Recent issues of the London Times contain two excellent letters from that jjournal's correspondent at Shanghai which deserve close attention for the terse and yet exhaustive way in which they present the situation in China. The letters are written naturally from the point of view of one who, as an Englishman, is anxious to see the inter grity of the Chinese empire preserved, bat who realises that that preservation is impossible unless a great reform is effected in its government, the seizure by the Germans of Kiaochou and their claim to the virtual administration of the whole province of Shantung, steps which apparently were decided on long before the murder of the two unfortunate missionaries at Yenchou, has rudely changed the whole face of the situation, and there is too much reason to fear that it is partition not reform with which we have now to deal. We cannot, as yet, place implicit confidence in the telegraphic news from Hongkong published yesterday morning to the effect that the three great Continental Powers have agreed on partition; but it will not altogether surprise us to find that they despair of any effectual reform in China; that they have concluded among themselves that partition must come sooner or later; and that it is not true statesmanship to attempt to postpone the inevitable. Our hope was that the integrity of China would be saved by the determination of England and Rusas we have said more once or twice these columns, Lath politically and commercially, that the integrity of the Chinese Empire should be maintained," and, we believed that Russia would strongly oppose the permanent establishment of any other European Power on the territory of China, which it was believed that Russia had begun to regard as her ultimate inheritance. But it appears now that Russia is willing to limit her aspirations to Corea and so much of China as lies north of the 38th parallel of latitude; and is willing to allow her partners in the coercion of Japan to repay themselves with Chinese territory south of that parallel for their assistance in her designs. If this new movement proceeds as it seems to be doing, the letters before us become of only academic interest, but until the news is confirmed, their interest to all foreign residents in China remains, Not to British residents only, for, as the correspondent points out, the trusteeship of all foreign interests in China virtually rested in the East,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.