The New York herald., 1850-12-27

UNITED STATES COMMISSIONER TO CHmA-We
learn that a number of the friends Of the Rev.
Peter Parker, ID. D., of the "Amercan Board Of
Foreign Missions and Secretary and Interpreter
of the United States Legation in China, have re-
commended that estimable divine and valuable
medical missionary, for the appointment Of Gem
missioner of the United States to that empire, in
the place of the Hon. John w. Davis, who has
recently returned home.
DR.. Parker, we believe, was educated for the
ministry, and with the view of rendering his sacred
calling more acceptable to the Chinese, studied
medicine and surgery; and, under the auspices of
the American Board" established, about twelve
years since, hospital and dspensary at Canton,
for the treatment of ophalmIc and other diseases
among those people, in which he has been emf
| nently successful.
| To a minister of the gospel, endowed with the
right Christian and philanthropic spirit, China offers
a vast and interesting arena for religious mis-
sonary labor where the harvest is truly great and
the laborers few. This reverend gentleman has
! been go long actively and usefully employed in
| that service, and become so completely identified
with it, that proper regard for his own rePuta-
ton as a Christian missionary, should forbid his
acceptance of any office or employment incompa-
| tible with his sacred vocation. To do so, wolld
justly subject him to the imputation of being go
verned by selfish and worldly motives-of serving
God and Mammon.
1t appears by the Chinese Repository for 1Si9,
that there are at present eight distinct American
| religious missions in China, which are, however,
restricted to the five ports, each seeking to incul-
cate its own peculiar views of Christian doctrine
| and forms of worship among the Chinese, but
hitherto with comparatively little success; whilst
| the Catholics, with an established hierarchy of
bishops, and numerous priests and missionaries, in
every province Of the empire, count their converts
by hundreds of thousands. They have succeeded
in converting and gaining the confidence of many
of the high Mandarins to the Church of Rome,
avail themselves of every occasion TO prejudice
them against the Protestant missionaries, and are
unceasng in their efforts to bring them into dis
favor at court
In this posture of affairs in China, we have great
reason to apprehend that the appointment Of any
American religious missionary to the office OF Uni
! ted States Commissioner to that empire, would be
! regarded by the court of Peling the avowed
| policy of our government TO unite our diplomatic
| with religious missionary functions, for the pur-
pose of furherng the efforts of one of our secaran
missionary establishments TO evangeliZe the Chi
nese, and might eventually compromise, or seri-
| ousy prejudice, American interests and commerce
in China. Besides, it is not to be presumed that a
minister Of the gospel can, by his antecedents, be
the most suitable person to fill such station, re-
quiiing knowledge Of diplomacy, of international
and commercial law, and in which the incumbent
is vested with certain important judicial powers,
under special act Of Congress, 10 decide in all
cases, criminal and civil, between American citi-
zens in China. We are opposed to the appointment
of our missionaries TO diplomatic stations, to any
connection of Church and State, in the propagation
of the gospel in Pagan lands.
OLD IRoNsIDEs The recommendation of Com
modore skinner, chief of the Bureau of Con-
struction, or Destruction, of the Navy, that
the s'' Pride Of the Sea- "Old Ironsides''-the
| u. s. Frigate Constitution-should be laid up at
Boston as receiving ship, has brought to mind
the indignant remonstrance Of the poe,, deeming
he present proper occasion for referring to its
beautiful passages well for their soul. stirring
appeal to our patriotism, Tor the stnging rrtukc
to the official who could pretend to forget the fair
fame of the noble ship that has braved, for forty
years, the battle and the breeze; and atrocousy
| propose to condemn her glorious and time -honored
hull to base and ignominious uses.
| The history of the Constitution need not be re-
cited to American readers. Her name and story
are connected with the most interesting events of
the last war with England, in which she bore the
most distinguished part She is now daily expected
from short cruise in the Mediterranean, and is
in as fine order as any. ship that floats. She was
thoroughly repaired, asst is called in navy parlance
rebuilt, in fact, at Boston, only thirty months ago,
and sailed from that port the 9th of Dec 1sis as
good and as sound a new ship Having Just
been rebuilt, she therefore does not need to be re-
| paired, much less to be condemned-asC Commodore
skinner ought to know-as he is at the head of the
Department of Repairs.
The Constitution is one of the fastest sailers in
the navy and though her armament is but fifty
| guns, she would 90 INTO action with better pres
| fige Of victory than any sixty gun modern figate
of any service. The associations of glory and VIC
tory connected with her past history, would make
the roar OF Of her old gus strike more terror
the heart Of the enemy, than the full battery of
the best line of. battle-shi in the service Her
very name-"old Ironsdes tower of strength
Shall, then,
The harpies Of the shore, pluck
This eagle Of the sea ~
Never When the time shall come which is
not yet-that che shall be of no further use better
snk her in mid ocean, and let the coral of the deep
she so long ruled, grow around her old bones and
form fitting tomb for the Pride Of the Sea-"
AFFAIRS IN VENEZUELA. The affairs in Vene-
zuela, as our columns and correspondence show,
are still in state of curious transition and trouble.
That repsblc should exhibit so much hot blood
and political warfare is rather parodoxica. There
is some explanation, however, Of the conduct Of
Monagas, in the communication Of one Of our cor
respondents, which we give, in justice to Monagas,
the president Of the Venezuelan republic; while
our own correspondent at Caracas makes known
some points with respect to the affairs of the
country, and to the agricultural and commercial