Now and again some inquisitive member in the House of Commons rises up to put the question, "Why has not the Convention of Chefoo been ratified The answer seems to be a stereotyped one that the Government is not yet "in possession of certain despatches." Probably the trath in this little game is that neither side knows what the Convention of Chefoo really that one side thinks, honestly the Chinese Government made cer but certainly innocently, that tain concessions in that instrament, while the other perceives, but' can scarcely be said to understand why, that the so-called ratification would result in serious loss to the Indian revenue. It is not too much to say that the trade of England with the Far East has had a narrow escape from being seriously crippled, and that so far as this one interest has been concerned it is a fortunate cirounstance that the intermeddling proponsities of the present parliament have been too busily occupied olsewhote to afford time for its ruinous interferéride in one field more. In fact, the' last prayer, and the one uppermost with those connected with trade with Ohina, is that the Convention of Chefoo should be consigned to oblivion, and that we should hear or 60 nothing more of that very futile, but very feeble instrament. True, the points actually yielded may have been of the most slender description, The consent of the Minister to " move his Govern. ment" did not pledge the Government. which had to be moved, and the clauée which by one stroke of the pen gave up all that bad been gained by two wars and two treaties fortunately needed the consent of other Powers. Still concessions made by implication may be at times nearly as inconvenient as concessions made in fact, and the careless and ambiguous wording of the document so hastily drawn up at Chefoo has been serious obstacle in our dealings with Chinese evasions of former treaties ever since. The fact remains that for five years the Convention has not been ratified, that daring that period no one connected with trade in China has expressed a wish for its ratifiontion, and that meanwhile trade has been going on, and diplomatic' relations have been no more attained than before.
That the Chinese Government has contrived to draw a larger revenue otit of foreign trade, and that the one solitary point supposed to have been yielded by it, namely, the opening of four new ports has not been taken advantage of by any foreign merchiints,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.