The Sun.
London, England, 1860-12-29 00:00:00

imaginary civilization.
Conspicuous among these authentic narratives,
pre..eminent amongst them in every particular will
remain henceforth, we may rest perfectly well
assured, the masterly document 'written by her
MAJESTY'S Consul, Mr. HARRY PARKES, that com-
plete and categorical document, for the prompt
diffusion of which our columns of this evening lend
their ready aid in extending its immediate circula-
tion. When examined carefully—as it deserves—
Mr. PARKES'S statement will be found to be in
every way what it could have been wished,
or what it could have been expected. It
is fall, detailed, and perspicuous. It forms
at once the most lucid, the most reliable,
and the most picturesque narrative of his ever-
memorable captivity. It illustrates, in a startling
manner, as never certainly before has upon any
occasion before been illustrated the whole idiocyn-
cracy of the Tartar character, the whole system of
the Chinese Government. Nothing could be more
clear and succinct than the account given by Mr.
PARKES in the earlier portion of this lengthened
History of his Captivity, the carefully detailed
account there given by him of the incidents, mark-
ing the date of its commencement on Tuesday, the
18th of September. Every individual fact, every
minute circumstance there related, tends to the com-
plete vindication of this good servant of the Crown,
this singularly able, daring, and generous-hearted
Englishman, from the base and, as we felt
certain, they would prove the utterly
groundless charges directed against him but
little more than a week ago, by our chief morn-
ing contemporary. According to the Times of last
week it was upon Mr. PARKES that devolved the
responsibility of the occurrences of the 18th of
September;,those occurrences which resulted unhap-
pily in the seizure and subsequent death by torture
of so many of our lamented fellow-countrymen.
According to the irresistible evidence of actual facts
now brought clearly under the observation of us
all, Mr. PARKES, on the contrary, upon the 18th
of September, risked his life, his reputation
everything in the endeavour to effect the
liberation of his cunningly and lawlessly entrapped
companions. It was to Mr. PARKES himself more-
over to his unflinching and unhesitating determi-
nation from first to last, while in the midst of the
most frightful perils, and when weighed down body
and soul by prolonged and apparently hopeless
sufferings, it was to this brave and generous man's
constancy, under Heaven, that Mr. Locri and
those others who were returned alive at last to
the Allied Camp from the very jaws of destruction,
may be said most truly to have owed their almost
miraculous preservation.

And now while we are closing these remarks of
ours after our first eager perusal of these enthral-
ling documents, published elsewhere, in elucida-
tion of the closing incidents of the late extraor-
dinary War in China, we may revert with
satisfaction to that formal Treaty of Peace, the
arrival of which in England woke yesterday in
the capital of our empire the exultant booming of
our artillery. Brief though that Treaty is, number-
ing in all no more than Nine Articles, each
in turn sententiously enough expressed, the im-
portance of it in every particular is almost, we
might ♦enture to assert, beyond the reach of exag-
geration. The date alone has its significance—
Done at Pekin, in the Court of the Board of
Ceremonies, on the 24th day of October, in the year
of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty !"
Article I. expresses distinctly, on the part
of his Imperial Majesty the Emperor of
CHINA, his MAJESTY'S " deep regret" at the
occurrence of the ambuscade at the Taku fortifica-
tions. Article 11. decides that in accordance with
a stipulation in the former treaty (that of 1858)
" her Britannic MAJESTY'S representative will
henceforward reside permanently or occasionally
at Pekin," according to her Britannic MAJESTY'S 1

will and pleasure. Article 111. fixes the amoun

of the indemnity at the moderate sum of 8,000,000
taels, and not, as we had hoped (and as we can-
not now but regret that it is not) at 16,000,000.
Article IV. provides for the opening to trade hence-
forth of the port of Tient-tsin. Article V. declares
that perfect freedom in future is to be allowed for
Coolie emigration. Article VI. announces the yield-
ing up to England of a certain portion of the town-
ship of Cowloon. Article Vll.—not by any means,
as will be seen at a glance, the least important of
the Nine—asserts in two pithy paragraphs, firstly
—"lt is agreed that the provisions of the treaty of

1858, except in so far as these are modified by be
present convention, shall without delay come into
operation as soon as the ratifications of the treaty
aforesaid shall have been exchanged"—and se-
condly, "It is further agreed that no separate
ratification of the present convention shall be ne-
cessary, but that it shall take effect from the date
of its signature, and be equally binding with the
treaty above mentioned on the high contracting
parties." Article VIII. provides for the publica-
tion of the terms of the treaty by order of the EM-
PEROR. of China throughout the whole of the vast
extent of his Imperial dominions. Article IX., relat-
ing to the withdrawal of our forces from China when
all the. essential terms of this Treaty shall have
been duly carried out. And so drops the diplomatic
curtain upon what has now but two months ago
been " done at Pekin" on the part of the Emperor
HEIN-FuNo by the Prince of I, his MAJESTY'S
brother and Imperial Commissioner, and on the
part of Queen VICTORIA by the Earl of ELGIN,
her Britannic MAJESTY'S Ambassador and Pleni-
potentiary.

Can anything liberal come from Austria? is a
question we naturally ask as each of the successive
documents issued by the Government have followed
each other. In every one hitherto some pitfall for
religious and political liberty has been quickly
detected, and the Protestant Church, and Hungary,