The Express.
London, England, 1849-11-12 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, MONDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 12, 1849.

And we mast make the Comedian and erety de-
pendebey feel that they obey the British crown for
their own good and thew own greotnem, ma portions
of the British race; but that they are I of sabjeet to
the British people for the exclusive advantage of its
Mttests, or the carrying out of its theories or even of
tt nth,.

ARE we never to have done with the folly. and
guilt of oriental wars of aggression P Or can no ex-
perience, however varied and cumulative, teach our
rulers the fruitlessness of forcible possessious, and the
ruinous cost of cooquests?
A century has not elapsed since English adven-
turers, professing to have no other porpoae save that
of trade, first gained a territorial routing in India;
and but a few mouths have elapsed since the last
native government that presumed to dispute the ever-
widening sway of usurpation was overthrown. To
dwell upon the public morality of the means by which
this vast course of appropriation has been porsutd,
would be mockery. Violence, dignified with the old
eoulirigueis of comprehensive statesmanship and
chivalrous courage, and fraud wrapped up from
popular sight in innumerable folds of administrative
hypocrisy. have alternately furbished the materisls
out of which this gigantic web of unprofitable
wrong has been woven. We 'Ay unprofitable in a
public sense. Individuals have. at every rage of the
sanguinary business, from the days of Cuvs to three
of NAPISII, amassed huge fortunes oat of ihe plunder
of Hindostan ; and not even the " too glaring rapa-
city" of a HASTINGS, or the self-proven incompe-
tency of an AUCKLAND, has been denied its exorbi-
DLLS reward. Many a noble house has been founded
with the pillage of that devoted land; and many a
dilapidated fortune has been rebuilt with the same.
Large armies, fur the rupees,' of police, to detect
every lingering strip of local independence, and to
root out every fibre of local thought or energy, have
likewise given avocations and pay to countless scions
of the governing class at home; and there are few
aristocratic families who have not come to think
habitually of India as a sure resource for at least one
of the brood who have been born into the world to
live at the expellee of others.
Is China Wise devoured next! or is theism's cruel,
sordid, and abort-sighted policy about to be repeated
towards the celestial empire? We do not ask the
question without cause. Not the greedy locks of a
vast army, impatient of idleness, and accustomed to
dream of prise money—not these alone, nor the yet
more repulsive, because more sanctimonious, lust of
aggression that is betrayed among the civil servant.
of the evangelising. company of Leadenhall-street,
whole paramount aim, if we believe themselves, is
the spread of Christia.ity at the point of the bayonet
throughout benighted Asia—not these alone stimulate
our fears. Sounds that resemble the whetting of a
keener sword have lately fallen on our ear. Notes of
preparation and of warning have fallen from oracular
ps; and we can hardly doubt that government i eel
begins to cast wistful glances towards the eastern shores
of Asia. As Una], the protection and development of
our commerce will be made the pretext fur a squadron
on the coast, and imperious demands, to be followed
in due time by the already prepared invading expedi-
tion sent forth merely in vindication of the rational
honour. But natiouul commerce has in reality just
as little to do with the matter as national honour.
Toe tine honour of the country as a just, humane,
and peace-loving country, is only tarnished by such
transparort flathead, and the true interers of trade
never can be promoted by the terror, suffering, and
ruin which are the invariable concomitants of war.

Nevertheless we are tend by en evening contem-
porary, supposed to speak the sentiments of those in
power, that because at d.fferent times and at various
places during the last seven years, certain individuals,
in all amounting to eight cr nine, have been mur-
dered by some nemel, es and noteless vagabonds, it is
impera avely incumbent on the government of Great
Britain, not to call for the punishment of the
offenders—for these in almost every instants. have
ac wally been already brought to justice—but, • ither
to invade the Chinese empire for the purpose of ex-
torting a pecuniary mulct from every province where
ore ut our people has b:en ill-used, or with a view of
retaining permanent possession thereof in order to
teach the uneulightened natives what are our notions
of justice !
The Chinese are stigmatised as a "savage popula-
tion," who have " none of that respect for human life
which would forbid a magistrate to save himself from
the trouble of an unpopular act of justice, by the
sacrifice of innocent blood." In other words, we are
called on to believe that one of the most industrious,
inventive, and intelligent people upon earth are, as •
nation, such stupid and rude barbarians that when one
of them commits a crime, they seize hold of some
other man whom they know to be innocent, and im-
molate him instead. And the credulous world is
asked to believe that cur sensibility on the subject is
such, Viet we cannot possibly refrain from preparing
to spread over an undefined extent of the country
where these unjust savages dwell, the blessings of
fire, rapine, and slaughter—in order to save the
effudon "of innocent blood."
The ooly chastisement that ma promise to be effect
live mast be one which falls on all alike. Whethtr s.cb a
revuea should be wAnibt in the ink,osition of Geevy crate'
bations on the district in which the bfrenav has been com-
mitted, or in taking into our own hands the duty of adtnioie-
tering justice and controlling crime within the limits necessary
for the development of our commerce is a question that will
&libitum receive serious thought. But unless one or other
of there reruns be taken, sad that very speedily, it requires
no conjurer to foretell that our intercourse with China an
only bring r•ut two reetalts. The first of these will be the re.
prated sacrifice of English settlers to the ignorance and
brutality of the Chinese mob; and the next, the chutisement
of the latter by a conquest too long postponed, and Memory
laborious and expensive.
" A conquest too long postponed!" So this, then,
is the true reading of all the boasts of magnanimity
and forbearance upon former occasions, and the reite-
rated assurances given by "high p!eaipotentiaries'
in the east, and higher diplomatiste in the west,
that the government of Great Blitaia cherished no
thought of further aggrandisement or any project of
new acquisitions. Have we forgotten the generous
vows of peaceful ambition and humane repudiations
of ideas of ootquest which graced tt e memorable ova-
tion of Sir HENRY Porn:eon, when he returned in
1843, with the treaty of peace between this country
and China? What becomes of all the self-landstioos
uttered upon that and subsequent occasions, at the
abstinence from all attempt to encroach on the inte-
grity of that ancient realm or to appropriate any por-
tion thereof? Was the secret purpose of military and
diplomatic chiefs only then postponed, to be avowed
and executed at a more convenient season P And do
they imagine that the propitious hour has now ar-
rived, when they can commence the long premeditated
work of invasion, exaction, and subjugation ? And
all this is to be perpetrated in vindication of our
honour and interest as a trading and tax-paying
people.
Let the public opinion of England be ailed, and
we shat MID whether it is in favour of this deliberate
coarse of aggression, or whether the protestations so
lively and vehemently made against all and every
species of warfare are to be treated with marked con-
tempt and scorn P As for the retences eat up, it
were preposterous to waste serious argument upon
them. As for the purpose in view. it is palpably one
in which the idle and covetous paupers of quality
alone are interested—not the laborious, war-hating,
Christian people of these kingdoms.

AFFRAY WITH POACHERS -Al 70170 RD. —On
Friday me raiar last at one o'clock, the thing of gage was
heard in Sir T. 4. Hesketh's preserves, st Redford ; on which
the head keeper, John Hetketh, amenacled about hobo-
doses new, sad Eroseeded to the spot, • wood, adjoining the
keeper's hours. They were immediately attacked by • pus
of sine poachers, a portion of whom were armed with gum,
mad they were knelt down, potation their guns at the
keepers, the rest remaining bentad, issuing this with
stoma. The keepers were overpowered, sad Hooke*, sad
• ma named Cameo, ploughman to Sir Thomas, were
some! beaten with bledigeose Hesketh, who is • very
dett man, had his had laid open. The poachers, it
appears, wished to possum themselves of his gun, which be
clung to until completely overpowered. He 1., however sot-
. Rhaetian the number of Ms wounds, going on more
favourably Asa could be expecird.—Preston Chroosiele.
MALICIOUS COM:MM.—On Saturday evening last
some seusdrah cut the throats of two very valuable rams,
the property of Bdward Clerk*, Seq., of Commie'', sad
wound. d s third. As the eareases of tee sheep were left in
the ilek, thus can be a: doubt the antra(' was committed
to gratify some malicious feeling. The rams were of a very
v.luable deacription, sad were mush pied by the owner,
who has been • well-known breeder for many years. Mr.
Clarke is a redeems who is much respected ; he has always
b ea glad to dm pose ry outplaying great numbers at week-
sea, and bii.lopalsq to his teigabours has gamed kr
him a gall wad users* all who know him. 801. reward
has been adored fee the apprehension of the *Souders, by
the Bev. H. W. flibtltorp, by Mr. Clarke, and by the
Aseoeistio• he the Prosecution of Felos•—Liwooholare
Mr on‘lo.