The Sun.
London, England, 1869-09-17 00:00:00

THE CHINA QUESTION.

The correspondent of the Times at Shanghai writes
under date July 15, in support of the views taken of
Mr. Burlingame's mission by &Ir. J. Ross Browne,
his successor at Peking as United States Minister,
whose letter, not a speech, has now been published
in this country. The President, disapproving the tone
of Mr. Browne's despatches expressive of his views
about the opposition of the people of China to
progress and on the subject of the mission gene-
rally, in which General Grant did not coincide, re-
called him, and this is said exactly to illustrate the
difference of opinion on this question which exists
between all foreigners in China and their respective
Governments at home. Mr. Burlingame, is repre-
sented as having indoctrinated Western Govern-
ments with the grave fallacies that the Chinese Go-
vernment desires progress, and that it is able and
willing to coerce its provincial subordinates into
honourable and just conduct towards foreignera.
The correspondent, with most other men who
have followed Mr. Burliugame's career, believes
that no one is more astounded at the ready
acceptance of his views than himself, as he did not
contemplate producing one- tenth the impression, nor
ever dreamt of securing one-tenth part of the logi-
cal consequences of the new policy. Justice to the
Government is, in the correspondent's view, injus-
tice to the people, for no greater mistake, he
thinks, can be made than to suppose their wishes
and interests to be identical, as they are often even
divergent and antagonistic. The people are, on
the whole, inclined to progress ; but, in the words
of the correspondent, " our enemies—or opponents,
if the former would be too strong—are the officials
and literati. Conscious of their own weakness and
venality, they dread beyond everything the flood of
light that accompanies foreign ingress, and the da-
maging comparison of their own with foreign insti-
tutions." Whatsurprises the "foreign communities"
is the success of Mr. Burlingame's mission, although
this might, if they were less prejudiced, be easily seen,
as he advocates broad and well-defined principles of
equity and international law. But when the cor-
respondent assumes that his whole path has been
one of triumph, he shows an ignorance of the history
of the mission in Europe. Instead, it encountered
in England an open hostility ; it was met by the
shafts of ridicule, misrepresentation, and jealousy,
increased by the fact of Mr. Burlingame's na-
tionality and the reception accorded the mission in
the United States. It is not a little singular to find
one writer upholding the views of the correspondent
by sneering at a ridiculous pageantry, received by
the Western monarchs with amusement, beyond
which the parade was never allowed to go. Nor is
the contradiction less between the late telegram
and this :

"The success of their mission has surprised as much as
it has delighted the Peking Cabinet. It has elated them
from a condition of passive to ono of active objectivity."
What, then, was the meaning of the message
announcing the definite rejection of the convention
with the United States, and the leading articles
all grounded on it, showing this sad proof of
Chinese perversity and dislike to progress ? When
the reverse is found to be the case, and the
Peking Government expresses delight, these clever
manipulators, instead of being in the least abashed,
by a dexterous twist reverse the heading, leaving
the article to stand. Whether the Emperor's Go-
vernment goes backwards or goes forwards, to the
right or to the left, these movements to them dis-
play the same vicious tendencies, and no instance
could better illustrate the difficulties of that Go-
vernment than the fact that the rejection of Mr.
Burlingame's work or its acceptance with delight
implies the same desire to check progress. People
should bear in mind in discussing the policy of a
foreign Government that it is a foreign Govern-
ment, a fact singularly overlooked in all discussions
about China. No one objects to correspondents
expressing opinions as to what the policy ought to
be; and if the Times can impress Prince Kung by
a letter or an article, telling him what he ought to
do, good might result. But-what we object to is a
combination of the Powers, or, worse still, the
Action of a single Power to enforce on the Govern-
ment of Peking the policy considered best by its
" foreign community" of Shanghai. Au American
prescribing a policy for Great Britain would sever
the Union with Ireland, the connection between
Church and State, and legislate to break up the
great estates, which some assert to be inseparably
connected with a debased peasantry. The corres-
pondent dictating to Claim would open depopulated
tracks to immigration, invade them by the railroad,
the steamer, and the telegraph, break up the sys•
tetn by which the mandarins command reined and
obedience, and perhaps thereby benefit the Chinese
Empire as the American might the British. But
those on whom he would operate may prefer being
left alone, considering such experiments dangerous,
and disliking them to be tried at their risk. Such
nterference suggests to them first the question

What business is it of yours ? Second, If any lA'
siness of yours, is it in their interest you inter•
pose, or your own ? Why the foreign communities
desire the introduction of railroads and steamers is
that they may push their trade. Why the Man-
darins object is that they think these would under-
mine. their authority. Naturally the two come into
collision, both working on selfish grounds, but the
foreigner is the interloper and the Mandarin the
man in possession. While we would desire to sue
the railroads and other modern improvements intro-
duced into China and a better system of Govern'
went, we feel the difficulty of moving a mass so
enormous as is that nation as well as the danger and
injustice of undue interference. Mr. Burlingame '3
mission is a very advanced step, and is not unlikely
to be followed by some reaction : but we assert that
it is a step in progress, notwithstanding the (vial°,
of Mr. Ross Browne, who is so completely in accord
with the correspondent of the Times, which means
with the foreign community of Shanghai ; nor is tbe
reason difficult to discover. Mr. Ross Browne is 3
Californian of Andrew Johnson's selection, Nvi'°
went to China imbued with all the prejudices
of the Pacific slope. What these are may 0°
gathered from the legislation of California re"
garding the Chinese, who are looked on as jor
moral, deceitful, and despicable liars, at least hi
a portion of the community strong enough to frail°,
such enactments. To send such a man to the COur:
of Peking in the face of such a mission as that 01
Mr. Burlingame was like sending a Southern planter
in the days of slavery to the coast of Africa t°
negotiate with African potentates the suppressioll
of the slave trade. A man who argued that the
Almighty had created negroes for the express pt 9:
pose of being the hereditary servants of his race,
not likely to enter heartily into a human deslgl;
having for its object the counteraction of a Pivi,jie
decree coinciding entirely with his interests. I'hd,
correspondent, in quoting California and Mr. se;
Browne in support of his views, might as well quote
a Southerner in support of negro slavery ; buo,l:
Browne is a clever, intelligent fellow,well able to oe
fend his views by speech or pen. His Shanghai lettetat
was that of a recalled Minister ; nor that only, be
one recalled for holding these opinions. Ilel3et,
both the bitterness of his denunciation and his 1n
1;
reserved remarks. We understand he is prepari%
a magazine article in support of his views. N°l. ar
we so wedded to the opinions we express as iloteato
be open to the conviction that the policy die
tl.ci
by equity and international law is not the F°J.jej,
for China, while we contend it is a policy Will
A tbe
ought to fail oft before any other is tried, au— do
oftener it does fail the higher is the credit of
t
Great Powers, for a long-suffering endurance 9tig hiot
to be the first quality of strong nations who lusrsd
upon pushing themselves into trading intereeti
with their weaker and less civilized fellow-oera,
Our former surmise was correct, that Mr. n0w3.0,1
the, brother of Senator Howard, whose nominattibe
to the Chinese Mission had been confirmed bi,, of
Senate, had definitely declined the appointmoltit
Mr. Browne would ere this have been relieved, as,
he has arrived at San Francisco on his return

aware that his post would remain vacant.

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