The Press.
London, England, 1858-09-25 00:00:00

THE CHINESE TREATY.

THE summary of the main stipulations of the late
Treaty with China, given in the North China Herald,
and generally reproduced by our morning contemp o
raries, is, we have reason to believe, substantially
correct. It does not contain, however, the provision
for the indemnity to be paid by the Chinese Govern-
ment, inasmuch as that is secured by a separate arti-
cle, and is not contained in the treaty itself. The
amount to be paid is fired at two millions of taels,
between 600,0001. and 700,0001. This is to he paid
as an indemnity for the losses entailed on British
subjects by the hostilities at Canton, together with a
like sum of two million taels on account of the war
expenses. Until this sum is paid in full, the British
troops will continue in occupation of Canton.
Under ordinary circumstances it is not the custom,
for obvious reasons, to make public the contents of a
treaty until the exchange of ratifications. By one
of the articles already published it is provided that
the ratifications of the Chinese Treaty shall be ex•
changed within one year from the date of signature.
In point of fact this act will probably take place
early in the ensuing summer, and until then none of
the provisions can come into force. It is therefore
needless to say that in the case of the present treaty
no such reserve as that usually maintained can be
practised, or that no unnecessary delay will be per-
mitted to occur in placing before those interested in
the subject the most minute details of this important
document. As soon as the Royal sanction has been
obtained it is probable that the text of the treaty, of
which the substance is already informally known,
will be authoritatively published.

MR. NEWDEGATE, MP., AT THE
LICENSED VICTUALLERS' AS•
SOCIATION AT COVENTRY.
Tux annual meeting of the Licensed Victuallers'
Association of Coventry was held on Monday
evening, in St. Mary's.hall, when Mr. Newdegate,
M.P., presided, and a numerous and respectable
company, including several of the Town-council, the
President and Vice• President of the association, and
most of the influential members sat down to an
excellent dinner. In addition to the members of
the Coventry Association, deputations from the
Licensed Victuallers" Association of Birmingham and
Leicester attended the meeting.
The CHAIRMAN, in proposing the health of the
Queen, observed that he had heard it said, and had
seen it reported, that elsewhere some other toast had
taken the precedence of the "Queen." He hoped
that, knowing as they did tbat her Majesty was the
first Sovereign in the world and the first lady in the
land, they would never, as far as they could influence
any one, permit any toast to be proposed in their
houses or at their festive meetings before that of
the Queen, and that if their guests persisted in
doing so they would charge them double, and give
them nothing but salt fish for dinner. (Laughter
and cheers.)
The other loyal and patriotic toasts having been
given,
Mr. WILMOT gave "The Health of the Members
for the county of Warwick" (cheers), observing that
no one could have conducted themselves in a more
consistent or exemplary manner than had done both
their hon. chairman and his colleague, Mr. Spooner.
They had faithfully discharged their duties, and he
believed that in every vote they had given they had
been actuated by the purest and most honourable
motives. (Cheers.)
Mr. NEWDEGATE, M.P., in returning thanks,
said :—Gentlemen, I thank you for the honour you
have done me as one of your members, and I will
take the liberty of saying here that I do not believe
there are any two members representing any con-
stituency who have been more devoted to fulfilling
their duties than my justly valued colleague and