Lord Lansdowne w: of Lords last night to make the satis: factory announcement that the I trouble between the British and Ru at Tientsin has been amicably adjusted—temporarily at all events, The details which have reached us are hardly sufficient enable us to form an unbiassed jude ment of the merits of the dispute; but although a German military paper has described our conduct in the matter as "cowardly appeal to the police, and although an Irish member in the House of Commons made an. insulting reference to the hoisting of the white flag by the British in Tientsin, the general opinion is that: the Government have done wisely in counselling the scrupulous avoidance of provocative action. At the same time, it is hoped that the Government will adopt a firm attitude when the question of the validity of the reputed concession to Russia' in Tientsin comes to be considered.
THE MANCHURIAN QUESTION, On Wednesday evening Mr. William Keswick, M.P.. pr a monthly dinner of the London Chamber of Com merce and opened a discussion on China. here was a goodly muster of old China hands and merchants interested in our tude in the Par East, among those pre~ sent being Professor Douglas, Mr. Gundry, Mr. J. Walton, M.P., Captain Pere Smith and Mr. Henniker Heaton, M.P.
Gene x the tone of the debate anti-Russian, far more so than might' be imagined from the brief reports of the meeting which have appeared in the London papers. The feel ing here in regard to the Manchurian agreement. is very" strong those interested in our China trade, {here ixgno doubt that they will do their utmost to keep our Government up to the mark. So far as we have been able to {udge, Lord Lansdowne at present has had'no great opportunity of showing Ins mettle as Foreign Minister; and here on Manchurian question he will be able to let us see if hi made of hetter material than the "reed painted—to jock like iron" whom he has replaced at the Foreign Office. Those who have had the hest opportunity of forming a correct judgment cod that the Czar is absolutely sincere in his professed devotion to peace and d live on the best of terms with his Lours. Of course even the Autocrat of All the Russias is to some extent. a puppet in the hands of his Ministers; but hi personal desire for porce and concord hevertholess a strong ground for confidence that a firm attitude on the part of Great Britain would achieve its object without endangering war, and there 15 2 not inerable party which would prefer the of war with Russia to the policy which ted our scuttle from Port Arthur.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.