Tue correspondent of the Times at Peking progress of HE. Shéng's negotiations with has kept that wr well-informed of the
the Belgian Syndicate, but up to the latest date received it did not seem to be und stood how much the benefits that the send cate is to get in return for the loan had been whittled down. In a leading article on the arrangement in its issue of the 3rd ult. the Times says On the other hand, it must be remembered that both parties are anxious to carry out the scheme, "Ite success would be extremely for 8 unastailaple as might be. supposed tifying to Sheng, whose position is perhaps from the wide range of his activities. As for the Belgian syndicate we may assume it to have a strong family likeness to other syndicates. with which we are acquainted. dubious character of the security offered by ill not be anxious to dwell upon, the the Chinese, while Sheng will doubtless abound in assurances that all is well. It will rely mainly on certain powerful agencies behind it" It is nominally Belgian because the Chinese have a prejudice in favour of dealing with weak States rather than with strong ones, who have an unpleasant way of insisting upon the fulfilment of engagements.
believed that the French Government is interested in the success of the syndicate for reasons that take but. little account of financial questions, and in the Far East at any rate France can still rely implicitly upon the support of Russia. From a poli-Heal point of view engagements which' the Chinese Government might fail to observe, or even an expenditure of capital which only farther concessions could render productive, ight be found quite as useful as the most liant commercial success of the Chinese ways. That Russia is not, uninterested in the project may be inferred both from the ce-operation of the Russo-Chinese Bank in Peking, which is to have the account of the new railway, and from the visit of Prince Oukhtamsky, whose two interviews with the Emperor of China just before the final granting of the concession point to something more than a mere coincidence, With these two Powers actively teresting themselves in the Belgian syndicate it would be extremely rash assume that the railway will not be boga notwithstanding its lack of attraction for European or for Chinese cay Whether it is finished or not within any reasonable period might be a matter of secondary importance if partial construction afforded "occasion and excuse for diplomatic interference of an exclusive kind, The scheme of the syndicate has not been allowed to pass without protest. The British, the American, and the German Ministers have called attention to those portions of the projected arrangement which infringe the principle of the most-favoured-nation treat-meet, and it may be assumed that their complaints have brought about. formal cor. rectoes in the terms of the concession, It is, however, scarcely necessary to observe that more then ti safeguard the interests of n ons not direct-Jy concerned in the present negotiations is country throws open its colonies and its trading rights to all the world on the same terms as to its own subjects. But we are often hardly careful enough to watch over the observance of our treaty rights in eases such as the present. It has to be remembered that the policy steadfastly pursued both by France and Russia is one of They take all the advantages of our Hgorous protection for their own free trade policy, but they never dream of giving any in return, and, as Lord Salisbury" has observed upon more than one occasion, we cannot hope to alter their policy until' we have something to offer or to threaten in exchange. It is, therefore, by no sentimental jealousy of other people's success that this country is impelled to watch closely the detailed operations of a yndlicate such as is now in question, but by the knowledge that direct injury' to our trade, inflicted in every possible way, is the normal result of every exclusive or preferenti trading right acquired by our comme rivals. Should this Belgian syndicate achieve any success it will scarcely be on the finan merits of its scheme, but in consequence of a
and commercial ends. It therefore behoves free exercise of political influence for political our Foreign Office to keep a watchful eye upon the syndicate and the development of its plans in detail.
Tarning back from the Far East to the East, we find the papers still full of the negotiations between Turkey and the Powers; and seeing that six weeks ago the Ambassadors were trying to get an answer from the Sultan about Thessaly, we can luite understand the impatience which, as ter tells us, they are now showing. In a leading article on the 3ist of May the Times writes After an abundant crop of contradictory rumours we are in a position to-day to sce what has actually been done in the way of starting the peace negotiations which are in the fulness of time to put_an end to the present disturbance in the East." On Thurs. day the Ambassadors received a reply to the Collective Note addressed by them to the Porte, which, as was to he anticipated, does not amount to much more than a moderately polite acknowledgment of their communication, The Porte is, of course, perfectly of that negotiations cannot be formally begun ready to accede to-their demands, but. points
until a proper armistice has been concluded in place of the mere cessation of hostilities, which is the only arrangement now in force. To this the Ambassadors replied on Saturday that if an armistice bad not been concluded the fault lies entirely with Edhem Pasha, who has insisted upon political conditions instead of confining himself to a purely military attitude. They accordingly call upon the Porte to instruct him to carry oe negotiations upon military grounds alone, and undertake that there shall in that case be no obstruction on the part of the Greek commander. The desired armistice is to be one of unlimited duration, and the Porte is pressed to conclude it without delay in order that peace negotiations may at once begin in earnest. It would be too much to expect the Sultan to yield to these demands without some preliminary evasions and delays. yet he must be conseiqus that the tone of the Ambassadors is. perceptibly hardening. We are not informed how
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.