The Express.
London, England, 1861-01-14 00:00:00

OUR RELATIONS WITH CHINA.

A supplement to the Loodan Oa:ette of Friday,
Jan. 11, tined ou Saturday, publishes the follow-
ing Ilespatehea and enclosures which were received
that day at the Foreign-office from the Earl of
Elgin, her Majesty's high commissioner and pleni-
potentiary in China :

Pokio, Nov. 4, 1860.

•
My Lord.- 1 have the honour to inform your lordship
that Prince Kung paid me a visit on the 2nd inst., at the
palace where lam residing. Ile came with a considerable
following of mandarins, and I received him with the
honours due to his rank. On the day succeeding I returned
his visit. Oa both occasions we had a good deal of conver-
sation, and be repeatedly admitted the advantages which
would accrue froni the more direct intercourse between
foreign minister. and the government of Pekin which will
take place under the new treaties.—l have, he.,
The Lord John Ru,,sell, de.

KLEIN MID KINCARDINE.

Tian.tain, Nov. 13, 1860.
My Lord,— I have the honour to enclose herewith the
translation of a despatch which I received from the Prince
of Kong, on the 2nd of this month, embodying en edict
from the Emperor, which directs that the treaty of Tren.
tsin of the year 1868, and the convention of Pekin of the
year 1880, shall be published throughout the empire. Your
lordship mdyleamember that by the tennis of the last article
of the convention in question, the withdrawal of her Ma-
jesty's forces from Pekin is made contingent, inter dia, on
the issue of an imperial edict to the above effect, and that
this stipulation was the subject of • oorrespondimee be-
tween lientenantdisneral Sir Hope Grant and me, the
copy of which was transmitted to your lordship in my de.
spatch of the 31st ultimo. The language of the edict for-
warded to me by the Prince of Kung is very full and *she
factory. It amounts to • ratification and adoption by the
Emperor of the treaty and convention in the most public
form. I add that the prince has showo every disposi-
tion to give effect to it. The documents referred to have
not only been published in esteem) in the Pekin Gapette,
but have also been printed on placards and posted about the
city in all commicuous places. These proceedings will, it
may be hoped, go far to ensure the faithful execution of
their provisions.
The despatch in which the prince communicated to me
this edict was preceded by another in which he enclosed,
and requested me to forward, letters respecting the cession
of the Kowloon Peninsula, the payments due at Canton on
the 14 of December next, and the legalisation of emigra-
tion, which had been addressed by him to the local rune.
tionaries, whose duty it will be to see these measures car-
ried out. A translation of that despatch is also transmitted
herewith.

On tie 7th hist. Mr. Bruce reached Pekin, having
hastened up from Shanghai, in compliance with my re-
quest. His arrival was most opportune, as it was very im-
portant that before my departure from the capital I should
be able to confer with him on various matters, and more es-
pecially ou the subject of the place of residence for the
future of her Majesty's representative in China. Mr. Bruce
informed me that he was perfectly willing to
take up his abode in Pekin at once. On consultation
with Baron Gros and General lengths', however,
I found that the latter was about to leave Pekin for the
winter, and that the former was of opinion that it would
not be advisable that M. de Bourbollon should establish
himself in the capital until the spring. I considered it
therefore to be my duty to advise Mr. Bruce to return with
me for the present to Tientsin, and to remain there until a
suitable residence should be provided for him in the eamital.
In order, however, that there might be no milapprehission
on this pert of the Chinese government in reference to this
point, ere seimiled a house which we thought might be
adapted to the rupees, and which was procurable on may
terma, and we accepted the services of Mr. Adkins, one of
the Sifting Interpreters, a very promising young man, who
voingillenutte remain at Pekit4 and to superintend the at-
nineteen.' neanary for pottage it in ceder. I thisk
right to mention, that Mr. Wed*, Mr. Parks*. and Mr.
Morrison, severally intimated to me their readiness to stay
at Pekin, if I thought that the public interest would be pro-
moted by their doing no.

Haynie taken these measures I wrote to Prince Kung to
express to him my some of the good faith which he bad
evinced in the matter of the publication of the treaty, and
to inform him that her Majesty's forces would at once retire
to Tien•teia I added that I proposed to pay him a visit,
with the view of taking leave of him, and that I should
bring with me Mr. Bruce, wbo had jest arrived at Pekin.
I inclose a copy of the letter which I addrened to the
prince on these subjects, and of her reply.
In introducing Mr. Bruce to the Prince. of Hung on
this occasion, I was especially desirous to convey to
the latter the impression that the rank and authority
of the former was in no degree inferior to mine.
Accordingly, when the visit which I had offered in my
letter took place, after convening for Nome time very
amicably with the prince, I requested the interpreters to
inform him that, with us the person representing the
sovereign always bolds the highest rank ; that peace bang
happily concluded between the countries my teak was at an
cod; that Mr. Bruce, therefore, resumed his functions as the
Queen's representative in China, and that I proposed, with
the prince's permission, to cede to him the seat of honour
which I was then occupying. On the following morning
the prince returned our visit, and I purposely absented
myself, in order that Mr. Bruce might receive him alone.
They had o long and somewhat interesting conversation, in
which, as in several interviews which he hadprevinwily had
with me, the prince showed much less reserve than the pro.
yin del functionaries, with whom we have formerly dealt,
ever dared to do, in discussing delicate questions, such as
the advisability of the mission of a Chinese smbamador to
England. Mr. Bruce took occasion to state that his corn•
spondenoe would be henceforth with the Chinese Minister
for Foreign Affairs sat the capital, and that though he was
r•tureiug to Tiendain until his residence at Pekin was pre.
pared for his reception, he would be at hand, and ready to
come up at any time if public business required his presence.
Before the prince left, I entered the room to thank him
for having paid me a visit of adieu, and we parted on good
terms.—l have, tie.,
(Signed) ELGIN MID KINCARDWZ.
The Lod John Russell, he.