The Sun.
London, England, 1870-03-12 00:00:00

LYCEUM TH FA TRE.

THIS EVENING, at 7.1 n, TWENTY MINUTES WITH A
TIGER And CHILPERIC: M. Marius, G Vincent, Odell,
A. Cook, Lapierre, and M. Hervd; Mesdames Dolaro, Fitz-
Inman, Romanelli, Nellie Nesbit, and Miss Emily Muir.

ROYAL STRAND THEATRE.
Sole Lessee and Manageress, Mrs. S wanborough.
Tuts EVENING, at 7, THE HEIR AT LAW: Mr Clarke. Mr
James, Missßufton, &c. With THE TOODLES. Concluding
with IS O.

ROYAL ALHAMBRA PALACE. THREE BALLETS
Promenade Concert. Band of 60. Begin at 8. ls. Box-office
open fromll to 4.

WOODIN'S CARPET - BAG AND SKETCII BOOK,
Egyptian Ilall, Piccadilly, every Evening (except Satui day) at
8; Saturday Mornings at 3. Admission, Is, 2s, 3s.

CHRISTY MINSTRELS. St. James's Hall, Every Night, at 8
Wednesdays and Saturdays, at 3 and 8 all the „year round.

ZOOLOGICAL 13,111 DENS, Regeres-park, OPEN daily (ex-
cept Sundays). Admission, Is.; on Mondays' 6d. Children
under twelve. 6d.

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LONDOiV, SATUEDAY, MARCH 12, 1870.

Oun relations with China continue to grow in im-
portance, in spite of all obstacles. Notwithstanding
our constant quarreb, the outrages upon mis-
sionaries, the exploits of the inevitable gun-
boat, and our ingenious expedients in making the
Chinese pay for the powder with which we blow them
up, British trade with the Celestial Empire continues
to increase enormously. Of the total shipping em-
ployed at Chinese ports, more than half is under the
British flag. The English vessels number 7,165
out of a total of 13,504. Respecting the value of
the business done the returns are much more in
our favour. The gross foreign trade with China
during the year 1808 amounted to nearly forty-two
millions sterling, of which very nearly thirty-seven
millions were in British goods. Of the
imports at the Chinese ports £20,318,475
represents the value of the produce coming
from the British Empire, and 21,677,116 the im-
ports of all other countries. Goods to the worth of
£16,631,129 were sent from China to Britain a.nd
her dependencies, and only the value of £4,103,294
to all other countries. It is true that much of the
business was done between China and Hong
Kong, but only a very small proportion of
this is not British trade. Of the exports to
China a great part comes from India, but this
also is to be accounted a British trade, for it is car-
ried in our own shipping, and under the control of
British authorities.

These results must be esteemed very favourable ;
yet it would be unwise to rest satisfied with them.
It cannot be doubted that there is scope for
unbounded progress in trade with this vast and popu-
lous gnpire. It cannot be our highest ambition to
send unlimited quantities of opium: into China ;
and yet of the total import trade into
that country twenty-six parts out of seventy-
one are in opium, twenty-two in cotton
goods, and six in woollens, the remainder
being distributed between England and other
countries. The quantity of British manufa, -
Lured goods taken by "the coming race" is respect-
able in itself ; but it becomes completely
insignificant when compared with the popu-
lation amongst which this produce is dis-
tributed. In 1842 the inhabitants of the Empire
numbered considerably more than four hundred mil-
lions. It would be idle to estimate how much pro-
duce from English looms this people ought to con-
Alma; but it is,evident that the possible increase
upon the present figures is practically without limit.
The important question is, how may these opportu-
nities be turned to the best advantage ? The mer-
chants at Hong Kong uphold the policy of treating
the Chinese as an " inferior race," and extorting from
them by force all that we require. Lord
Clarendon evidently thinks that we shall
gain more in the long run by considering China as a
zivilised State, and by treating its Government, as
far as possible, on the terms of an equal. He is
Inclined to make some present sacrifice for future
gain; and it cannot be questioned that the
new supplementary treaty does -contain somei
,oncessions to the Pekin rulers for which)
there is little [apparent counterpoise. It is true
that even the ultimate advantages are not certain,
simply because the control of the Chinese Govern-
ment over the outlying provinces is weak. Never-
theless, the reward of establishing really friendly
relations with this nation must be so splendid as
to be well worth the experiment. The " inferior
race" theory is of so beautifully simple 'and
practical a character that we can return to it when-
ever we may think fit. The attempt to do some-
thing better can lose little, and may gain much.
Apart from the advantages to be hoped, the justice
of such an effort is not a slight consideration. The final
cause of these four hundred millions of Chinese is
not to enrich British traders, nor to be peppered by
British gunboats.

A WILL case, which has been hearing in the
Court of Probate for six days past, furnishes a
salutary warning to young ladies who take upon
themselves the care of elderly gentlemen, in order
that they may reap their reward hereafter. John
Nutley, a provision dealer of the classic neighbourhood
of Bloomsbury, died a little while ago worth £120,000.
He had a sister, and he had also a bouselreeper—
one journal maliciously puts this word in italics—
named Miss Wilkins. In 1801 Mr. llutley made a
will in favour chiefly of his sister; but in 1865 he.
married Miss Wilkins, and a month afterwards made
a new will, giving his young spouse some £40,000.
The suit in the Court of Probate was brought
to set aside the second will, on the
ground that Mr. Ilutley was of unsound
mind when it was made. The circumstances were,
indeed, suspicious. It was shewn that three years
before his death he had been thrown from his gig,
and that his intellect had been affected ever since.
One witness deposed that he was ordered by the
housekeeper, on the morning of the marriage, to get
the old gentleman up and prevent him going away
until after the cepinowir, On the morning of the w(xl-

cunglar. liutley "did; not know that he was going to De
married." After the ceremony, he was cruel encugh
to forget all about it, and to object to his wife's
occupying the same bedroom with himself. He was
heard by several witnesses to promise that
he would marry the lady whom he had
already taken to the altar. The poor old man
died in less than a year after this auspicious wedding;
and the rapidity with -which his widow carried on a
courtship with a Dr. Timms was likewise an un-
favourable piece of evidence. She met the popping
of the question a week after the death of the first
husband with singular equanimity, and was actually
married within three months—to the doctor who
last attended Mr. Hutley. It is scarcely surprising,
under these circumstances, that the jury should have
set aside the will, and given the whole of the money
to the sister. At the same time Dr. and Mrs. Timms
will have an excellent opportunity to compensate for
the loss by the affection which was so warm as to
induce them to court within a week, and marry
within three months after the old gentleman's death.