The Sun.
London, England, 1863-07-07 00:00:00

IHE GREAT EXHIBITION.

THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, JULY 7, 1863.

of art, and they were still in possession of property worth
at least £300,000, without doing wrong to any one. He did
not suppose that any public body whatever, however care-
fully chosen, could act for ten years and escape the criiics
of the House of Commons, who always understood every-
thing so much better than the persons practically acquainted
with the subjects of their criticism—still, he thought na
reason had been shown for asking the house to confiscate—
for that was the effect of the motion—the funds of what
might properly be called a charitable corporation.
Mr. H. SEYMOUR said the right hon. gentleman
wanted to know why the commission should be put down.
He thought the more pertinent question was, " Why
should it be kept up ?" and unless the Government could
show better reasons for its maintenance than he had heard
mem-
ber forfshworutlhdevTotoewer H
thaemmleottsi.on of his hon. friend the
Mr. T. BARING, as a commissioner both of 18.51 and
1862, said he was not ashamed of what had been done on
either occasion, and believed their efforts had been greatly
for the benefit of the country. When they were charged
with misapplying public money, he begged to ask what
public money they had had. It was merely a sum received
in shillings and sixpences, the same as for seeing some pri-
vate exhibition; and he denied the right to touch either the
money or the produce of it. (Hear, hear.) As for the
commissioners having done nothing for 15 years, that was
not their fault; and he thought the proposition to bring
their labours to an end by a summary resolution of the
hc,uee was most monstrous.

gion which we did in the interests of trade. (Hear, hear )
He fully recognise° the difficulty of receding from the policy
the English Government had entered on in China. He ad-
mitted that it could not be abandoned at a moment's notice;
but, relnembning that the longer it was continued the more
difficult it should be to recede, he recommended as the only
practical course that notice should be given to the Chinese
authorit iea that at the end of three or four years they should
themselves be prepared to govern their country without
assistance. (Hear, hear.)

Sir H. VERNEY suggested that such notice was already
given by the fact that the order in coancil extended over
only two years, and that the sole object of British interfer-
ence was to teach the Chinese Government how to rule.
Peace and tranquillity in the empire was of far more im-
portance to British interests than any influence which the
English Government could exercise in the country. Ho was
of opinion that our interference in China had rerulted in the
protection of the life and property of British subjects, and
in Shanghai the latter had increased sixfold in value.

main question was, had the policy of her Majesty's Govern-
ment been founded in good faith, and for the benefit of the
country ? (Hear, hear.) A few years ago we had been in
constant hostility with the Chinese Government, but now
the whole state of things had been altered, end we were on
the most friendly terms with the Government of China. We
had access to the Supreme Government, which we had always
before been debarred from by the local and provincial au-
thorities, and the noble lord had himself quoted returns
showing the immense increase in our commerce with China
during the last three or four years. Let the house compare
the trade with what it had been when it was merely a branch I
of the East India Company's business, and with what it I
would be when the whole resources of the country bad been
opened up. It would then seem that a great part of what
the noble lord intended for censure was, in fact, praise of
her Majesty's Government. His complaint was that the
Government were teaching the Chinese the system of go-
vernment as practised in Europe, and enabling them to
collect their revenue and increase it on fair and honourable
principles, after the manner of European nations. Well, he
would admit the charge ; and, in fact, he would take it as
the great merit of her Majesty's Government; and it was
clear that the noble lord, having come to curse, had been
obliged to remain to bless them. (Hear, and a laugh.) The
policy of China had much altered of late with regard to
English and foreign nations, and he thought it would be
folly to interfere to upset the present course of proceeding.
The noble viscount then defended the procewlings of the
Government in seeking to preserve the trade of Ningpo un-
interrupted, and said it was nothing very uncommon for
one friendly State to lend officers and men to another to
instruct both soldiers and sailors in the art of protecting
their own territory. The noble lord said Captain Sherard
Osborn had been needlessly sent to China to endeavour to
destroy the pirates, because anybody could destroy pirates.
But they must first catch the pirates, and that was just
what Capt. Osborn had gone to do. With regard to the
encroachments of Russia and France upon China, the noble
lord (Lord Naas) said that there would be great danger of
a collision if we remained there, so his advice had been that
we should quit the spot. He could not admit that policy.
It was true that Russia had made encroachments on the
northern provinces of China, and that France was a Power
which had a great tendency to extend itself—(laughter)—
but France and Russia and England were perfectly agreed
at present in their policy with regard to China, and were
in no danger of coming into collision. (Hear.) The Go-
vernment of China, too, was friendly, instead of being hos-
tile, and he had not the least doubt that if the internal dis-
turbances could be suppressed and tranquillity restored to
the interior of the empire, we should find in our commer-
cial intercourse with China a source of national wealth and
national prosperity which was now but little anticipated.
He trusted that in a few years we should see the result of
the faithful, straightforward, and friendly policy which
we had adopted towards the empire of China, and he
was convinced that if the house would wait for its ex-
perience, they would see that, so far from deserving
censure, it entitled the Government to praise, and was emi-
nently advantageous to the interests of the country.
(Cheers.)
Mr. LIDDELL contended that the noble lord had avoided
the whole question at issue, and reiterated that it was our
policy in China which had destroyed the authority of its
Government.

Colonel SYKES pronounced the so-called Tartar Govern-
ment a myth, and asserted that the authority of Prince
Kung was not obeyed one hundred miles beyond the walls
of Pekin. He denied that we could rely on the Imperial
Government for the regeneration of China, and he gave in-
stances to show that its civilisation was of a very question-
able character. Cruelties had been committed on both sides.
It had been said there was no Government to treat with in
dealing with the Taepings. Sir G. Bonham, however,
pledged himself to treat with them on behalf of the British
Government, but the latter would not let him keep faith
with the Taeping chiefs. He feared our policy was one of
suppression, and misconceptions were the result,

Mr. GREGSON supported the policy pursued by the
Government in China, observing that we had never been in
a happiar state with China than at present. The greatest
harmony prevailed, and our arrangements had given general
satisfaction in that country.
After some observations from Mr. WHITESIDE, in which
he charged the Government with assuming the legitimate
functions of the Chinese Government in China,
The discussion came to a close, and the house having
gone into committee of supply pre forma, immediately re-
sumed.

The Wimbledon Meeting of the National

Rifle Association.

There is little reason to doubt that the great
national rifle meeting which commences this morn-
ing at Wimbledon will far exceed any meeting of
the kind which has been previously held. Profiting
by last year's experience, the council have remedied
little defects of organisation, and removed a source
of serious dissatisfaction in the principal competi-
tion of the meeting. For some weeks past Lord
Elcho and his confreres in the council have been
actively engaged in personally superintending the
carrying out of details which will tend very much
to insure the success of the gathering: Many mem-
bers of the association who knew and felt that its
most important function was to increase as much as
possible the taste for and skill in military rifle shoot-
ing, deprecated during the past year a course of
action which tended to unduly foster the use of the
small bore target rifle, at the expense of the less
accurate but more useful Enfield. This course would
tend to produce a few thousand splendid shots, who,
with their delicate and complicated and wonderfully
accurate weapon, would never miss a six-foot circle
at a thousand yards. At the same time, the judi-
cious encouragement of the military weapon will
assuredly lead to as great an improvement (so far as
our volunteers are concerned) as has been introduced
in small-arm practice since the musket and bayonet
superseded the how and the spear. It is much to the
credit of the council that they have felt the force of
this reasoning and have shown a liberal disposition
to encourage the use of what may now fairly be
termed the " national weapon." The wisdom of this
course is already manifest in the fact that over 1,300
volunteers have entered to compete for the Queen's I,
price, against 1,100 last year, of whom only 901
actually fired. Very few volunteers who go to
Wimbledon this year will fail to try for some of the
prizes offered for the competition of rifles of the
Government gauge. In this way it is to he hoped
that the council will see the wisdom of their
decision. There is plenty of room for still further
progress; but, as a first step in the right direction,
they deserve all praise.
The arrangements on the ground have been so
well studied, and proved so satisfactory in previous
years, that very little change is observable. The
office tents of the association are again pitched in
the ring fence to the south-east of the windmill,
while the volunteer camp, increased largely in the
number of tents, again dots the dry ridge overlook-
ing the valley of the Running Deer. Last year 66
officers and 146 non-commissioned officers and pri-
vates availed themselves of the convenience of the
camp. This year the numbers are 115 officers and
320 non-commissioned officers and privates. To the
latter increased acccmmodation has been afforded
by giving a tent to every four privates, instead of
one tent to every six, as last year. Better camp
equipage is also provided, and one serious discom-
fort of last year, want of water, obviated, by an
adequate service. For this accommodation each
volunteer on arriving will deposit 12s. From this
sum ss. will be deducted, however short the stay ;
but beyond five days, ls. will be returned for each
day short of 12 which the volunteer may remain.
Lieut.-Colonel Luard and Captain Ruxton are in
charge of the camp. The contract for the commis-
sariat department has been taken by Mr. Jennison,
of Manchester, whose admirable arrangements and
excellent accommodation justify the anticipation
that the result will be in marked contrast to the
miserable failure of last year. A novel and most
agreeable feature in the general arrangements is
the establishment of a club, reading, and writing
rooms, which will be opened gratuitously to all
members of the Association, and to general visitors
at ls. per diem. There will he an electric telegraph
station on the ground, from which messages will be
transmitted to town at ls. each.