The German community of Tientsin is about to honour itself by honouring Mr, yon Brandt on the occasion ut his retire: ment, On the 4h proximo they are to give him " banquet in Gordon Hall. Ow this vcowion they have sv far departed from their exclusiveness as to usk the Councillors, the Viceroy, and the leading Chinese officials. Mr. von Brandt's strict attention to the commercial side of his high office, his promptitude and exgernes assist his fellow countrymen in difficulties with the natives, his conciliation of the Chinese so far as to procure almost a German monopoly for guns and war material, would give him " claim on the gratitude of is men; but quite apart from these more sordid reasons, Me. von Brandt high claims on the sympathy of his il the recognition of hie ut. The intimate friend and closely associated colleague of Gordon and Parkes, he has always taken a high and firm line of action his dealings witir the Japanes and Chinese officials: he is a persona yrata to sungli Yamen, and relations between Chin and riy in eof curdinlity which he himself did so much to create, His greatest diplomatic triumph was perhaps the clever way in which, with the very imid acquiescence of the Tsungli Yamen, he cot tid of the preposterous pretensions of ance to protect all foreign Roman Catho-lies in China. Italy followed his lead in asserting her right to lookxfter her own folk, and wae promptly followed by other Powers. The wide diffusion of Catholic missions thoughout China, the extreme delicacy of it relations with the Chinese social, reous, and official polities, anode this right of interference by a bellicose naval and tary Power a downright terror to the central Power at Peking.
Although Mr. vou Brandt has been 34 years in the Enst, Il at the very climax of his mental and bodily power, and could, for many years to come render his government invaluable service. The Berlin F, QO. seen '0 reduce itself to an absurdity in shelving so eminent " man by the application of a foolish and ungenerous
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.