult to blame him for his decision, Wo shall await further news with the keenest interest. The Hennessy nightmare we believe to have been never anything but a nightmare, and may be dismissed of once from our thoughts, From private information we have received we are confident that the Government would never venture upon 80 gross an outrage as to send Sir Pope Hennessy as Minister to Peking, nor do we believe that such a stop was ever contemplated. There can, indeed, be scarcely two opinions to the stamp of man that is required, We want one—if such there be—on whom the mantle of Lord Elgin has descended; one who, to use that states. man's own words, will "stand no nonsense" from those whom he spoke of as his "poor mandarins," who will assume high ground, and pursue a policy of firmness, justice, and moderation, We are no advocates for the binater which some would like to see displayed, any more than we are apologists for the pro-Chinese weakness and vacillation that have done so much harm in days that are gone by. Our chances of Sir Edward Malet being now unhappily at an end, we hope, as the next best thing, that our new Minister will be a man unencumbered with the traditions of his predecessor, one to whom China is a now field, and who will not fall into those Chinese modes of thought and policy which are always less effective in a foreigner than in those to whom they hereditarily belong.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.