The Sun.
London, England, 1861-02-20 00:00:00

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THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY '.:EVENING, FEBRUARY 20, 1861.

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li\'lPE RIAL PA RLIAMENT

neglected a great and important duty. As to piracy, the
• Chinese flag was not protected as it ought to be ; but the
British Government had done its best to suppress it, as
would be seen from the accounts which from time to time
appeared in the papers of the gallant exploits performed
in its suppression. No doubt the Treaty of Nankin led to
the present treaty, which was an extension of it. There
were many difficulties connected with • )ur dealings with the
Chinese, as there always would be ev.hen barbarism and
civilisation came into contact. The only way for us to be
at peace with Asiatics was to keep away from them.
(Laughter.) This was true of Turkey, China, and Japan.
The fact was, that the Chinese Government brought the
war upon itself by its treachery and continued insincerity.
(Hear, hear.) if we submitted to the insults and evasions
of Asiatics, they would gradually increase; we must there-
fore enforce directly the observance of treaties entered into
with us. He quite admitted that when those treaties were
enforced, they shook the fabric of the Government of
China; but what was to be done? (Hear.) If the strict
observance of treaties were not enforced, we could not have
intercourse with China at all. It seemed impossible for
us to have intercourse with Asiatics without quarrelling.
(Hear and laughter.) If we once gave way we were sure
to be beaten by the wiles of Asiatic diplomacy, and
then we had to cut the Gordian knot with the sword.
His noble friend had drawn a lamentable picture of the
condition of China, and ho regretted to say that it was
not less lamentable than true. As to the rebellions not
having occurred before, or lasted so long, the fault was
that they had several times occurred before in the recorded
history of China, and had lasted so long as twenty or thirty
years at a time. There was nothing new, therefore, in that
respect of the present state of China. As to the course pur-
sued at Shanghae, our authorities did perfectly right to de-
fend the lives and properties of our fellow-countrymen, and
ho could not see what else they could have done under the
circumstances than that which they Lad done. (Hear.)
There was, at the same time, not the slightest intention on
the part of her Majesty's Government to interfere with the
civil commotions now raging in China—(hear, hear)--but
whenever our fellow-countrymen were menaced we should
always protect them. His noble friend said we were
likely to have the same troubles in Japan as in China.
We, however, had shown no disposition to quarrel with
Japan ; we had raised no frivolous grievances, and though
we had kept at peace thus far, owing largely to the judg-
ment of Mr. Allcock—(hear)—he must say that we had
not met with that good will which his noble friend as-
cribed to the Japanese, but with all the distrust and chi-
canery of an Asiatic Government. His noble friend justly
eulogised the conduct of Lord Elgin, but was not willing to
accept his treaty. With regard to the indemnity, he could
not help regarding it as moderate under the circum-
stances—and more moderate than any demand ever made
under [similar circumstances by one Government upon
another. Again, we had in our attack directed ourselves as
far as possible upon the central Government of China. The
general conduct of our troops was excellent, and the attack
upon the Summer Palace was amply justified. The loss of
life was comparatively small, and war had seldom been
carried on with less distress and injury on our part, while
the general conduct of the Chinese Government was any-
thing but calculated to raise that Government in our esti-
mation, it was barbarous ; and yet we did not impose upon
them a single additional condition. Ho should not follow
the noble earl into his general remarks further than to say
that he did not believe her Majesty's Government could
have pursued any other course than that which they had
adopted. (Hear.) The Government of China was emi-
nently a Government of centralisation. They would find
in the despatches that when Mr. Bruce spoke to Prince
Kung of the events at Shanghae, and of our policy, he
treated the matter as one of which he was altogether igno-
rant, thanking Mr. Bruce for having given him the infor-
mation. The communication of Prince Kung to Lord
Elgin and Mr. Bruce showed that if the Chinese Govern-
ment could be enlightened as to the state of its coast pro-
vinces, it would in all probability pursue a sound and wise
policy in its relations with us. There was also a curious
document in which the Lieutenant-Governor of Shanghae
gave an account to the Emperor of the attack of the rebels
on that place. In that report 'not a word was said of the
assistance he had received from the European forces. He
declared that the repulse was entirely due to the local
troops, who all ran away at the outset. (Hear, and
laughter.) And in reply the Central Government stated
that they had given a red button to this man and a white
button to the other. (Continued laughter.) If the Cen-
tral Government were so weak that no influence could be
brought upon it to enforce an observance of the condition
of the treaty, and if ruin should eventually come upon
the Government of Pekin, our relations with China
might be thrown into a state of great confusion. What he
maintained was, that in going to Pekin and concluding that
moderate treaty, they had made a wise, just, and righteous
effort to prevent the evils they had been discussing;
and as they would be careful to observe its conditions in
good faith, should those efforts fail, the responsibility
would fall, not on themselves, but on the Chinese authori-
ties. (Hear, hear.)
The Earl of ELLENBOROUGH said he was willing to
allow that debate to come to a termination without express-
ing his entire concurrence in everything that had fallen
from his noble friend who had just spoken. lie thought
the rumoured intention of sending an expedition up the
Yang-tse•Kiang was one of the most important subjects
that could occupy the attention of the Government. If
we were permitted to go up the river by the Government,
and should be fired upon by the banditti—for they were
nothing but banditti who thus placed obstacles in our
way—we should bo justified in using arms to remove any
obstruction we might find in our path. We might in that
incidental manner materially assist in restoring the
authority of the Chinese Government, by putting an end
to the combination of miscreants who desolated the
empire, and who added the crime of blasphemy to the
violation of women and the destruction of men in their
works. Only in that way could we hope to make any atone-
ment for the misery we had brought upon China, and the
outrages on humanity which had marked our conduct in
that part of the world. (Hear, hear.)
After some remarks from Lord GREY in reply, the
motion was agreed to.

ROUSE OF LORDS.—(YESTERDAY.)
The LORD CRINOELLOR took his seat on the woolsack
at five o'clock.

THE INDIAN ARMY.

Lord WYNFORD asked the noble lord opposite (Earl
De Grey), with reference to the recent changes in the orga-
nisation of the Indian army, whether officers, when they
received an appointment to the staff corps in India, would
proceed immediately to take up their position in the army,
so that promotion might go on rapidly from the regiments
from which they had been withdrawn ?
Earl DE GREY said that, without being in a position to
explain the whole of the arrangements contemplated, it had
been decided that, whereas under the system existing pre-
vious to the proposed changes, officers appointed to the staff
corps had been left on the roll of their regiments,
the same course would be, for the present, adopted, and
such opportunity would not be Considered to create regi-
mental vacancies.