The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-11-18

We boast that civilized religious instructed
ration What of all these blessings have been conferred
upon India The iphsbtaI t. OF that fine, that NOBLE
country are not TO be compared to the Swiss pom
bin bleak and barren mountains We are large com
mefcal country but we have extended the nuR%n
izing and cyiizing blessings Of to India This
is an agricultural nation. What picture does India
present Possessing boundess tracts of land with every
shade OF climate ut for the be productions OF the earth
yet men pershing by thousands and hundreds Of thou
da Com any filled with bread wruns from their
toll by standing army We have boosted of our re gion
Have We impaired any of it to the nations Of ladia
We profess to he we'll governed nation, and to be well
acquainted with the principles Of liberty, which We
highly prize: but have not given that liberty Iu-
da. We have not even made justice accessible to them
So far from impartng to India, have ruined
that which she commenced BEFORE 1t many years
since India supplied almost every European nation with
cotton cloths Now. we supply her with fabrics
In 1887 famine in India swept off half
million Of people, and it was brought on chiefly
by robbing the population of the produce of
their soil, to fill the Golfers of the East India
Company. Multitudes starve every year from
the enormous land tax. During these famines
thousands sell themselves and their children
into slavery for bread. to prevent their dying
by starvation. Yet the United States is tainted
by the British with negro slavery-a legacy
left this country by themselves. The demorali-
cation of the people Of India-men and women
by the British army and the officials, is too
notorious to admit of controversy. All this
grinding tyranny and annual defamation Of
the people, and all this immortality and profit
gacy, are perfectly well known to the japanese
authorities, through the Dutch; and therefore
thew want no connection with the British EN-
pire.
Again-the history Of the Chinese opium war
is known to them, both through the Dutch ana
the Chinese themselves-a war the injustice o.
which can be only paralleled by its novelty-a
war to compel an unoffending nation to take poi
son prohibited by their own laws. The poor Ce-
lestials lost 10000 men in the struggle, and had
to pay s21 900, 900 to the British government.
Such is the prostration of body and mind pro-
duced by opium-far worse than the most
beastIy excuses in intoxicating drinks-that
even the British Commissioner Mr.. Martin, APP
pealed to the humane feelings of the Queen to
put an end to the horrible traffic, by which the
average existence Of men is reduced to four
years, at the end of which they die miserable
death.
When this opium conquest was completed.
Sir Henry Pottinger proposed to proceed
to Japan to claim satisfaction for re-
ceived insults, and to demand admission
for British ships to those islands on terms
of mutual mercantile advantage! But the
japanese Emperor, taught by the fate Of China,
took the right view of British reciprocity. AT
the time of the Chinese war, the King of
Holland, frightened by the conquests of the
British, and fearing that they might extend
them to Japan, and drive the Dutch altogether
out of the trade, wrote to the Japanese EN-
peror advising him to anticipate the blow by ex-
tending to all foreign flags the privileges oftrade
hitherto enjoyed exclusively by the Dutch. In
rejecting this advice the Emperor wrote in reply
that the results of the Chinese war taught him
very different lesson, and that was, that there
was no safety but in the rigorous exclusion OF
the foreigners Such was the reasoning of the
Emperor of Japan; and on this point, we say
American diplomacy has tremendous advan-
tage over English. Another ground Of hope
s. that there is no prejudice against the
Americans, as in the case Of the British arising
from past insults OF hostilities to SO unforgiving
people as the japanese. The manner in which
Commodore Perry was receivedis proof that the
United States is regarded with more than ordi-
nary favor; and this augurs well for the future,
if nothing should occur to stir up an unfriendly
feeling Still, mere courtesy from so polite
people would be a very deceptive basis on
which to rest the probability of favorable re-
ply to the letter of the President. The great
point to urge upon the japanese Emperor is
the humanity. justice, and mutual advantage of
American intercourse, as compared with that of
the European powers. But from the impossi-
blAty OF gaining access to his presence, and the
uncertainty Of even communicating with him
by writing-the officials being justified by law
in intercepting all micronesia is no easy
matter to present to him or his ministry fair
statement Of the case. The Dutch too. have
got the ear Of the authorities, and will not be
very likely to promote the American cause.
Add to this the difficulty of the language, which
an old missionary Of the Jesuits once said Satan
himself had invented, in order to obstruct the
progress of Christianity in Japan, and it will
be evident that the task of opening that empire
to our commerce will require rare combina.
ton of firmness and skill, courage and tact, on
the part Of the agents Of the American gov
Our PROSPECTS, OF MUNICIPAL REFoRM-The
more we examine and reflect upon our chances
Of obtaining any decided improvement over the
old system OF city government by the new char
ter, and the new corporation elected under it,
the less faith are we disposed to place on the
realization of those desirable ameloratons. The
Journal Of Commerce had an article, a few
days ago, on this interesting subject of good
city government, in which that journal recon-
mended the organization and Building up of a
clique. or party. outside of the corporation to
control and influence its proceedings. 1t was
the attempts already made to bring the city
dart ho in,v,r ina ~ q