The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-01-16 00:00:00

SELECTIONS.

FOREIGN POLICY OF GOVERNMENT.
(From Blackwood's Magazine.)

May not the present ministers look with just pride to-
wards every quarter of the globe, and exclaim, Quae regio
in lerris nostri non plena laboris ? In truth their success
here has been sufficient to set up half a dozen ministers—
as is known to no man better than Lord Palmerston. The
Duke of Wellington and Lord Aberdeen have restored
peace to the whole world, re-establisbing it on a footing
of dignified security and equality. By the persevering
energy, the calm determination, and inexhaustible re-
sources of Lord Aberdeen, " the winter of our discon-
tent," has been " made glorious summer, with all the
great powers of the world. Look at our glorious but ir-
ritable neighbour—France : is there any language too
strong to express the delight which we feel at the reno-
vated sympathy and affection which exist between us?
We cannot answer for France to the extent which we can
for England ; but we know, that through the length and
breadth of this land—our beloved Queen's familiar visit
to the King of the French, their affectionate greeting, and
her Majesty's enthusiastic reception by the people, dif-
fused a feeling of joy and affection towards France, which
will not soon—nay, should it ever ?—subside. But would
that visit.have.taken place, if ,Lord Palmerston, and not,
Lord Aberdeen, had presided over the foreign councils of
this country ? 'Tis a disagreeable question, and we pass
on. Then as to America, thanks to the mission of Lord

Ashburton, peace has been secured between us, on terms
equally honourable to both. We are now at peace with
the United States—a peace not to be disturbed by the
(to whiggish eyes) promising (1!) aspect of the Oregon
difficulties—which we tell our aforesaid friends will end in
—nothing at all.--[lt is not, by the way, the fault of our
government, that this disputed matter was not embraced
by the Washington Treaty.]—While Lord Palmerston
and his doleful ally, the Morning Chronicle, were daily
stigmatizing the treaty of Washington, as highly disho-
nourable and disadvantageous to this country, it may in-
terest our readers to see what one of the disaffected Arse- I
m.ean senators had to say on the subject. Thus spoke, in
the senate, Mr. Benton, a well known member of con-
gress :
" The concessions of Great Britain to the United
States are small. The territory granted to the United
States, is of such a nature, that it will never be of im-
portance to hold it ; while the possessions given up by
the United States are important and valuable to them, and
have the effect of admitting a foreign power within a ter-
ritory which was granted to the United States, by the
treaty of 1783. * * When I see the Government giv-
ing up more than Great Britain demanded, 1 cannot con-
ceal my amazement and mortification !"
Glancing, however, from the West to the East—what
do we see? Wars in India and China, brought gloriously
to an advantageous termination.—" Wars," to adopt the
language of one of the greatest mercantile authorities
living, " which have been deranging our money transac-
tions, and making our trade a trade of hazard and specu-
lation, most injurious to the commerce of the empire at
large."
While, on the one hand, we are relieved from the
ruinous drain upon our resources, occasioned by our pro-
tracted warlike operations in India and China, on the
other, a prospect is opened to us, by the immensely im-
portant treaty which the Emperor of China has entered
with this country, of very great and permanent commer-
cial advantages, which are already being realized. Let
our manufacturers, however, hewere of the danger of
forfeiting these advantages, by excessive eagerness to avail
themselves of these newly acquired markets. Twelve
months ago, we earnestly warned them on this score,
and we now as earnestly repeat that warning ; " notwith-
standing," observed an old French journalist, a few weeks
ago, upon this subject, " the opening of five ports to Eu-
ropean commerce, China will for many years preserve her
internal laws, her eccentric tastes, her inveterate habits.
China is the country of routine and immovability. The
treaty with Great Britain cannot modify the nature of
China in a few months. If the English are not prudent
in their exports, if they overload the newly- opened ports
with foreign produce, they will injure themselves more'
than they were injured by the war just concluded." In
every word of this we concur : brit alas! wbat weight will
such considerations have with the agitating manufacturers
in the north of England?' Their fierce but short-sighted,
anxiety to make rapid fortunes, will make most of them,
in a few years, melancholy evidence of the justness of our
observations ! We cannot pass from the East without
noticing the sound statemanship which is regulating all
Lord Ellenborough's leading movements in India—a mat-
ter now universally admitted.' How unspeakably con-
temptible and ridiculous has the lapse of a few months
rendered the petty clamours against him, With which the
ex-ministerial party commenced their last year's cam-
paign ! Without, however, travelling round the entire
circle of our foreign connexions and operations—there are
one or two points to which we will briefly refer, as strik-
ing instances of the vigilant and indefatigable energy, and
the powerful diplomatic influence of Lord Aberdeen, es-
pecially with reference to the securing commercial advan-
rages to this country—and which has-extorted the follow-
ing testimony, during the present month (Deeember,)
from another French Journal, by no. means favourably
disposed to this country :—" The English Government is
incontestably the best served of all Governments in the
means of obtaining new, and extending old markets,- and
in the rapid and complete knowledge of the course tube
adopted to ensure the sale of the immense products•of
Great Britain in different parts of the globe!' Take for
instance the case of Russia. We have actually succeeded
in wringing from the tenacious and inflexible Cabinet of
St. Petersburg an important commercial advantage ! On•
Lord Aberdeen's accession to office, he found Russia in,
the act of aiming a fatal blow at a very important branch
of our shipping trade, by levying a differential duty on
all British vessels conveying to Russian ports any goods
which were not the produce of the British dominions.
After, however, a very skilful and very arduolle negocia-
tion, our foreign secretary has succeeded in• averting-
that blow—and we retain the great advantages, of which
we were about to be deprived, Nor has this signal ad-
vantage been purchased by any sacrifise oh the--hart of
Great Britain, but only by z. permission, founded on most
equitable principles, for Russian vessels arriving here from
Russian ports with the produce of Russian Poland, to
possess the same privileges as if they had come direct from
Russian ports : Russian Poland being able to communi-
cate effectually with the sea,. only through the Prussian
territory. Look again at Brazil—which has also been
recently the object of persevering and energetic negotia--
the part of Lord Aberdeen. It is true that, at present,
his exertions have been atter.ded with no direct success;
but we have doubts whether the importance of the pro-
posed Brazilian treaty has not, after all, been greatly
exaggerated. However this may be, Lord Aberdeen is,
at this moment, as strenuously at work with the young
emperor, as could be desired by the most eager advocate
of a commercial treaty with Brazil. But, suppose the
emperor's advisers should be disposed to continue their
obstinate and unreasonable opposition, observe the gentle
pressure upon them, to be felt by and by, which Load
Aberdeen has contrived to effect by the commercial treaty
which he has concluded with the contigious republic of
Monte Video, and other States on the right bank of the
Teat., rot the aarnission (on most favourable terms) of
British imports into these States. One of them is the
Uruguay republic, which borders through a great extent
of country on Brazil, the Government of which is
utterly unable to prevent the transfer of merchandise
across the border ; whereby the exclusion of British goods
from the Brazilian territory is rendered a matter of phy-
sical impossibility.
It is true, that our efforts to enter into commercial
treaties with France and Portugal have not, as yet, been
successful ; but, formidable as are the obstacles at present
in existence, we do not despair. Those least wonder at
the present position of affairs who are best acquainted
with the artificial and complicated positions of the respec-
tive countries, and their relations, and consequent policy,
towards each other. Whatever can be done by man, is
at this moment being done by Lord Aberdeen ; and
sooner than we have at present a right to expect, his in-
defatigable exertions may be crowned with success—not
only in these, but in other quarters. All foreign Govern-
ments must be strongly. influenced in such matters, by
contemplating a steady and strong Government established
in this country ; and that object they may see more nearly
and distinctly every day. Such ((without entering into
details which would be inconsistent with either our space
or our present object) is the general result—namely, the
rapidly returning tide of prosperous commercial inter-
course of the foreign policy of a Conservative Govern-
ment, which has raised Great Britain, within the short
space of two years, to even a higher elevation among the
nations of the world, than she had occupied before a
" Liberal Ministry undertook the government of the
country"—" a policy," to adopt the equally strong and
just language of an able writer, " replete with auspicious
evidences of the-efficacy of intellect, combined with firm-
ness, activity, and integrity, in restoring to wholesome and,
honourable order a chaotic jumble of anomalies—of hu-
miliations and dangers—of fears, hatred, and confusion
thrice trebly confounded."

THE LIVERPOOIA STAVD ARC).