Tite story of the crushing defeat sustained in Koangsi by the French may be tid in a few words. It appears that, having enptured Lang: son, some troops advanced across the frontier, thereby invading China Peoper—a step for which it is difficult to imagine any justification whatever. At or near Long-chow, Lowever, they were mict by a force of several thousand Chinese soldiers, by whom they were utterly routed; and falling back upon L son-—which they ought never to left—they discovered that that i portant position had likewise beau wrested from their grasp. 'I'heir loss in killed and wounded was heavy, and General Négrior was one of the severest sufferers. It sounds cruel to ask, as many doubtless will asi, Que eliable allaient-ils faire dans cette galore? Bat the question comes too Into. On nows of the disaster ranching Paris, 0 stormy eceue took place in the Chatuber of Deputies. M. Ferry, in maki his confession, asked for a credit of two hundred millions of francs and fifty thougaud mon, The demand was refused, nnd the Premier was taunted with having grossly and system. tically deceived the country in the matter of the camprigu from begin. ning to and, After this there was nothing for it but resignation; and the Forty Ministry, having planged Franco into an unjust and unnecessary war, having attempted to cover its failures with specious promises and transparent protexts, and having now incurred the odiam of a terrible and Lamiliating dig astor, is condemned to inglorious retirement, The French have not up well in this campaign, and the Chinese willuot. feel much respect for commanders Nisny, are eminently suscessug and sinking defoncelese junks, and making the junkmen prisoners, but who lave nevertheless been beaten out of the field when attempt amore serious enterprise, It is estrange and most noteworthy fact that the refusal of the Chambers to send out the reinforcements demanded was decided upon in full knowledge of the disaster at Lung-chow; and this eau only mean that the representatives of the French Republic lave decided to necept the defeat of their arms and retire disgracefully from the struggle, But that euch policy will be persisted in we ennnot fora moment believe, After all, the devout sustained by French arms in Kaungsi involved no splendid victory for China, It is no disgrace for fifteen handred men to be beaten by several thousand; if any disgrace attaches to France in the matter it must be eld to accrue from the fatal folly of the commander, who, with so small a force, went where he lind no business to go. But, as affairs stand at present, there seem only {wo courses open, France must either China, or she must recal the decision arrived at by the Chambers in their moment of exasperation, and pass the vote for two hundred million francs and fifty thousand reinforcements, There are only these two alternatives, and it is impossible to believe that the nation will meekly acquiesce in the former. The sudden rise in Consols is of course due to the prospects of an amicable settlement of the difficulties w Russia, news of which was received here yesterday, though Reuter not yet thought proper to inform us of the fact; but wh in England show signs of b cloud comes over the political horizon in China, and unless France and Freuehmen are to be eternally discredited in the eyes of the Chinese from Kalgan Kuangsi, we have every reason for lucking forward to a bloody and disastrous war.
.—April 7.
Tr is not for us to form conjectures as to the motives which induce the French and Shanghai. There seems no ranson for believing that the French meditate a new and serious attack upon the Chinhai forts, and if, as seems most likely, they are simply stationed in the neighbourhood as sentries, it is rea-souable to expect tint a resumption of intercourse might, under certain restrictions, be permitted. And, if we are able to toru: any idea of the fature plan of operations, we should be me clined to think that the French are not ely, for some time to come at least, to make any fresh attack pon the corists of China Proper. It is distinctly stated that the voles of credit and reine forcements which have been sanctioned by the Chamber of Deputies are for Tonquin, To regain possession of Long. son will be the first object of the French commanders; and so long us this is uneffected we do not suppose that they are likely to waste their time and other resources in battering at Chinese forte elsewhere, It must be patent to them at Met that no amount of destruction that Frenchmen can achieve upon the Eh @ seaboard will induce the aulo keep up a sort of pacific demoustration at Chinhai, The naval policy of France in these waters has an element of mystery in it which we do not pretend to fathom, and people generally are coming to the conclusion that it is a wiser course just to await events than to speculate and wonder what is coming next. Judging, however, from the interesting letters we publish els where from Ningpo, it soams that there really is no necessity for further suspending communications with that port. One of our Correspondents speaks in the highest terms of the humane and moderate behaviour of the French, and assures us that they wre doing all in their power to encourage the con tinuance of the native trade, "Twenty days ago," he writes, "the river was full of native craft of all sizes, afraid to go to nen. Since it has been found that the French do not interfere with legitimate trade, but rather encourage it, there has been great activity among the shipping, and the river is already pretty wellclenred of sea-going janks." A dont cays that t among foreig daring a recent visit to Ningpo was occasioned by the non-arrival of pnekages sent them from this place vid Hangchow. There is, in short, no doubt that confidence is being gradually restored, and from all sides we hear that the comparatively small amount of ineonvenience experienced by foreigners is due to the energetic measures taken by Mr, Edwin Stevens, the United States Consul at Ningpo. We are assured by many independent witnesses that Mr. Stevens deserves praise and thanks for his late exertions on behalf of foreign interests, nnd we are happy to take this opportunity of drawing attention to the fact. All things considered, therefore, we cannot help expressing a hope that we shall soon see steam. navigation resumed between Nivgpo thorities in Peking to sign a eenty acknowledging the sovereignty of France over Tonquin, much less to accompany that acknowledgment with the payment of an indemnity, he repulse suffered by the French in Kuangsi has seriously impaired the estimation in which they are beld by the Chinese; and, what is more curious still, it has also lowered the reputation of Germany for, argue the simple politicians of Peking, why should Germany lay claim to glory for having gained the upper lind of a nation we have repulsed ourselves? Therefore, the hearts of the Chinese, like the heart of Pharaoh, are hardened, and they show no signa as yet of giving in, Indeed we are growing to believe that the more the French batter away at forts, the more, obstinate the Chinese statesmen beoor yp, and that unless the invaders intend to carry their arms to one of the try places which the Chinese apparev'sty consider so impregnable—Taku rud Port their only alternative 's to regain and consolidate the pow? of France in the Sou That the, former stop would really frighten the Chinese statesmen into submission is possible enough. But, for some reason or other, the French do not intend to tuke it; and, having once decided upon this policy, it reinning for them simply to establish themselves strongly and permanently in Tonquin, in a way that would render the permission of the Chinese, or their recognition of the fact, a matter of pure indifference, But the medium course has been proved entirely futile, It has failed to move the Chinese an+ thorities one jot; and the recent suc. cesses of the Chinesegenorals in Kuangsi lins naturally rendered them extremely jubilant and confirmed them in their determination, 'That o very serious cam. paign is looming in the future must ba plain to everybody; but as far as oan be seen at present, it will' be confined
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.