There is so little news in the papers Drought by the Peshawur that we cxn devote a larger space than usual to the remarks of the home papers on affairs in China, and we find them summarised for us in the London and China Express The Times fears that unless the violent party becomes the subject of an unusual awakening to sense and reason, it will not be enough to patrol the river. Any new outbreak of violence, such as those which took place at Wuhu last May, and at Ichang quite recently, should be met, without further perey, by forcible repression onthe part the Western Powers. It is really too lute to be put off by the polite commonplaces either of the Tsungli Yumén at Peking or of the accomplished gentlemen who represent China in Europe and America, We have asked again and again for protection for our peopl have asked that they shall be con the enjoyment of the rights which have been solemnly and deliberately granted to them treaties: "If the Court of Peking is too. weak or dilatory to secure those rights, we—the Western Powers—are hound to take the enforcing of them into oar own hands, It is satisfactory to know that this principle has been accepted by the four nations. It may very well he that in some cases more will be necessary thun the mere presence of the vessels." But if they are compelled to appeal to force it will not be te Western Powers that will be to blame, No one understands better than the Chinese authorities the meaning of treaties and the obligation which lies upon a Government to keep order and to observe its engagements; und if reiterated appeals to do this prove useless, if weakness, oF laziness, or corruption prevent any atten tion being' paid to such demands, the Powers must take the matter into their own hands, But we are convinced that the best way to make any extreme steps unnecessary will be for then to show by their united and active procedure that there are no divisions among them, and that the temporary alliance in the interests of order and protection is one which can be acted upon to the fullest extent, the Chronile, by an irrepressible suspicion The fe ug of impatience is deepened, says that the Government weakness is more apparent than real, and is rather an indication of veritable sympathy with the truculent ers and their evil doings But, however natural this suspicion may be, it is after all only a suspicion, and it would be a serious stake to allow it to attain sue force as to precipitate hostile action. Against any such active hostility Chinese diplomatists are now exerting themselves, with energy and per severance in England and on the Continent There may be local officials who have not attended to their instructions as they ought tw have done; but these, Chinese diploma: tists assure us, will yet be severely dealt with for their remissness. This plea, it must be admitted, is a palpable confession of weak-ess. But the question for Europe to consider is whether a warlike demonstration would not make matters worse. We cannot say that there is no justification for such a step; but it is to be hoped that great caution observed in currying it out. A slight mistake might lead to disastrous results, We should ain at compelling the Peking Government to act rather than to take the work of repression upon ourselves in another article the same journal saya: On the face of it, one must consider it a little absurd to make war upon people in order to
80 we must look beyond the immediate cause Breach the gospel of the Prince of Peace, and of the present complications for the real one, It is of course to be found in the rooted belief of all the most intelligent and cultured men in China, that the introduction of what Europe deems civilisation would doom the labouring poor of the Chinese Empire to the same miserable existence that has to be endured by the labouring poor of Europe. The Chinese do not desire to live as most of our working classes patiently do, below their standard of comfort (!!) Hence they do not desire to reproduce in a society con: posed of nearly one third of the human race those forces of civilisation which are disintegrating the petty communities of Europe. Any Government, similar ow', and says that Russia should which makes concessions to foreigners and to abstain from faking part in any demonstra-Western ideas is, therefore, at the outset; tion. This journal is further of opinion that under the suspicion that its polic is the she should take advantage of the present state disastrous one of " buying off the barbarians." of affairs in China to strengthen her position Because the oung Emperor's Government has; in the extreme East. exposed itself to that suspicion it is, we fear, The practical question, says the Morniny in some peril of vanishing in the solvent of Post, for our own and the other European revolution.
Governments whose interests are involved The as t of affairs is truly, thin! the and whose subjects are endangered by the Telegraph, az evil at present as the political insane for of the Chinese, is what to do? problem appears embarrassed.
'A countless Naval action is the most obvious method of mob of Mongolian rowdies at every treaty port up the river has gone wild again with prove are now as it has been in times past mut there are certain special difficulties in the ancient hatred of the foreign devils," the present case, Wh hile it is clear that stimulated, it is to be feared, by polit ical the lower portion of the river up to conspirators, who aim at creating turmoils Hankow can be at any time placed at and, perhaps, at destroying the dynasty. The the mercy of the gunboats, the power of the Government, placed between the devil and ' Barbarian" cannot be effectually mani-the deep sea," dares not act too vigorously fested to the Celestials beyond Hankow. The against the brutal mob, for fear of exasperating to fatal length its nti Buropeas feelings and, on the other hand, it well knows that there is a point where, if it fails to keep the peace, the fleets must do it, in which case the same mobs would clamour for war or massacre their Governors. Drifting into another vein the writer remarks:—There are two immense dangers perpetually threatening the ci tion of our age; one is the Slav, the oth the Mongol. If ever that yarms" there is almost no interest, no countervailing force that it could not sting and smother to death. Four hundred millions of men, more or less, all stew vie the same grim Con philosophy of expediency and opportany im, all the hardest workers and the plainest livers upon earth, nearly destitute of any terror of death as they are of compassion or free thought—what an avalanche of hu-inanity it is to be always overhanging the smaller peoples of progress! That which may be styled the mere leakage of these myriads of Mongols has filled up Singapore, Penang, and the Malay Peninsula, and menaces Call: fornia and Australia, as well as the South Sea Islands with a deluge of yellow-faced advan-turers. One never knows what may or may not happen when China moves; it is like the awakening of elemental forces. She is much too big, too stereotyped, too conservative, and too Chinese, for the safety of modern civilisation, and nobody who has traversed the streets of her cities, thronged with monotonous life like the paths of an ant-bill, can of troubles of any kind. in' the Land" without " certain indefinable apprehension, as of the approach of the unknown and irresistible.
Space unfortunately sets its limit to our able article on the present condition in China, reproducing what mast be termed a remark. which the Globe gives in its issue of the 24th inst. A few of the good things provided are, however, us follows Our true interest lies rather in strengthening the Chinese Government so'far as may be, inasmuch as anarchy and universal carnage would assuredly follow its overthrow. And in that case, where would the European settlements be? Obliterated, except when under the protection of gunboats; not a single foreigner would be left alive at other commercial centres. A telegram from Shanghai speaks of Chungking as "difficult to defend by warships, owing to the shallowness of the river." Difficult is not the right word even the lightest warships cannot get up to this new treaty port. But beyond the rapids, that could only be done by a land expedition, a sufficiently formidable undertaking, from which more than one Power would be brett; sure to draw back. Nor does the Tsungli Yamin possess anything more than the mere semblance of authority in those remote regions. Every Europeav, therefore, who goes there in pursuit of commerce and profit carries his life in his hand, just as much asa missionary does who penetrates into the heart of Africa, or as an explorer in New Guinea, Itisunnecessary to point out theinaccuracies, contained in the above; they will be patent to our readers. The statements show unfortunately the class of material which is too often served out to the British public on affairs in China.
stticle on the position of affairs in China, the St. Petersburg Viedomosti con: ders that Russia should observe an attitude of strict neutrality and await calmly farther developments in Peking, the Yangtze-kiang and Amur. The Nocoe Vremya holds situation demands circumspection, and with Lord Salisbury at the Foreign Office there is every guarantee that firmness and prudence will go hand in hand.
The most powerful States in the world can hardly be expected, states the Daily News, to look calmly on while their subjects are burned out of house and home, and butchered in cold blood, The old concert of four Powers, England, France, Russia, and Unite States, which was established by Sir Frederick Bruce, had the happiest effects. It was dissolved when it had accomplished its immediate purpose, but it must be reconstituted, if there is ho other way. Tt will never "lo to have every interest that the outside world has in kept at the mercy of a ferocious and fanatic mob, will be soon by the telegram we publish this morning that China has another stroke of luck in the Cuited States' quarrel with Chile, which will probably be followed by the carly withdrawal of the Charleston from these waters, 'The wooden vessels of which the greater part of the of little, use' againat. the more modern U.S. squadron here is composed would be
vessels of the Chilean navy, while very useful in these waters, and' we presume with the Monocacy and Patos, will renixin here. Mr. Pat. Egan, the U.S, Minister to Chile, appointed by Me. Blaine to conciliate the Trish in the States, much to the disgust of all the best people in America, udo himself very obnoxious to the victorious party in Chile throughout the recent revolution by the partisan. ship he displayed, and this dislike the Minister has evidently found expression in an attack on United States sailors; but as the revolutionaries have shown ott the tone hand considerable moderation since their success, and there is no general feeling in the United States on the other hand in favour of the Bulmacediats, it is to be hoped that the trouble will blow over. There is unfortunately great jesloury in the States, which Mr, Blaine has not been above fostering, of the large share which England has in the trade with South America; and as England is supposed to have sympathised with the Cougressists against Balmaceda, the noisier organs of the Republican party in the States are probably clamouring for their country to act decidedly, in the hope that British trade will somehow be injured in the struggle, The Presidential Election is approaching in the States, and it would no doubt b great help to Mr. Blaine to have just brought the country out victoriously from a dispute with Chile.
Tu writing in July last on what the French Republic had done, we remarked that its army was now the tinest in the world. The following is an extract from the report of one of the visiting oticers to the manceuvres sent by a Continental Power which is directly interested in learning the real trath as to the present condition of that army The infantry, when fighting in dispersed onder, surpass anything seen hitherto iv this class of military exercise. The movements in close columné are characterised by a regularity and compactness which recall the Greek phalanx. The movements of the cavalry are lacking perhaps in the necessary calmness
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.