The Sun.
London, England, 1853-08-02 00:00:00

LONDON, TUESDAY, AUGUST 2, 1853

Something of advantage to the rest of the
world may be derived from the Chinese Revolu-
tion. Of this we feel assured. Reflection satis-
fies us that benefits of an extraordinary character
might be extracted from these oriental calamities
by the adroit application to the bane of the anti-
dote of occidental statesmanship. Such a con-
viction of good capable of being thus effected we
have already intimated. A calmer consideration
of events cannot fail to impress the majority of
dispassionate observers with the reasonableness of
these somewhat consolatory and encouraging cal-
culations.

America has now during a considerable time
past determined to break asunder at the earliest
opportunity the odious taboo of the Japanese.
England has long aspired to destroy the system of
insulation hitherto maintained by the vast bulk
of the Chinese population. As recently as 1842,
it was conjectured that we had succeeded in open-
ing up to the rest of mankind a readier inter-
course with the inhabitants of the Celestial
Empire. Instead of having only one harbour
along the coast of that gigantic and populous
country accessible to our commerce, we con-
trived to secure five different ports on the
seaboard of China, through which it was hoped
that much might be gradually obtained in
the way of conceded facilities for intercommuni-
cation. After the establishment of the peace
brought about by the formal notification of the
treaty of Nankin, it was imagined by the more
sanguine amongst us that everything in this re-
spect at all desirable was actually accomplished.
An experience of more than ten years' duration
has compelled us to admit, however, that in the
indulgence of those beautiful day dreams we have
allowed ourselves to be deceived by the most
shadowy if the most attractive of political hallu-
cinations. China has continued up to this
moment—in spite of all her concessions, in
spite of the treaty of Nankin, in spite of the
peace of 1842, in spite of our mercantile
establishment at Hong Kong, in spite of Dr.
BOWRING'S Consulate, in spite of gunpowder and
negotiations—impervious to all the influences
of European civilisation. Notwithstanding
everything
that has been done with a view to
beat
down the barriers of prejudice, and to dis-
sipate the darkness of ignorance, absolutely
nothing has been done in the way of effecting any
substantial improvement. What, indeed, is the
result of all our ingenious_l diplomacy as applied to
the policy of the
Chinese
to the recent nese Government according
declaration, of an intelligent re-
viewer in the Whig Quarterly ? Why, it is briefly
remarked by him that ,
°l7B4eommeree with this
vast country (China)
been `c very considerably less 6,"
proves to have
valuable than that
which in 1788 France carried
on with its colony
of St. Domingo !" A melz,ncholyoraparison—
and one of most miserable significance. What !
The commerce carried on by France in. 1788 W with
its colony of St. Domingo, considerably greater
warlike
than that developed in 1846, after u
struggles and diplomatic exertions, like
between china
Viten china
and England, between the wealthiest, the strong
est, and the most enterprising of nations on th."o
one band, and on the other, that marvellous race
conapriing in itself one-third of the great aggro
gate of the human family ! Unquestionably,
after this, it must be obvious that there is ample
reason for some renewed and more energetic en-
deavours on our part to establish a more secure
and facile intercourse between the Chinese and
ourselves.
It might have been hoped, on the 25th of
February, 1850, when the Celestial Emperor
l'Aor-KwAisTo expired, after enjoying nearly thirty
years' supremacy, that changes of a beneficial kind
might at length proclaim the downfall of the
ancient order of things. Especially might such
anticipations have been cherished, when it was
remembered that his successor, the present Empe-
ror
Tln
under twenty years of aged was, at the period' of his succession,
and, what was yet
more, a stripling princelvluili d
n
pri-
vileges of a liberal and, all things
ejy
coonesdi
considered,
r ea':The new tolerably enlightened educatio'
Sove-
reign was regarded,
consequentlygree of favour beyond the frontiers of with
hsoisnideomde-i-
-nion, as a Monarch called to power at time when
the mind is generally in its most remarkable state
•.of plasticity ; and it was deemed
possible he
in consequence, Prove in every Particular
More happily oualified than his predecessors to put
an ezi to the ;3taad-3t4.1 Ficher23B of the
est)