The Sun.
London, England, 1864-05-24 00:00:00

unmitigated barbarity. Oar quiet English polio
is not to interfere. Such is th© letter of diplomatic
instruction and agreement. But what has been the
actual practice ? For the last eighteen months or
two sears we have steadily co-operated with
the MCI and corrupt Mantchcr Tartars.
l'ire *iodated tho principle of neutrally in the
attack tin Ningpo. The whole series of our
operations of late in China exhibits an utter ills*
rep:ifs! of the doctrine of nonsintervention. It
may be said *s• e,Ye at open and constant war with
axpedition of Capt. Osborn was
at clear admissionlcle‘aarePingsl h
'eof ihi,a, although Sir F. Bruce
expressly objected to the enTloyment of Britists
' offieere in the Imperialist servnle. This despatca,
which Slat written in June, 1863, about a twelve-
month ago, Mr. :gaiter states, waa suppressed by
the Foreign Office, in order not to convict -.Ministers
by the mouths of their own officers. We al: know
thsi fate of Capt. Sherard Osborde enterprise. Thu
I proferred aid was ignominiously rejestsd—and re-
jected, too, on lust and reasonable grottssis. One
wonld imagine there was home commercial( charms
in Chinese affairs, which attracted our Government
to led its countenance and active support to is
dynasty tottering to its fall. England will go greet,
lengths to advance her trade, and this is the supreme
argument urged in defence of our present Chinese
policy. Now, in order to consider the bearing at
this view of the question, let us take the condition
of Soochows the silk district. While the 'Taepings
held possession the exports ranged from 60,000
bales to 83,000 bales per annum, but since we have
taken possession these exports have fallen to within/
40,000 'oales. And this is not a solitary instance,
but generally exemplifies the influence and results of
our intermeddling in the internal affairs of the coun-
try against the advice of Sir F. Bruce and of ether
European Ministers in China, and against the ex-
press wish of those most interested in the prosperity
of our commerce, viz., the merchants engaged in
that special branch of trade. When the progress of
our mercantile enterprise in those distant regions
is spoken of it is as well to entertain definite
ideas on the subject. Now, the great pro.
ducing districts of China had been in the hands,
of the Taepings, and to them we were mainly
indebted, and not to the policy of her Majesty's,
Goveanment, for any commercial successes apes)
to the energy and bold speculation of our great
capitalists and merchants. We have done our
utmost to destroy the Taepings, and to restore the
sway of the Mantchou dynasty throughout the,
whole empire. For this not only our treasure:
but our blood has been poured out freely, and this,
at a time when the doctrine of neutrality is upheld
where common humanity and British honour would
s.lem to demand intervention. But we are told that
the power of the rebels is waning and their reign
drawing to a close. Nothing can be farther from
the truth. The successes of the Taepings have been,
very great of late, and the opinion of persons on the,
spot is that Goalon himself' is in danger of being cut.
off from the main force. The policy, then, of our
Goveinment is not only calculated to impair our
commerce but to endanger the very treaty rights
for which it has been adopted. Our 'policy is op-
posed to the express counsel of our own ambassador,
to the opinions of our naval and military comman-
ders, and to the interests and the judgment of our
merchants who trade with China. Can any con-
demnation, we ask, be stronger than this ? But;
there is something more than what may be called s..
material censure. There is a moral stain attached.
to onr alliance with the Court of Pekin. The cruel-
ties and butcheries perpetrated by perfidious bar-
barians may well be laid at the door of civilised nes,
tions in connection with them. It may be, too, that
we are doing our utmost to tread out some nascent
sparks of Christianity appearing in that dreary
region. The Taepings profess a wild incoherent
creed, but in many points it must be superior to the
atheism and immoral Buddhism prevalent among
the millions in China. If Sir James Graham was
rsght in warning the House of Commons against
beginning a war with one-third of the human race,
that must be a shallow policy which would attempt
to grapple with the religious opinions most likely
to sway throughout the vast empire. For so sure
as the 'faepings succeed their strange theology will
mould itself into a form and become the general re-
ligion of China. These are questions which it may
be very well to speculate upon ; but to meddle with
them actively, or to take either side in the inter-
necine struggle now going on between the Impe-
rialists and Taepings, can reflect no honour on rate
wisdom or the humanity of any civilised nation.

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