The Sun.
London, England, 1859-09-02 00:00:00

FROM CHINA TO JAPAN.

(From a Correspondent of the Times.)
CANTON, MaY 12.
A tropical simmer is upon us; the last few days
have brought painful evidence of the fact, all the
more untaelponie th.at they have failed to bring the
first cargo of ice from America to enable us to meet
the enemy. With the thermometer standing at 97
in your bedroom, mosquitoes swarming round your
curtains; and too often within, sleep is a blessing
which comes but seldom, and never sound or re-
freshing: In all travels in the East there is a sup-
preset.° reri in regard to these poisoners of the hu-
man existence and destroyers of all peace, the mos-
quitoes, as unjustifiable as it is unaccountable. Not
content with sucking the blood out of your veins,
they poui a venom into them, throwing the most
philosophic of their victims into a state of fever and
irritation. The heat itself, enervating and exhaust-
ing as it is, would be ten times more endurable but
for these winged pests of society. The very noise of
their trumpet becomes so hateful that the bugle
sounding the advance of a line of Zouave skirmishers
could hardly be more distracting or fatal to any
sense of repose or security ; and, like the small
provocations of a bitter tongue, the longer they
continue and the oftener they are repeated the more
intolerable they become. It is not fair in old East-
ern travellers to suppress, as they almost invariably
do, any distinct reference to this greatest of small
miseries, and, with the exception of enlarged
livers and sudden death, the most fatal of the
drawbacks to an Eastern climate. My conscience
is free. If any, youth 'or maiden come henceforth
"Eastward ho with halcyon dreams of fortunes
or of husbands, taking no account of this future
torment of their lives--which will sting them into
exasperation under the table while they are smiling
kind things above, takelhe savour out of the best
viands, render -eating a pirgatory, and sleep an
impossibility, or a troubled and feverish dream at
best—on their own heads be it ; " they cannot say
the truth had never been told," as a Chinese man-
darin would observe.
The sun. is indeed in his strength, and pouring a
great blaze of light on the broad waters of the Pearl
River as they sweep in dangerous eddies past the
rocks in mid streani, and reflect in broken lines the
ruined suburbs of Canton.. How are the mighty
fallen ! Not only is this city still in the occupa-
tion of the barbarian, while roofless houses and
crumbling walls, with windows like eyeless sockets,
tell the tale of weak and unavailing resistance, but
here comes steaming up the river a vessel with the
British ensign, freighted with the remains of the
Viceroy who played his last stake at Canton, and
lost it. Yes, Yeh is on his way to his last home in
Chinese earth. He has indeed returned, as Lord
Stanley in the honse the other day intimated he
might, but only to be buried. The Fatalist's creed
has ill served so persevering a believer. One would
have liked to look within, and to have seen whether
in the long solitary hours passed in a foreign land,
he ever passed in review his Canton ad-
ministration, with ..a doubt .. or question in
his mind as to the policy or wisdom of
his course. As far as can be learned, the thought
never suggested itself; but he was too evidently a
reserved and uncommunicative man for his silence
to form any:guide as to what his thoughts may have
been. Certain it is he died and gave no sign, ex-
pressed no doubt, and, to all appearance, was dis-
turbed by no regret or misgiving. Had he lived to
come back, as might well have been, for we had no
longer any object in keeping him—and he had
latterly betrayed some anxiety and bestirred him-
self, especially after the death of his aide-de-camp
by cholera, to be allowed to return—he would cer-
tainly have seen such a changed order of things as
might have roused him to reflection even with all
his stolid and nil admiriri habits. Not that he
would have admired, but he could scarcely have
failed to be surprised. He might have passed incog-
nito through the streets of the great and busy city
he had so lately governed, trembling often lest
braves from without and conspirators within might
snatch it from his grasp, and see how it is now
held by a handful :of foreign troops, so easily arid
unconcernedly that from street to street a couple of
marine police, armed with a switch, keep perfect
order, and give security to el the thousands of the
bustling throng of shopkeepers, street vendors, and
still more numerous purchasers. Their occasional
presence is enough, . and. in this city, .which no
foreigner might pollute with his presence, Eng-
lish officers, soldiers, and civilians- on horseback,
in chairs, and on foot, are ever passing to and fro,
and the Chivaman looks up from his work to notice
them as they pass ; and if a coolie meets you, his
only notice is the removal of his broad bamboo
hat, that it may not incommode the foreigner.
Children that used in all the suburbs to be taught
by their elders to spit out terms of abuse, the gentlest
of which was " fankwei" or "foreign devil," now
hail the hrimblest private as " taipan" or " chief,"
and, with outstretched palm, sometimes insinuate
that a " kumshaW," or copper cash gratuity, would
be by no means disdained. or unacceptable. A
goodly and a pleasant change for the better no one
can doubt, by whatever evil purchased; and clearest
proof that the long-nurtured hostility of the Can-
tonese population was of entirely factitious growth,
due absolutely and entirely to the. machinations of
Mandarins, and a .part of the confirmed policy of
the Court' at Pekin. Even the admission of foreign-
ers into the city •we now see might at any time at
their option have been granted. If other proof were
wanting, recent events have abundantly demon-
strated the truth, long suspected by some of the
more experienced in China, but always open to
question—namely, that the high Chinese officials
on the spot, when a necessity becomes apparent,
will ventare upon the repeal of even fundamental
laws on their own authority. I allude to the re-
cent proclamation of the late Governor Peihkwei,
legalising the emigration of Chinese willing to enter
into labour contracts for foreign contracts. The
atrocities perpetrated by the Chinese crimps in
kidnapping by fraud and violence the unwary,
with a view to secure the bonus offered by
shippers under Portuguese' French, and other
• foreign flags—not *British, I am glad to say—
had at last roused the whole population to
such a state of alarm and indignation as to threaten
the security of the. officials, hitherto so supine, and
the peace of the place. Momentary measures were
taken in conjunction with the allies to seize certain
receiving vessels, but the true remedy provided
under good advice by the Chinese high authorities
was by proclamation to remove the ban of illegality,
which served as a pretext for these enormities.
So would they have removed the ban on our en-
trance into Califon at any time these 15 years past,
if proper Steps had been taken to make them under-
stand that we were determined it should be removed
in accordance with treaties, and that the alternative
was the certain capture and military occupation of
the city. However, as regards Canton, the; know-
ledge came too late to save both armaments and
great destruction of property. Well it is if we can
flatter ourselves good has come of evil ; and of this
there is no room to doubt. Even as iegards inter-
course with the authorities there is small evidence
of rancune, or ill-blood. The facility for direct and
personal intercourse has gone far to remove the pre-
judice born of • long isolation and the enmity
arising from recent collision. A signal in-'
stance was furnished two days ago, when Mr.
• Alcock, the Biiiish - Consul here, was leaving
Canton for his .post as the first Consul-General
at Japan. As the steamer passed the
Custom-house; an- its • way down the river, a
salute was fired' by the Chinese authorities, with
abundant -fire.werks and crackers in continuation,
telling the surrounding population of the now order
of things the consul left behind him. A friendly
farewell of the high officer of the Chinese maritime
customs was, indeed, 'a novel trait; and he'had pre-
viously sent an official pn board with his card to
take-leave and announce the intended salute. Three
years ago this same cfficial could not be approached
by her Majesty's- consul, and when an official let-
ter might be answered, if at all, was always a
question, A great step in the way of. progress and
permanent friendly intercourse has undoubtedly
been taken, then
nd it will be our own fault if
that which' has n',,,,„.8" been 'gained is ever lost. The-
personal intercourse with the Hoppo and other
authorities since the consul's ul'slast return to Canton,
in November, I know
has been
ifirequent, and most
satisfactory in every respect.
be abated on the Honan side, whe9;enuthisean fee had to
foreigners
are are now:located--:-gambling shops to be
the channels of a canal which had been built over
and made into a filthy sewer to be restored—it re-
quired hit a request from the consul and it was
done at once, where formerly all the power of Great
Britain Could not have secured attention. With
the Hoppo, notwithstanding many,difficulties and
continued evasion of duties by foreigners and Chinese
combineit it is generally understood the mast cor-
dial relations have existed, and it is to he hoped
will stilt continue, notwithstanding. the departure
of the ccmsul by whom these have been first estab-
lished. •
And now we pass the Bogue forts, with their
crumbled and battered walls, and fours hours more
brings us to Hongkong. The Willamette cleverly
steams her way though a very maze of boats and
shipping, without collision or accident, her great
bell elatiglug a deafening warning to.the market
and shore. boats, which evince the most perverse
tendency to cross the ,bows' of -a -steamer with scarce
a yard ta.s.pare--but they do escape generally; and
the anchor finally brings her up at her berth,amidst
atrush-of sanpanit and .boats of all sizes.and descrip-
tions, and a mighty clamour of voices, in which the
shrill pipes of the women drown all base efforts of
the men to be overheard above them. To get into
one of these hundred simians with all your, belong-
ings is truly a service of danger and a trial of nerve.
•