The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1858-08-24 00:00:00

CHINA.

SARAWAL—Wbat is it in the position of Sarawak
which makes the mercantile mouth water in such an ex•
traordinary way? In the first place, Sarawak is of all
'daces the one jerhaps best fitted to command the com-
merce of the Chinese seas. It is more central, and in
all respects better situated than Singapore. The whole
length of the coast of China is within easy sailing dis-
tance. The whole netwerk of islands, in whose hidden
recesses a horile of pirates were wont to nestle, is no less
accessible from this couvenientlyaituated port. Already
the energy of Raith Brook, as he wee Gelled, had swept
this pest from the seas they had no long endangered by
their cruelties and crimes. But • race born to piracy.
bred to piracy, and encouraged to piracy by the laxity of
the neighbouring Powers' will soon learn to profit by the
absence of the strong will which alone formerly put an
end to their depredations. An English station at Sara-
wak, from which a few light, strongly-art»ed vessels
could perpetually be starting on new cruises, would soon
put an end to this barbarous and pernicious practice.
Besides, Sarawak possesses one great advantage over any
Chinese port—that we may keep possession of it without
the necessity of perpetually making war and eventually
conquering all the neighbouring country. The example
of India should warn us against acquiring any landed
Posseasioos where we do not mean to appropriate the
whole country. To try this with China would be a
policy which all men of sense must earnestly deprecate.
To command the commerce of the Chinese seas without
putting ourselves under the necessity of pulling down
His Celestial Majesty from his throne, is • piece of good
fortune we could hardly have hoped for, and this
good fortune the genius of Sir James Brook
has placard in our hands. Besidcs. Sarawak has a
recommendation by which all its other advantages are
vastly enhanced, in the possession of a valuable coal-
field. How much this would increase its worth to on as
a naval station it would be almost superfluous to point
out ; but we inay remark that the prevailing tendency
of commerce to avail Reel( more and more of steam
navigation—not to supersede, but to supplement the use
of sails—this advantage will become every year more
appreciated. There is another point also which it is
reasonable to take into account. By abandoning Sara-
wak we give the monopoly of trade to the East Indies,
and a prodigious advantage for trade with China, to our
commercial rivals the Dutch. Now, without any desire
to injure the Dutch, it is at least reasonable that • mer-
cantile people like the English should prevent them-
selves from being run down in the great race of compe-
tition. Any undue advantage in our own favour we
have long ago abandoned. Differential duties and pro-
tective tariffs we have abolished. Lord Elgin, in claim-
ing the right of free commerce with China, will nego-
tiate no exclusive benefit for the English nation. What
we gain for ourselves we gain for others; we own no
unfair advantages ; our maxim is " live and let live."
But the "live " is quite as essential to the spirit of this
maxim as the "lot live." We will not take unfair advan-
tages for ourselves, but neither will we rashly abandon
them to others. We are not bound like Lear, to give all
our good things away, with the certain prospect clan un-
grateful return. By the possession of Sarawak we share
the commerce of the East Indies with the Dutch, not
diminishing their profits or advantages, but increasing
our own. By abandoning Sarawak we give up the traffic
of a great port of that region to our notch rivals, who,
if we are to judge of the future by the gut, will imme-
diately proceed to reward our liberality by carefully
shutting every avenue through which we could obtain
any of its advantages.