The Sun.
London, England, 1857-01-02 00:00:00

L')NDON, FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 1857.

The origin of the new Chinese War really ap-
pears to be "a very pretty quarrel as it stands"
—altogether as pretty a quarrel in its way as
SHERIDAN'S memorable tiff in The Rivals between
Sir LTJCIUS O'TRIGGEZ and Captain ABSOLUTE.
Black and white are not more glaringly opposite
than the British statements and the Chinese
counter-statements. The nadir and the zenith
are not more obviously remote from each other.
Looking at the facts of the case as recounted by
the English "Barbarians "—and then reversing
the inquiry, and looking at those same facts as
related with precisely the same alluring air of
candour and explicitness by the Chinese " Bar-
barians"—it is for all the world like examining
the same ingenious article of vertu, first on the
one side and then on the other, first in "relief "
and then in " intaglio !" Had we space for it
we should produce elsewhere in our impression of
this evening the arguments to-day brought before
the Bar of Public Opinion in this country by
the Times, acting as the Cminsel for the Plaintiff,
and by the Daily Neu's, acting as the Counsel for
the Defendant. According to Sergeant Buzruz
—Nothing could be more manly, more dignified,
or more straightforward from first to last than the
conduct of the British authorities, as—Nothing
(viewing the matter from the same point of view)
could be more disgraceful, more insensate, or
altogether more wholly unjustifiable than the
course pursued by the Viceroy YEN and
his outlandish myrmidons. According to Ser-
geant Bruwna, on the other hand, the
tables are turned with a vengeance the
arrogance, the folly, and the brutality lying
wholly on the side championed by Consul
PARKES and Admiral SEYMOUR, while the native
Governor of Canton is represented as acting
throughout, for the most part in a dignified man-
ner, upon the defensive. Never was there a more
startling or a more extraordinary discrepancy in
the accounts given of the very same transaction
simultaneously. Upon the principle inculcated
by the grand old axiom audi alterain portent, we
would (but that we are precluded from so doing
by the sheer lengthiness of the special-pleading)
have reproduced side by side the arguments for-
mally entered to day, as we have said, at the Bar
of Public Opinion, by our contemporary the
Times acting in its self-assumed capaeity as the
Counsel for the Plaintiff, and by our contemporary
the Daily Noss acting in its equally self-assumed
capacity as Counsel for the Defendant. Be it the
duty of The Sun—be it our office, however, on the
contrary, to hold the Balance of Justice suspended
equably between the disputants —to speak rather
from the Bench than from the Bar—to sum up
the evidence as yet adduced without prejudice and
without predilection.

It appears, therefore, upon weighing statement
against counter-statement, that the plain facts,
after all, are simply and literally as follows :
That upon the Sth of October, 1856, a small
trading vessel, or lorcha, called " The Arrow"—
then lying at anchor in the port of Canton—was
boarded by a party of Chinese soldiers, in obe-
dience to the orders of the Chinese Governor-
General YER.

That these Chinese soldiers then and there
carried away as prisoners, taken upon a charge of
piracy, the, crew of this small trading vessel, or
llrcha, called " The Arrow."

That " The Arrow," besides being manned by
a Chinese crew, was built according to Chinese
fashion, and was th© property of a Chinese

owner.

That two at least of the Chinese sailors—so
seizA by Chinese soldiers through the order of
the Chinese Governor-General—had really, noto-
riously, and undeniably been guilty of certain
flagrant acts of piracy.
That the whole crew of twelve were, immedi-
a,tely upon their capture, conducted before Viceroy
YEE for examination.

It appears, however, yet further—now that

the Overland Mail which arrived yesterday, has
brought in the full detail of the particulars :

That the national character of this lorcha "The
Arrow," is a matter in dispute between the
Chinese and the Englishmen : the latter main-
taining that, prior to its leaving the port of
Hoag Kong (the port from which it was but just
then very recently arrived) it had duly obtained
a colonial register, constituting it, to all intents
and purposes, a British vessel—the former bluntly
13nying this, distinctly and explicitly.
It appears, moreover, from the data furnished
by the Overland Mail received by us only yes-
terday—

That the British Consul (PA.sars) positively
asserts, in his communication addressed to the
Chinese Governor (Yea), that when the seizure
was made, the English flag was flying on board
"The Arrow."

That Viceroy YE; in his reply to Consul
PARKEs, quite as positively, on his part, asserts
that the British flag was not flying on board
the lorcha at the time when the twelve
sailors were taken into custody on the Bth of
October. The Governor's letter of the 31st of
October, remarking, " When the lorcha was
boarded it was satisfactorily proved that no flag
was flying," and his subsequent communication of
the 2d of November, observing, "No foreign
flag was seen by my executive at the time of the
capture ; and as, in addition to this, it was ascer-
tained on the examination of the prisoners that
the lorcha was in no respect a foreign vessel, I
maintain that there was no mistake committed."

So much for the preliminary parts of the quar-
rel, for the initial " data," for the introductory
statements and counter-statements. As for the
rest—the consequence of these particulars—that
is soon told : the actual result of the quarrel
being altogether beyond the reach of misstatement
or misapprehension.
The British Consul, Mr. PARKE; apprized of
the occurrence by the master of "The Arrow,"
,Lnd indignant at what he conceives to be an out-
rage done to the British flag, at once demands
from the Governor-General of the Two Kwangs
r, he restoration of the whole of the twelve seamen
io captured.

The Chinese -Viceroy, while denying, as we
Piave seen, while distinctly and absolutely denying
:hat " The Arrow" was a foreign vessel, sends
back first of all to the British Consulate twelve
ragamuffins with chains round their necks, who
ere returned to him incontinently because they are
not the real "Simon Pures"—and then fading
his very characteristic runs discovered, and conse-
Auently of no avail, returns nine of the incarce-
rated sailors, retaining the two actually identified
as the parties guilty of piracy, together with the
vitness necessary for their ulterior conviction.
Whereupon, dissatisfied with the result of his
negotiations, the Consul writes a peremptory letter
on the 12th of October, demanding "within forty-
ight hours" the restoration of the whole number—
the restoration, that is, of the two pirates and the
witness, together with a letter of apology for their
seizure ! Governor-General YBN takes no notice
,vhatever of this haughty ultimatum from Consal
PARKES. On the 21st of October, in consequence
of this silence, an u4imatissimum is sent in; threat-
ening that Unless ctc. 1 At noonday, on the
29d, the twelve Chinese sailors, including the
witness and the two pirates, are marched down to
the British Consulate with a message from the
'viceroy, that as two out of the round dozen are
criminals, they at least are to be sent back imme-
diately. Consul PARKE'S is unsatisfied—he will
have the twelve, the whole twelve, and nothing
but the twelve—except, in addition to them, the
required letter of apology I And so—in stops, at
last, upon the stage of public affairs at Canton, no
dealer in mere paper pellets, but, on the contrary,
one whose arguments are just a trifle more solid
and authoritative—whistling-dicks, cannon-balls,
and bomb-shells—His Excellency Admiral Sir
MICHAEL SRYI4OIIR

TER continues to say Nay !—refuses to give
up the two pirates—refuses to write a letter of
apology for what he cannot, for the life of
him see, admits of any apology—declines,
at last, in the teeth of the first demand,
of the second the ultimatum, and of the
third the ultimotissimunt, to hold a personal inter-
view upon the matter in dispute with his "armed"
Excellency. Thereupon Sir -MictiAEL, like a true
British sailor of the olden time—not the least bit
in the world like one of your new-fangled Mari-
time Fire-eaters—blazes away at Canton, takes pos-
session of a few of the river forts, makes a breach
in the city walls, and blows up the Tsing Hai
gate. Playing the very devil, as the phrase is,
with his antagonist, and then coolly writing to
Viceroy YZEI, "Tour Excellency sent no
reply to my message, and according to
the intention of which I had given notice to your
deputy, I breached the walls of your city, and
thus obtained access to your Excellency's residence,
which I visited yesterday afternoon. This object
accomplished, I withdrew nty troops." And
so matters stood on the 30th of October. At the
period, however, of the departure of the last
mail, things were "moving on" again at a pace
apparently somewhat accelerated—Canton being
then, it would appear, still rather fiercely
bombarded.

And now, Gentlemen of the Jury, having sum-
mei up the evidence given in open Court by the
opposing witnesses, it remains with you to pro-
nounce the Verdict—" Guilty or Not Guilty ?"
Viceroy YEi—or Consul PAR ES? His Excellency
the Chinese Governor—or his Excellency the
British Admiral ? Shall the Verdict be for the
Plaintiff or for the Defendant ?

Is the voice of the public beginning to tell ?
Last Tuesday we had a Lord of the Admiralty,
who is an Admiral also, and therefore an out-
spoken sailor, assuring us that the Chancellor of
the Exchequer would never take advantage of
what he denounced as a paltry quibble, to gird a
two years' War Income Tax fast upon our backs.
This looked as if it was really feared that the
" ignorant and impatient" taxpayers might kick
rather dangerously under the operation. The
gallant Admiral took pains to inform us distinctly,
however, that he was not in Cabinet secrets, but
he had unbounded confidence in Lord PALMER-
STON'S superiority to " pettifogging tricks,"
and no little trust in that hard taskmaster,
the Chancellor of the Exchequer himself, a
confidence we quite share when the people do but
hold firmly the reins, and make them felt too.
The same evening the War Secretary, a member of
the Cabinet, was feted at Perth ; principally in
honour of his official achievements during the
late war. Be said not one word about the Income
Tax—yet, even he, contrived to insinuate hope
that some great remission of taxation was to take
place this year. Last year the army and navy esti-
mates amounted to 34,000,0001. This year Lord
PANMIIRE assures us they are not to come within
20,000,0001. of that sum 1 And this was stated to
prove " great efficiency may be maintained and
yet relief
taxation achieved." Now
p a that
from
army expenditure, including
ranged, in round numbers.

as our
Ordnance,
zrom eleven millions

and a half in 1835. '

0413 DEN'S model year, to
~oven millions above that amount in

more than .-

1848, during the twenty years preceding the
war, Lord PANMIIRE seems to proclaim that the
Ministry mean to have a real, though efficient,
peace establishment.

Let not the good people of England, however,
be lulled to slumber by the language of War Sec-
retaries and Lords of the Admiralty. We are
at war with official love of ease. And as
it was justly insisted on in the spring that to
relax our preparations for the possible campaign
of 1856 would mar the terms of peace (in what
respect it is now difficult to conceive), so we may
be sure that to relax the agitation on the Income
Tax would embolden the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer to enforce far worse fiscal terms on the
House of Commons. It were perfect folly, as we
conceive, to give up one meeting, or to withhold
one resolution or petition, for anything less than
a declaration from head-quarters that the war
is not to survive the war by more than one honest
year. We agreed to pay that ; and if we are
assured, on reliable authority, that we are to pay
no more, we will be quiet on that point—not,
however, forgetting that we have a far more im-
portant one to settle with both Sir G. C. LEWIS
and his subtle predecessor.

February is at hand, and what we see before
us for the moment in clairvoyance is this :
ACT I. Set/le : the House of Lords—Eler MAJESTY
reading her most gracious Speech, in which " she
assures her faithful Commons that she has directed
the estimates to be prepared with due considera-
tion for the efficiency of the public service, and es-
pecially for that of our gallant army and navy,
and also with due regard to the necessity
of discharging the bills for the late war--including
the huge item of buying things at 50 per cent.
above market price, and selling them at 80 per
cent. under it."

ACT. 11. Scene : the House of Commons.—Mr.
WILLIAMS rises to inquire " whether the reduc-
tions of naval and military expenditure promised
by Lord PANILURE at Arbroath ; and the con-
temptuous rejection of pettifogging quibbles on
the part of Lord PALMERSTON by Admiral BERKE-
LEY at Gloucester, are acknowledged by the Go-
vernment as pledges that the War Income Tax will
not be longer continued." (Loud cheers.) Admi-
ral BERKELEY rises to'explain—" He had carefully
abstained, being but a subordinate member of the
Government, and not in the secrets of the Cabi-
net, from committing the Government in any
way whatever. He had assured his constituents,
anl he stood by his assertions, that Lord PAL-
MERSTON was incapable of prolonging the tax
merely by a paltry quibble or evasion" —(cries of
" Lord PALMBRSTON"). The Premier rises—
" He could assure the House that the gallant Ad-
miral had only done him bare justice, and he
might say as much on behalf of his honourable
friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whose
unavoidable absence at this moment he regretted ;
he did not believe that a single member of the
House, not even on the benches opposite, could
number evasion and pettifogging amongst his
failings." (Cheers from the Treasury Benches.)
Mr, WILLiAms "must apologise for rising again,
but he ventured to affirm that no one would say
his Lordship had given any pledge as to the con-
tinuance or cessation of the War Income Tax."
(Hear, hear.) Lord PALMERSON--." This is not
the occasion for discussing the budget—if the
Honourable Member will be in his place at the
right time my noble colleague will give him the
satisfaction of a Chancellor of the
Exchequer." (Laughter, and cries of "Oh ! oh 1")
Act lll.—Scene a crowded House of Commons.
Time—Night of the Budget. A few preliminary
matters having been disposed of, amidst profound
silence, the Chancellor of the Exchequer raises
himself from his seat. A heavy exordium and
minor announcements having been listened to a
long time with exemplary patience, the Honour-
able Gentleman proceeds to observe—that cc to
meet this deficiency, it was obvious he should
need some sixteen millions more. (Sensation.)
How would they have him get it ? Was he to lay
afresh on the springs of industry the load which
had been removed from them by the wis-
dom of Parliament ? Was he to put a
spoke in the wheels of Manchester,
Or to put her spinning jennies on short time ?
Was he to take the wind out of the sails of com-
merce r, should he rather say, shut the steam
off its paddles and screws ? What remained, then,
for
him to do but to ask them to bear with in-
telligent, with enlightened patience, the taxation of
their incomes for another year at the rate of six-
teenpence in the
pound ? (Cries of BERKELEY and
PALMBRSTON.) He knew what those cries re-
ferred to ; but had he taken advantage of a
pettifogging quibble, and would his noble friend
the Premier
support him if he had done so ?
Had he said one word about the direr-
ence between signing the Treaty and exchanging
the ratifications of peace ? Had he not shown
them their financial position, and called upon
them on thief ground, not on the ground of verbal
quibbles, to renew the Property Tax at its present
amount for another year ? (Cries of " Not the
Property Tax," and "Go to Cocker.") At length
the Member for Salford rose, and, it being past 12
o'clock, moved that "the debate be adjourned ;"
Mr. WILLIAMS adding, "for one fortnight at
least, to give time to the constituencies to express
their opinion a second time." (Hear, hear.)
The only magic which can reduce this our
vision to a mere vision, is that of universal public

meetings and petitions. Let Sir G. C. Lnwis
and his Premier but see what cloth we intend
to allow them, and they will not forget the
wise old proverb. We have borne the screw
pretty severely during the war; it is for us to put
the screw on our Government daring peace. We
have entire confidence in their capacity to do
what they know they must do ; and equal confi-
dence in their determination to tax us as much as
wo will let them, and spend all the proceeds when
they get them. To find the ways and means
without such inquisitorial, extortionate, and unequal
taxes as the present bootee Tax, is entirely within
their power; but they shrink from the trouble and
the loss of electioneering patronage. They will
do it if necessary to retention of office, or obtain-
ing a re-election at the impending dissolution of
Parliament. We repeat, therefore, the old advice
AGIVATE, AGITATE.

ROYAL VISIT TO THE PHOTOGRAPRIC
EXEIIBITION, PALL-MALL.

This morning H. (RT.RRI.S
Prince
Albert, accompanied
by the Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal, and the
.)
Princess Mice, honoured the Photographic Exhibition in
Pall-Mall with a visit previous to the public opening to•
morrow. The royal party were attended by Colonel
Seymour, and were received at the Gallery by a deputa-
tion of the Photographic Society, including Baron Pol-
lock, Sir William Newton, A. Roslyn, Esq., &c.
The exhibition this year is a very extensive one. The
calls and screens are hung with some hundreds of pho-
t)graphs, displaying the improvements recently made in
this interesting art, both as regards portraiture and
lanti@capes. Conspicuous in the gallery are the tables of
Stereoscopic pictures shown by Mr. Williams and the
Ltereoscopic Company ; also the portraits of Mr. Maya,
of Regent.street, as they include some interesting pic-
tures of the Royal Family of Oude, the Bench of Bishops,
and several well-known statesmen.

The Marquis of Waterford is fast recovering from hi
late accident.
The Earl and Countess of Miltown, family, and suite,
have arrived at No. 15, Upper Fitzwilliam-street,
Dublin, from Russborough.