The Sun.
London, England, 1869-08-30 00:00:00

7HE HON. A. BURLINGHAME.

. The telegram from liong7kong asserting the re-
fusal of the Peking Government to ratify the, con-
vention made by its Envoy, ANSON BURLING orE,
with the Mailed States, is coupled with another,
' wherein Mr. G. Ross BROWNE, the American Minis-
ter to Peking, is described as emphatically denounts
ing, in an address to the British and American
communities of Shanghai, the policy of Mr. Bue,-
LINGAME, which lie 'regarded as evidence of the
Chinese disinclination to progress. It is difficult to
reconcile these contradictory messages ; for if Mr:
BURLINGAME'S policy be wrong, the Peking Govern-
ment Mr. BRow.NE condemns, is right, in refusing to
ratify his work; but if his policy be founded ou
broad principles of equity and international law, in
repudiating it, the Peking Government have made a
fatal mistake, in which case Mr. B URLINGAME is right,
while Mr. BROWNE condemns both. In dealing
with a Government like that of Peking, it is neces-
sary to exercise the utmost forbearance, and to make
some of that sort of allowance which grown men
make for very young people. Nor should the fact
be overlooke 1 that these telegrams come from the
strongholds of the enemy. Tee system against
which Mr.I.IURLINGAIIE %% ars, is that Inaugurated by
such communities as those Mr. ROSS BROWNE ad
dressed at Shanghai, and is it admirably suited to
meet the exigencies of their pesi,ion as far as their
own interests only are concerned. But when
men are empowered, not only to judge their own
quarrel, but to execute their own award, the other
side too being in their eyes contemptible barbarians,
whose morality they deny, and at whose equal
rights they jeer, justice will assuredly not
fairly hold the scales. To interrupt so agreeable a
system is to invade the prerogative of these com-
munities, and in no light matter; for they dwell on a
spot far from home, surrounded by swarms of the
men with whom is their quarrel, whose ideas of
equity are low, and whose guiding rule is the ex-
pediency they see and feel. The easy way, and
perhaps the best, if the foreign communities were
always right and the Chinese always alike wrong
and impracticable, might be through gunboats.
But Lord CLARENDON and Mr. BURLINGAME, being
persuaded that the foreign communities are not always
right nor the Chinese always wrong and impractic-
able, arranged that the quarrels should be referred,
as arc other international disputes to the Govern-
ment of the country, through an Ambassador, and
not to the commander of the nearest gunboat.
Now this is Mr. BURLINGAME'S policy--to remove
from the hands of one side to a quarrel the power
of settling it in their own favour by force of arms, and
to place the Government of China in a position of
equality by the recognition of, and treaty with, the
great Powers. This policy Mr. Ross BROWNE, the
American Minister, is described as emphatically de-
nouncing, denunciations which any other communi-
ties than the British and American residents of
Shanghai might well have received with smiles of
derision. What is there emphatically to denounce in
such a policy ? We grant it may be too good, that
it may be in advance of Chinese civilization, and
that a stern necessity for gunboats and their quick
employment may exist, but this is no better reason for
denouncing Mr. BURLINGA3IE'S policy than for de-
nouncing the advocate of temperance because he may
injure the revenue and the keepers of public-houses.
Denouncing is an extraordinary word to use in re-
ference to the advocate of broad principles of in-
ternational law and justice, so clear, that nothing
shouldpermit the departure from them but the proved
impossibility of otherwise dealing with the Chinese.
Equality in the relations, according to Mr. BROWNE,
was impossible at present, and a yielding attitude
on the part of Foreign Powers would tend to pro-
duce war, the revelations made, proving the mistake
of the late British policy. Equity and moAera-
don are required, and the machinery which Mr.
BROWNE terms equality, is the best at present de-
vised to secure them ; but that machinery, and the
trial through it of any quarrel between the sub-
jects of the Chinese EMPEROR and the foreign com-
munities, does not imply a yielding attitude. On
the contrary, a very firm and dignified Ambassador
is the only means the Christian Powers have of di,-
' I:issials to the Peking Government a determined
attitude. Warbas followed war with a startrug rapi-
dity under the system we presume Mr. llnow.NE ad- '
vocates, and mainly because these powers could not
di-4play such an attitude through an Envoy at the
.eat of Government in China, wii.h the frequent
recurrence of th, se outbreaks testifies against the
old policy which prod ice I them. The end bell g at-
mined of securing the re I hence at the ofpital of
the Ministers of Foreign countries, it would not be
wise to slight the men appointed, by permitting any
commander of a gunboat to make war either at his
own caprice or at that of a Consui,against a Mandarin
who may have given offence. The machinery being
in operation ought to be worked and not thrust
aside as useless, though it may not run as smoothly
as with civilized powers; which is the misfortune of
being compelled to deal with a nation struggling
up unconsciously from a state of setni-civilii ition.
All contended for is, that the Chinese and their Go-
vernment Might be treated as are other nations at
whose capital, missions are maintained. The Chinese
text of Mr. BURLINGA3IE'S credentials may have
differed from the foreign version ; for the Govern-
ment, however enlightened, is compelled to comply
with the prejudice engendered in the people by ceu-
turiss, and the only way in which an Administra-
tisu such as that of China might be able to repre-
sent the mission to the people, may be as to a tri-
butary nation. To this, we attach as little import-
ance as the refusal of the Court to receive the Duke
of EDINBURGII as an equal; but the first portion of
the telegratn, that the Peking Government had de-
finitely refused to ratify the convention with the
United States, is of grave significance, and will
do more than any other act could to strengthen the
hands of its enemies. The Chinese are, in a certain
sense, children in the art of Government, and no
course could be more childlike, perhaps indeed dic-
tated to them by those who use it to show that they
can be dealt with only by gunboats. Between the
Hongkong and Shanghai telegrams there is a eOnliee-
don which ought not to be overlooked. Mr. Ross
BROWNE succeeded Mr. Amos BURLINGAME as
American Minister to Peking. He was appointed
by Mr. ANDREW JOHNSON, and he evidently
acted on notions when in Peking wholly opposed to
those of his predecessor, of which his Shanghai
speech affords the clearest proof. The Minister
of the United States, antagonistic to the policy of
his•predeeessor, who had gone forth as an Envoy
from China to frame a treaty with the United
States, was left at Peking to explain and advocate
that treaty, and could any result be more probable
than that the telegram now announces ? Of course
the numerous enemies of Mr. BURLINGAME'S mis-
sion rejoice beyond measure at this failure, with
that country, too, where success was most assured,
as it settles all the others, and defeats Mr. Bon-
LINGAME'a designs. If to Mr. Ross BROWNE this
result be due, it will be another nodding plume in
ANDY JOHNSON'S cap ; an item in the bill paid by
the United States for putting confidence in that
gentlethan ; and it would be a thousand pities that
Mr. Ross BROWNE, who up to his celestial mission
had been usefully *employed in exploring and re-
porting on the mines of the Pacific slope, had not
been left to pursue an :occupation for which he was
so much better fitted. An intelligent and well-
educated Chinaman, such as CHOY-CHEW, is more
qualified to pronounce an opinion on Mr. BUR-
LINGA3IE and his mission, and for that opinion we
refer our readers to our letter from New York.
But before attaching very grave importance to the
news from China, we have much to learn which
could best be taught us by Mr. Ross BROWNE'S
successor. The Washington Government will per-
ceive the necessity for hurrying the movements of
Mr. HOWARD, or if, as is reported, he has definitely
declined the appointment of the person the PRESIDENT
may select. Such a position as that held by Mr.
Ross BROWNE makes him reckless, or he 'would
have been more reticent, and less likely to violate
diplomatic propriety, as we maintain has been done
in his Shanghai speech.—Anglo-American Times.

Thelbridge Races and Steeplechases are announced for
Wednesday, Sept. 8.
EXCLUSIVE, VERY IMPORTANT, RARE, AID VALUABLE
are the properties of Lamplougu's Pyretic Saline, curing the
worst headaches, sickness, skin, or biliary affections. Pleasant
PAlAtable, a>ld bayigorAtiag• 09,151 by (s_,ll

711 E DE.S7III7CTION OF 7111; IGLU LION
'VER At,

This we:l-known establishment, situate nearly opposite
Somerset House, in the Strand, the property of Mr. J.
Unlock°, was totally destroyed by fire, and although the
whole of the inmates had most miraculous escapes,it is
satisfactory to state that no lives have been-lost, although
one of the barmaids was tadly injured by jumping from
the second floor window. The premises in question 'con-
sisted of 12 rooms • the parlour on the ground floor, when
in- existence a few years, was the favourite of literary
gentlemen after leaving the Houses of Parliament. Many
of the greatest wits of their day used to assemble until the
"Break of day" in that same well-warmed and equa ly
well-lighted room. Nothing now remains to show, the
seat that Douglas Jerrold, Sterlyu Coyne, or Lemon
Redo used to pass jokes between each other, for
about twenty-live minutes to three o'clock this morning
loud and piercing shrieks were heard proceeding from
sundry parts of the building. In a few minutes afterwards
loud explosions followed in rapid succession, when im-
mense sheets of flame rolled from the different vats, casks
and barrels of brandy, whisky, gin, Scc. The fire then
rolled up in a huge mass up tho.stairs, cutting of all means
of egress by the regular way. The police of the F Divi-
sion, under Mr. Thompson, the Superintendent, and Lis
nom-sake the Inspector, quickly arrived, just in time to
see a young female, named Elizabeth Pritchard, jump fro n
the second floor window. She struck first the arm of the
lamp, but falling at the side of Policesergeaut-No. 11 F,
her fall was somewhat broken, but she was severely injured
and was removed to Charing-cross Hospital. Strong hopes
are however entertained of her recovery. Two fire escapes
one from St. Clement's Church, and the other from Chan-
dos-street, having arrived, conductors Luke, Green, and
Watley were just in time to bring down their machines
three females, one being Mrs. Uniacke. Her husband, it
appears, was at Gravesend at the time. Numerous engines,
including thrce land steamers by Shand and Mason, &c.,
were at once sot to work, but the flames could not be ex-
tinguished until nearly seven o'clock, and not until the
building was gutted and the premises of Mr. Cousins,
printer, No. 6, Helmet-court, had the second and third
fibers seriously damaged by fire, water,