The Sun.
London, England, 1857-09-01 00:00:00

sEPIsEKBIiR 1, $867.

will not allow him to remain idle in Hongkong,
and no one was surprised when the rumour spread
that he was going northward. The favourite
theory is that he is going to Japan, and it is not
impossible that we may see the c'eishs of that mys-
terious island. The course really resolved upon,
however, is this. A few days after this mail has
been dispatched the Calcutta, the Shannon, the
Pearl, the Inflexible, the Hornet, and two gun
boats will proceed northwards, to rendezvous at
Shanghai, and to proceed thence to the mouth of
the River Pei-ho, on which river Pekin stands.
Arrived at the nearest point to the capital, Lord
Elgin will dispatch to the authorities, for trans-
mission to the Emperor, a letter requiring the
Emperor within a specified time Tither to re-
cognise or to repudiate the acts of his officers
at Canton. If the Court of Pekin repudia' e Yeh
and pay compensation for past injuries and give
security against their recurrence well. If,
Las is most probable, either no notice be taken of
the letter or a disposition be shown to entangle the
ambassador in questions of cetemenia!, Lord Elgin
will declare war and thus relieve the relations of
the two Powers from their present anomalous posi-
tion. Canton will then be occupied, the trade of
the northern ports will not be uunecess trily inter-
fered with, but such further proceediega will be
taken as may be necessary to bring the Court of
Pekin to reason.
Such is, I believe, the intended policy. Under
other circumstances I should question it most hos
tilely. It is full of risks. It seems to give autho-
rity to the mischievous notion that a Power which
refuses to be one of the comity of eations is entitled
to all the courtesies and forms of intercourse which
civilised nations maintain among themselves. It
affords an opportunity for the exercise of diplo-
, matie cunning, which may compel Lord Elgin
either to fail in his mission or to adopt a tone of
decision which may be readily represented as a
rudeness. It affords a looplede for e,cape from a
position which will not recur. The answer to those
considerations, however, is this—We mmt do some-
thing, and we have not force to do what wa ought
to do.
Lord Elgin, therefore, will ether go direct to
Pekin and conclude a treaty or he will come back
and occupy Canton. In the iw(rest of a durable
peace all the Europeans here hope that the latter
will be the course whhih events will take.
Many people think that there could be no diffi-
culty in carrying on our corrective measures in
India and our war with China at the same time.
There are doubtless Sepoy regiments which, al-
though not openly in revolt, are not trustworthy in
action against their co-religionists. Why not send
them to China ? Sepoys have already been upon
the heights above Canton and behaved admirably.
The sun of China, under which our ruddy English
recruits grow feeble, as flies in frost, would deal
tenderly with the Hireloo. So it was when Gough
took Cautoe and Elliot sold his conquest. So it
would be again.
I believe the only objection to this obvious and
ready expedient is the expense. If you bring
Indian troops. here you must put all the Queen's
troops upon Indian allowances.
Since the days of General Gough the Cantonese
look upon us as robbers and booty seekers whom it
is right to exterminate when they can ; whom they
could thrash if they pleased, but whom they can
always get rid of by tossing to us a heap of silver.
So they pointed derisively at us whenever they saw
us ; they called out after us "Tab" (" beat them"),
and "Shat" (" behead them") ; they encouraged
each other to acts of violence, and they wrought
that iutolerablo condition of things whi,:h tea,kes it
necessary for us by more imposing force and by
higher conduct to take an attitude of dignity—to
show thee Cantonese tkat we are not peaty pirates
and plunderers like themselves, but a mighty
necez.sity for g)od and for evil which to them is
irresista.ble as natural death.
We must do wrong violence now, because we
have been weak ant foolish in time past. But
what we do we must do thoroughly. A single re-
verie and we should have either to withdraw from
these shores or to overrun half the empire. lam
not resting a feather weight upon my own judgment
when I affirm that with our present force we could
take this city in six hours. But I clunot resist the
weight of the autiv city which says that we could
not hold it as we ought to hold it. Great genius
might doubtless multiply small means. I have
heard it said by men whose deeds give them right
to talk, that 500 men relieved once a f srtni,gist
ought to hold the city for six montrs. Perhaps
the ships could find occasion for keeping the in-
habitants of the 96 villages at home ; it was thy
who a,ticked General Gough upon the heigles, and
do terrible threat of a boiubardmnt is always
open. The probabilities are that after the first slay
the city would be as tranquil as this city of Vic-
toria. The Chi.,,ese shopkeers here say, " You
cotchee citee ; we open shop halt hour after." But
this is only a psobability. Were it not for the
danger of the insurgents being beforehand with us
precipitation would be madness. Evan with this
danger impending it would not do to run the risk
of finding ourselves in Canton with an in adequate
force daily dwindling from overwork and disease.

JULY 10.
The following is Lord Elgin's answer to the ad-
dress that has been presented to him :
"Gentlemen,—l amn muoh gratified by the welcome
which you are pleased to proffer to me on my arrival at
Hong Kong.
" I am aware of the deep interest which you have in
the re-establishment of a solid peace, and of the weight
which deservedly attaches to your opiuion,—not only on
the points specifically adverted to in this address, but
also on the larger question of the r,-atijostment of our
relations with the Chinese Empire. I shall therefore at
all times listen with attention and respect to any repre-
sei.tations which you may see fit to make to me on these
subjects, although the interests of the public service for-
bid that I should di,cuss the instructions with which,
our Sovereign has honoured me, or the 13.-iurse which, in
pursuance of tinge instructions, it is my intention to

pursue.
" Without, however, departing from the reserve which
a sense of duty prescribes to me, I may ventura to state
that I concur with you in the opinion that no settlement
of our present difficulties will be satisfactory which shall
fail to teach the Cantonese a wholesome reipcct for the
obl gations of their own Government in its relations with
independent Powers, and fur the ltws of hospitality to-
wards strangers who resort to their shores for peaceful
purposes of trade.
"The powerful fleet already assembled on these coastP,
which will soon be supported by an ad,qnate military
force, is a pledge of her Majesty's determination to
afford protection to her faithful subjects in this quarter,
and to maintain the rights to which they are by treaty
entitled.

" It is essential to the permanence of pacific relations
with China, and to the security of trade, that the C,iurt
of Pekin should be apprised that an arrogant refusal to
treat with other Powers on the terms pi e,cribed by the
comity of nations, or the alleged wiifu!ness of provincial
authority, will no: henceforth be held to release it from
the re,ponsibility of faithfully alheritig to (ngagements
contracted with independent and sovereign States.
"You refer in language of much force and justice to
the difficulties which beset the mission on which I am en.
tering. I ern not insensible to those difficulties. But
knowing as I do that the Government which I serve is
pursuing no selfish objects, that we may count on the
c.rdial sympathy and active co-operation of other great
and generous rations, interested with ourselves in the
spread of commerce and the extension of citeli,ation
—knowing, moreover, the valour and discipline of the
forces, both military and naval, which, under able
and experienced cominantere, are prepared, if need be,
to support the honour of our country's flag,—l see no
reason to doubt that, by prudence and patience, modera-
tion and firmness, tbey may be overcome.
"To Messrs. Jardine, Matheson, and Co.,
- " Dent and Co., and others.
• " Hor.g Kong, July 8."

The Edinburyk Courant announces that the office
(unpaid) of chairman of the new Scotch Lunacy Board
has been offered to Viscount Melgund, b 1 P. The two
paid commissioners are likely to be Dr. James Coxe, of
'Edinburgh, and Dr. Browne, of the Cciohton Institu-
tion, Dumfries.
PLYMOUTH, Saturday.—ln consequence of easterly
gales several wind-bound ships are in the Channel,
among others, the Cairngorm, Captain Mickle-
jchn, with rice, linseed, &c. She left C,slJutta, May
31, and on rounding the Cape of Good Hope
experienced a very severe gals which induced
her to call at St. Helena July 5, where about 40
,thers bad taken refuge, including the Hist Irian, from
Calcutta fur" New York, and the Wugoi lA, from Ran-
crow, for Cork. After leaving the is'and she Fpoke iht
British Lion, from Calcutta, and the Davenport, from
Akyab for Falmouth. The bark Pharaniond, Captain
Poillips, which left Launceston, Tai.n3ania, May 3
rounded the Horn June 18, and crossed the line
July 23, experienced very mild weather and little
wind all the voyage home, and bas landed passengere
and a small mail here. She spoke, June 6, the Ame-
rican whaler Sea Gull, from New Zealand, with oi'.•
for New Bedford July 4, Star of the Sea steering
•,
eastward ; July 27, ship Marathon, 120 days from Bom-
bay, for London ; 28th, Elizabeth Yen, 94 days from
Bombay, for Hull ' • 314, Jane Boodie, from Campbel-
town for Denmark ; August 4, the Cot a, 97 day; from
Bombay, for London ; 611, Perek-r, 99 days from Bom-
bay, for London ; and 15th, Hercules, 102 days from
• padang, for Amsterdam.