7th May. "Pus admirable paper which Mr. Jernigan has contributed to the Manufacturer, of Philadelphia, and which will be found in another column, is intended primarily for Americans, but our English readers will find it of the deepest interest to themselves as well. Mr. Jernigan points out clearly the injury that kas been done—it is no longer only a danger—to our future commerce by the aggression which the blindness of our Government has allowed Russian to make, Whether it be due to ignorance or apathy, it is certain that Lord Salisbury has allowed a most serious blow to be dealt at British commercial interests while amusing the British public with fine phrases and comforting formulas, aud_a display of naval force, unexampled in its intrinsic strength and the weakness with which it has been directed. Cabinet Ministers have been allowed to tell the public that we should not hesitate to fight to preserve the freedom of trade and equality of opportunity in China, and directly Lord Salisbury has been challenged to make his words good, he has given way. After all, the British public is told, what is the trade of Manchuria that we should go to war about it? What is the trade of Shantung? What is the trade of the South of China? If you tell the gentleman who wants your portable property that you mean to keep it, but do not think it right to fight for it, how long will it be before he takes it? He who begins to give away in order to avoid fighting, ends by having nothing left or by having to fight after all.
The Foreign Offices of Great Britain and the United States have been sleeping while Russia has been working. The Chambers of Commerce of Great Britain shoald try and wake up our Government, and strenuous efforts are being made to interest the Chambers of Commerce of the United States, The war with Spain comes as an unfortunate distraction, but it not be altogether disadvantage if, as is very probable, it resuits in inducing Congress to devote itself a little more to foreign qnestions. Meanwhile, our Government. has allowed a great part of Manchuria to go, but the English and Chinese officials who are connected with the Imperial Railway in the North are doing their best to retain as much as they can, 'I'he Russians would like to see the port of Newchwang shut up, and Talienwan made the dep6t of the Maucharian trade, We should straggle to keep Newchwang open. he railway is being pushed there rapidly from Shauhaikuav, and the farther the Chinese railway is extended, the better it is for the freedom of trade which we know will not be maintained where Russian control extends. We have made ourselves a Inughing-stock to the world with our big naval preparations and our successive concessions to Russia, but all is not lost yet. Papers like Mr, Jernigan's should be distribut-freely in the commercial centres of Great Britain and the United States. The two great English-speaking nations have the same aims and the same interests iti the Far Enst, and it is absurd to suppose that if they settle on a policy they cannot checkmate all the plans of Powers that are working to get special concessions and special privileges. We strongly recommend our readers to study Mr. Jernigan's article.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.