The Express.
London, England, 1864-01-05 00:00:00

LYLKUM.

Tms EVEIT/M, THE uletfCift LH. Mr. Wlddleomb and
Iltw P. Leclrreg. —BILL DB HOMO. a Lose Story. Hama
Pechter, Brougham. Emery, Charles, and Jordan; Mimes
Terry, Lavenue, and Bliworthy, and Mrs. Lee.

esrr.x~n4.

THIS Evrlclse. the New laetClio., HICKORY. DICKORY,
1.) Sirs S. Lane ;eta Pantom Marvels
o!l'eru. -TIIE aRt AT .:11.,5t EVYKer.—Arthuranalkitraml.
Falry tount3itt.—Aud I lIE GORILLA 111 N I.

HIGH WATKII AT LONDON SUDO&
TI DAT —Hwang, .Allereass
TO.HOIIIIOI ALnila-. 1 ... Afternoon, 11h, 44m.

LONDO.V, TUESDAY, JANUARY 5.

TELEGRAMS received in anticipation of the Over- :
land Mail report that the Cainese Government
has refused to ratify the agreement made by Mr.
Las- with Captain SIIELIARD OsROENE, that in con- ,
sequence of this refusal that officer has proceeded ,
to disband his force, that the ships composing
his squadron have been sent to England for
sale, and that Captain OsseeNe himself may
be expected shortly to follow them. This
intelligence is of great importance. It tells us that
we have been once more delivered, by no wisdom
of our own, from a great peril. Prince KUNG has
saved us from a further and possibly a fatal dilu-
tion of the elements of our power in the East.
He has saved us, for the present at least,
from becoming the actual governors of a
country containing three hundred and fifty mil-
lions of people—an addition to our empire which
would make the QUERN the ruler of half the human
race. It was from the first apparent that we could
not place a formidable force like that which Cap-
tain OSBORNE commanded under the direction of a
merely Chinese policy. The mercenary cha-
racter attributed to the Angle-Chinese contingent
was repudiated at an early period by the assertion
that, whatever might be the nominal relation between
Captain L)::I34..ENE and the Imperial Chinese Go-
vernment, British officers fighting in China with
the permission of the Qt-exx would virtually be
allies of die Ecru:cm—allies, moreover, whose
counsel must always be followed. It was
thus a real governmeut of China which Mr.
LAY and Captain O,,BORNE were about to assume.
This has been well understood from the first on
the part of the British zoncemed in the expedi-
tion, and by their friends in this country•.
It was not likely that we were going to place
English valour and English intelligence absolutely
at the service of a Government which we despised
as weak, and of a people to whose capital, as
we have shown, we can march whenever we please.
Our officers felt that the tidy character which they
could aust sin in China wasthat of lords and masters.
Prince KUNG appears to have awakened at length
to the same fact, and, as he was not prepared to
subject the empire of his master to the rule of
foreigners, Hs arrangement with Mr. LAY has
fallen to the ground.
There is no doubt that this occurrence will cause
disappointment and dis4tist to an important though
not large class of her Ilainsrv's subjects, who
will see in it a magnificent opportunity lost by
what they will probably deem the weakness of
our representatives. Prince liexo's compact
with Mr. LAY seemed to open a field for
the employment of a specific kind of talent
which is becoming more and more abundant in our
countrymen. Every year that closes leaves us
with a larger number of men who if we had not
an Indian Empire! could doubtless have risen to
greatness as distinguished merchants, brilliant
tivanciers, or successful colonists, but whose
occupation, as things are, is to organize
revenue systems, raise and lead armies, rule
provinces, and then return to England with
immense spoil. C inscious of commanding ability,
there is no enterprise to which they do not con-
sider themselves equal. They would be happy to
take Ireland in halal at a moment's notice and
would afterwards undertake to govern England fo:
the QUEEN, a thousand times better than it can be
done by Lord Pauli:n:4ex and the two Houses of
Parliament. If England has any " dangerous
"classes" they are these. Able, resolute, and
ready, they must have scope for tl•eir energies.
They cannot be shut upin India, and when they cast
their eyes over the East, and see a:tittered over it
vast regions, capable under protest administration
of yielding live times their present reveeues, and
of supporting thousands of Englishmen aed Scotch-
men as administrators at handsome salaries, but
now lying unimproved, they are shocked at the
spectacle of so much waste. The news of • war
with any ride Eastern people kindles their hope ;
and when it was understood that Lotl PALMExarox
would connive at the conquest and administration
of the largest empire in the world, they knew not
how to be sufficiently grateful to heaven for send-
ing us a statesman so bold and farsighted.

Llokiug at the greatness of this new "interest,"
which is none the less powerful because it is un-
recognised end without a name, it would probably
bo wrong to regard this Lu,t occurrence as more
than a temporary check. Its instincts and neces-
sities are as keen and as strong as ever, and,
with Lord I'ALMER'T,,N at the head of affairs, it
may well comfort iteelf with the belief that it may
not have to wait lung for their satisfaction. But

one thing, at least, has been gained by the dissolu-
tion of the agreement with Mr. Lay. Before
we proceed further to commit ourselves to in-
terference with China the Houses of Parliament
will have an opportunity of considering the whole
subject of our relations with that country. It is well I
worthy of discussion whether, as a matter of po-
hey' it is wise to train up an increasing proportion
of our youth to the trade of heroes, conquerors,
and lords of outlandish races, while our own
colonies lie undeveloped, and the greater part of
our vast emigration is directed to a country under
I • a foreign government, and with institutions dif-
ferent from our own. But, however that question
may be decided, it is certain that we ought not to
enter into engagements in China of a nature to
draw upon us the responsibility of ruling that
country without the most serious deliberation,
the fullest statement of the ideas and aims of the
; Government, and the approval of Parliament.