Arrention has been recently drawa in our columns to an alleged infraction of Treaty rights on the part of a foreign firm resident at Poking. It is, of course, sufficiently clear that the capital of China is not a Treaty port, and therefore not open to foreign trade. The only persons who are formally authorised to reside in Peking are the Diplomatic representatives; an exception is of course made in favour of the members of the Customs service, but there is no stipulation that the privilege shall be extended to any other persons, be they missionaries or who they may. Still less have we avy provision for the establishment of foreign hongs, whether conducted on wholesale or retail principles, within the walls of the Capital and the fact of a large business being carried on within a few bow-shots of the Imperial palace, and in the midst of the Foreign Legations is therefore a very anomalous circumstance to say the loaat of it.
Now it is manifestly unjust that a privilege denied to subjects to Treaty powers should be enjoyed by subjects of a nation unrepresented by any Diplomatic agent in Peking, and we think it by no moans regrettable that the matter has been referred to. The question arises, however, Low far the practice is illegal. There is an article in the Treaty of Tientsin, by virtue of which British subjects are authorised to travel, for their pleasure or for pur-of trade, to all parts of the interior.
fo mention is here made of residence but there is another article which grants them full permission to build or open warehouses,' among other things, at the open ports or at other places; and it is certainly seems that these two articles may be construed in a manner favourable to the iutereste of British traders even in Peking. Taken together, they give us the right to trade and to open warehouses wherever we like, under proper restrictions; and it would be well if the natural inference should be recognised by the high authorities of the Empire. The firm to which allusion has more especially been made owns a shop much fro. quently by all classes of Chinese, from the very highest downwards, It deals in all sorts of useful odds and ends, including canned provisions,—soups, jams, eto,—a few books, toilet-articles, cigars, lollipops, and such cheap European toys as are calculated to impress the innocent imaginations of the native gentry. The existence of this shop is of course a great convenience to foreign residents, who can thus always procure table-necessaries at a pinch, besides being a never-failing source of interest and amusement to Ohinese, %If the Ministers of the Tsung-li Yamen are aware that such an establishment exists—which they can hardly fail to be—they have taken no official cognizance of it whatever. It is a harmless institution, so far, and probably not worth making a fass about, Bnt as matters stand at pro-sent, it is probable that one of two courses will be adopted. The shop will either be shut up, or the privilege extended to, and adopted by, members of other nationalities. It must be borne in mind that the mere fact of a foreign shop being opened in Peking is not the real cause of complaint. There are half-a-dozen other shops where foreign goods are retailed, and next door to the one now particularly referred to there is the excellent and respectable hotel of Messrs. Vrard Ca, where many articles of uso and ornament are retailed. The real griocaueo appears to lie in the evasion of barrier daties on large and constant importations of merchandise. "The Chinese traders," wrote our Correspondent, "are neb displeased, but cannot make their complaints heard. Between the market of Tientsin and the shops of Peking there are many barriers, whose agyregato tolls are considerable. Opium pays heavily; cottons, woollens, metals, pigments, ote, also; and on kerosine oil, the use of which is, in spite of taxation, increasing, the levies are unreasonably onerous. Therefore Chinese, as well as the excluded foreign traders, are much displeased to seo that by passes one or two persons engage in a trade which much be very profitable, when lekin and barrier taxes avoides We do not wish, by drawing atten to this matter, to put any obstacle in the way of the firm to which our Correspondent refers. Oar object is simply to point out that members of other nationalities are entitled to the same privileges; and we think that, in order to secure those privileges on a permanent and firm basis, some authoritative interpretation of the Trenty articles we have quoted above should be pro. mulgated and officially confirmed. It is only just that all foreigners represented at Peking should have equal rights. There is but little likelihood, we think, of the business of the firm in question being interfered with, When scious of royal and noble houses are to be met pottering over the dingy counters oven of a foreign store, and encouraging the proprietors in their enterprise by the purchase of kaleidoscopes, potted lobsters, Thorley's food for infants, kerosine oil, French photographs, and other articles of luxury, it is probable that no particular animus will be directed against them by either the Chinese or the foreign Ministers. But at the same time ay in political principle is involved in the tacit permission hitherto accorded by the Government, and in justice to other nationalities as well as for the sake of their own fature freedom from embarrassing disputes, it is advisable that a formal understanding should be come to on the subject between the representatives of China and those of the Treaty Powers.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.