The following able and opportun tract is from a book by Me. 7. R. 4 now in the press and published, entitled" Chin Methods. s the fruit of Mr Jernigan's observation, experience, and readi ing a somewhat long and very residence in China, and, as th shows, isa book that will be well worth tion the proofs of occupancy, possibly with China's consent, it would be reasonable if Great Britain, France and Germany, also i i of certain parts of China should luck to I Ids than the sphere Of influence which at present circumscribe their supposed vested rights of industrial ions. And should these three nations their spheres by the acquisition of additional territory as Russia is doing, the aren of the Eh would soon he materially curtailed. If the dismemberment of the E should com is gradual acquisitions unde that when China cedes large areas of her territory to one nation, o-tensibly for the purpose of constructing railroads thro it, but in reality for the trade advantage stage of that nation, the other nations interested in commerce' will demand and enforce whatever remedies necessary to protect and i The policy to play off one nation against another, and in that way preserve po: at home, can no longer be successful played by China. "The old game played out." for the relations of European nations towards each other, politically and commercially, are not what they formerly were, but China does not appear to have realised the fact and goes on blundering, refusing to learn and still wishing to be let alone. 'The conservatism which governs the Empire from Peking is without a vitalising element, and discourages the thought that there' may be in China any reserve force sufficient to rescue ber from impending disasters. The policy of exclusion, which has been the policy of China during all the centuries, has ultimately ended in such a condition of stagnation as to paralyse the energy and destroy the confidence of the people, causing the Empire to resemble some splendid vessel, which has become dismantled by the wanton indifference and carelessness of her commanders, until she has become the sport of every wave. What could be more unmanly than for a Prime Minister of China to be engaged in daily conferences on the subject that some nation "-r potions would save Chins from Russia? And yet it all has come to that, because China Tefused to learn a lesson diplomacy. while and looks on without to turn up xive her the opp: makin kind of a surroundings but 1 te strrenide insubs Since the veeupa ula by Rus la ne step seriously taken to a so that she might protect her-against encroachments, but, on the other [hand the "spit to be in a self: protective state, if it showed itself, has Inever matured. Such would not have Iheen the case had Japan remained in possession of the pen for a e-inman safety would have dictated a common preparation, and a thrown open udo, the Shimonoseki in a mutual safety mi merce with 3 its civilizing agencies. There would hav been no spheres of influence, but there would have been a Inrger "rex opened to for Japan, knowing well that s and wealth of a nati veatid hav made that id ruling [developed resources is the favourite theme of the writers of the Far Enstern Questivis.
can be written, withen' hesitation, that these Chinese who visit, Western nations, and learn the causes which have made them strong and enlightened. would not dare, on their return ts China, to go to Peking and opp se the dense con-servetism which governs to the ruin of their country. In every part of the Empi the voice of reform invites the imme presence of the public executioner, snd xo strony is the sentiment ayainst change among the conservative classes. that even the Emperor wa- dethroned and imprisoned Jin his capital Iecause he attempted to break throu: h the customs and principles which had so long en"laved his Empire.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.