The Sun.
London, England, 1860-02-22 00:00:00

THE WEATHER.-Syx OFFICE, FEB. 22, 1860,

THERMOMETER, IN TUE SHADE.
44—highest since noon yesterday.
38—lowest this morning and during the night.
42—this day at noon.

BAD.OII7.TER-30 ;
WIND, North-Easterly ; fresh, with dull cold weather.

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.
Tits DAY.—Morning, 2h. 35m.—Afternoon, 2h. 51m.
TO-MORROW.-Morning, :3h. Gm.—Afternoon, 3h. 21m,

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TtlE SUN.
Lospow, 11rEDN17.17A-Y, FEB. 22, 1860.

The explanations given by the Earl of ELGIN, in
the House of Lords last evening, as to his Chinese
policy, and incidentally also as to his policy in
regard to the Japanese, were as complete as they
were temperate and satisfactory. It seems a strange
thing that the noble lord should have had cause,
however, for entering upon these same explana-
tions. For his mission to the East stands almost,

we believe we might without mush temerity ven-
ture to say, altogether without any parallel in the
history of British diplomacy—as for that matter,
indeed, in the annals of the diplomacy of modern
civilisation. It was a mission so very rapidly and
skilfully brought to a triumphant conclusion ! In
writing of it thus, we are reverting to facts that
are world-famous, and that ore still vividly within
the recollection of the general multitude. It
cannot but be remembered very distinctly as
an incident, so to speak, but of yesterday that
the tidings of the happy negotiation of the
treaties of peace entered into respectively with the
Chinese and Japanese Governments, by the Earl
of ELGIN, as her Britannic MAJESTY'S Plenipoten-
tiary Extraordinary, came to this country as really
and truly a Radiant Surprise. England was
scarcely aware that those negotiations had com-
menced, when she learnt with wonder that they
had been brought to a successful termination. The
war with China (our second war with China,
dating from the affair of the lorcha Arrow), had
hardly begun before it was ended. The war with
Japan can scarcely be said to have ever been seri-
ously commenced. The barriers of seclusion from
ourselves, and from nearly all the rest of the
world, crumbled into dust, we might almost say,
without profanity,*like the walls of Jericho, at
the sound of the trumpets of the Israelites. All
our demands—which were in themselves by no
means unreasonable—wore readily acceded to.
Relations were established upon a rational foot-
ing here between China and England—there be-
tween the English and the Japanese. Neither of there
renowned Asiatic races proved in any way either
politically obdurate or socially barbarians. The
Japanese, indeed, when our naval officers and diplo-
matists came to move amongst them turned out to
be really and truly civilised gentlemen. The
Chinese we had always appreciated as a race both

ingenious and industrious—we now learned to hope

in their regard that they would at last consent to
yield to all desirable facilities of intercommunication
with the rest of the world, beginning with our-
selves, hitherto regarded by them askance, and
with profound suspicion, as outer barbarians.
Having with this surprising rapidity and complete-
ness effected all the great objects entrusted to his
care as a diplomatist, as Her nu
ESTY'S Plenipo-
tentiary with the Chinese and Japanese Govern-
me,nts, Lord
ELGIN returned home as the most vic-
torious of all pacific conquerors. His mission in
effect was from first to last so satisfactorily accom•

plished, that no sooner was the DERBY Ministry
ousted by the Coalition under• those " two Kings of
Brentford smelling at one rose," Lord JOHN Rus-
SELL and Lord PALMERSTON, than the nation

saw—in evidencJ of his Chinese mission having been
absolutely complet,!d and done with—the ex-
Ambassador to the East installed in office at St.