The Press.
London, England, 1857-08-15 00:00:00

OUR POLICY IN CHINA.

ONE source of consolation with the public
generally for the unhappy position of affairs
in India has been derived from the circum-
stance that we can easily transport some effec-
tive reinforcements from China. Six months
ago we heard of nothing but the prompt and
vigorous measures to be pursued against the
Celestial Empire, and of the strong military
force which would be required to effectually
coerce it. But ever since the meeting of the
new Parliament the subject for the considera-
tion of which it was practically summoned has
been permitted to drop out of sight. Even
before news arrived of the Indian revolt,
China may be said to have been forgotten.
The quarrel had ceased to interest a single
human being beyond the soldiers and sailors

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engaged in it. Neither in Parliament nor in
society was the subject even so much as
alluded to. And if the object of the dissolu-
tion was not to waste a year, its result cer-
tainly seems to have been the waste of a good
deal of powder and shot.
We have no objection to peace, and we
have no objection to war, each in their proper
place ; but we have a most decided objection
to a state of things which is neither. Does
anybody really know at what stage the Chinese
war has arrived ? What steps have actually
been gained ? How much nearer wo are to
the attainment of our revenge now than we
were three months ago. Who can tell us
whether the fighting which has taken place
has led to any results, or not? or whether it
was not resolved on simply to avoid the
absurdity of total inaction ? It certainly seems
to us that if we can afford to abstract 5,000
men from the force destined for China, we
could almost afford to give up the quarrel
altogether. A war that is merely kept alive
by occasional skirmishes may be capital fun
for the men and officers engaged, but we
cannot understand what national end can be
gained by it. A battuo of Chinamen every now
and then, with a boatload of pigtails for
trophies, is doubtless amusing and exciting
enough ; but when the people of this country
perused the fiery declamations delivered by
the friends of fighting in February last, they
looked for something more than this puerile
persecution, which is just enough to prevent
our enemy from forgiving us without com-
pelling him to fear
We admit, most readily, that Government is
perfectly justified in withdrawing their troops
from China. We never believed there was
any necessity for sending them there, and we
think the ease with which this proceeding has
been effected, and the apathy with which it
has been witnessed, is the best proof that we
were right. There is nothing "embarrassing
to Government," as the phrase runs, in these
observations. We desire to see war prosecuted
with vigour; but we do not approve the
scheme of keeping up the semblance of war
where there is no reality, merely to save the
reputation of Ministers, and to prove that
PALMERSTON "can do no wrong."
We have intended the above remarks to be
purely interrogative. We want an answer to
the question, what is being done in China ?
It is the positive duty of the public press to
suggest such inquiries as these. If ill-timed,
the people will neglect the suggestion, and no
harm will be done. But, seeing that our
representatives will be dispersed in a fort
night's time, when all control over our foreign
policy will be abandoned, our readers will
probably agree with us in the propriety of
trying to learn a little more of this quarrel
which Government has declared to be serious,
which we know to be expensive, and which
Parliament seems to have forgotten.