The Sun.
London, England, 1841-05-07 00:00:00

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LONDON:
FRIDAY, MAY 7, 1841.

The news from China, brought by the Over-
land Mail from India, is such as the now well-
known diplomatic and military character of
Plenipotentiary ELLIOT prepared us to expect.
Negotiation, like a wounded snake, was drag-
ging " its slow length along" at something
short of a snail's pace. tip to the -ith of Febru-
ary the blockade of the Canton River continued,
and on the 39th of January a circular, signed by-
the Plenipotentiary, forbad British subjects from
proceeding to Canton. On the previous day the
Plenipotentiaries had a long interview near the
second Bar of the Canton River, to settle all
differences, but though nothing was concluded,
Captain ELLIOT did not consider it inconsistent
with his duty to order the British troops to eva-
cuate Chusan—thus resigning the only hold which
England had upon the fears of the Court
of Pekin ! But ruinous to British interests, •
as were the terms upon which Plenipo-
tentiary ELLIOT offered to patch up a peace
with China, it does not appear that the
Celestial Government will now accept them.
They know too Well with whom they have to
deal to entertain further fears of him. It was
accordingly reported that the EMPEROR, finding.
Chusan evacuated by the British, would not ra-
tify the treaty ceding Hong Kong to the Queen
Of ENGLAND, and that, to blind foreigners to the
nefariousness of this transaction, the Imperial
Commissioner KESHEN would be disgraced for
having listened to such a proposal. On the 10th
of February, it was rumoured at Canton that
KESHEN'S successor was actually on his journey
from Pekin to that city, and that he was empow-
ered to declare the negotiations between Cap-
tain ELLIOT and that sagacious functionary null
and void.

The upshot of the whole affair may be easily
predicted. We shall soon find that we have the
whole business of the opium dispute to com-
mence over again. Why then persist in suffer-
ing the nation to be dishonoured in the person of
the least competent man in the United Kingdom
to sustain, in such a contest, the glory of our
flag? Why not at once recal Plenipotentiary
ELLIOT, whose continuance in such an office, after
the proofs he has given of incapacity, is as dis-
graceful to the Government as it is injurious to
the best interests of our fellow-subjects in India
and China? Able and competent men are not
wanting to bring the dispute with China to a
speedy, and tbr England, a glorious termination.
This will never be effected by negotiations in the
first instance. The Chinese, like all Asiatic na-
tions, must first be drubbed into the mood to lis-
ten to reason. When well trounced they will
become rational and just, in proportion to their
fears. Had Plenipotentiary ELLIOT known
this, and kept it steadily in view, Commissioner
LIN would never have seized a single ounce of
opium. The way to abridge negotiations with
Chinese Commissioners is to erect for the Pleni-
potentiaries a tent of piled muskets, and for
chairs of state the breeches of a couple of pieces
of cannon.

The news from Central Asia is gloomy. Our
Indian territory is tranquil, but in Affghanistan
and the Punjaub, we are likely to have plenty
to do to maintain that ascendancy which is ne-
cessary to enable us to counteract the intrigues of
Russia in those quarters. Herat is again me-
naced by Persia, and it is discovered that
the Shah SOOJAH 00L-MOOLK, to whom
we gave a Throne, is plotting against
us. This state of things requires the ut-
most vigilance on the part of the Indian Go- •
vernment. which cannot, without hazard of
still greater dangers, abandon aiiy of its pth,iLioar,
in Central Asia. Ever since the death of the late
Shah of PERSIA the Government of that country
has manifested.a degree of contempt for Great
Britain which it would not have dared to exhibit
unless countenanced by the Cabinet of St.
Petersburgh. The repeated demands of our
Government for redress have been made in vain,
so that to other matters in hand we may have
soou to add a war with Persia. For these events
the Government at home is no way responsible.
They arise out of a state of things which it was
not in the powef of the Government to modify
without producing still greater evils.

'rhe Cansmons Navin; gi7et op that meftli practice for the
people...though harrassing for both 31luisterial and Opposition
Jocaders.of discuniAg r4biset3 cn the pregut&tiog of Pal'