The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1857-08-19
III. Struggle .f IN. ssit,.h In Asia.

sDd PefNcus "oes the att ude OF the British ap-
par. Up'e's tn future is greatly belisd by tue
present John Bull may find that be has thrust his
bead into nest of hornets and cannos draw it
out
The British feet at Hong Kong, under the COM
mand of Sir Michael Sey celebrated the ar
rival OF the new Minister Plenip oteutiary, Lord
Egin, by oomharding Chinese fort ami barn.
ing aud capturing fotiia of small war juuks in
the Cantoo river. They were successful in all
their operations. They took the fort They
TOOK the boa~ What they chose they barnt,
$40 what they cho-e they Carried away. But
aud this after all, is the important part of the
sto'y-tne result of he fight va, decided
change OF opinion in the minds of the assaiiants
a. to The capacities Of the Chinese tor lighting
TIE English we're very severely punished. aud the
officers ALLOW that the Chinese veasels were de-
Tended with valot and skill
This is the only item of the news from Ceiua
That is worth the least attention. As to the Egg
lish taking an armed fort and capturing few
dozen Canton boats, sucn an affair is not worth
secend thought 1t can neither hurt the Chi-
nese nor help their enemy. The government
at P, kin will not hear Of the loss; the boats
will not even be missed the dead men will ooly
make room for Others. For the peculiarly OF
ChiDa-and that which makes war with the
Chinese so different from any other warts the
fabulous humber Of the people and the exhaust
LEES resources Of the country. An army of
million Chinese cut off to the last man. would not
impair the strength of the government or neces
state change of policy: and, as to gunboats
Why, China could afford to lose as many every
morning as the English have just destroyed in
this naval engagement, and never feel it. The
victory" then, must 60 for nothing, 30 far as
practical results are concerned
But the newly discovered courage and skill of
the Chinese are very significant novelties For,
from the very same reason which impairs the eff
feet OF British victories, If the Chinese have
courage and skill, war with them becomes
very desperate matter indeed. If they could
turn out as brave soldiers as those which have
just sailed from England and were they differed
as they may be, by graduates of the Russian
military schools, China would a. once become the
foremost beiligerent Power in the world. She
could send into the field and replace at intervals
an army greater than the whole of the Russian
English. French Sandman and Turkish armies
VITO fought at Sebastopd; and as all war, In toe
language of Napoleon, is merely the science Of
numbers, and the gods are always on the side of
,he largest battalions she would of course be
without ali equal in the world. 1t is the tendency
to that state of things which looks 30 disqueting
for the English
Sober second thought-on the files brought
by the last Indian mail-has satisfied even the
most English Of the English journals that the war
in India is going TO be no child's play. We are
still without reliable information Us to the cause
OF the revolt and its origin. But the best autho
titles, both from Madras aud Bombay, assert that
the sepoy armies in these Presidencies only
await the signal to follow the example of their
comrades in Bengal. To suppose, indeed that a
cause sufficiently potent to draw away from their
allegiance nearly the entire bchy OF the Bengal
army could be without effect on the men in the
! Southern Presdencies, would be unreasonable
whether the mutiuy grew out Of outraged Hadoo
supersttlons, CT ambitious Moslem pride, or ma
| tive characterization under foreign yoke, the
motive cannot have been local, but must have
been general throughout all British India We
are therefore not disnclined to rely upon the late
rumor that the sepoys Of Bombay and Madras
are waiting for the issue Of the fight before Delhi
\ to pronounce FOR or against the Indian govern
ment; and we greatly fear that the issue OF that
conflict may be such az to impel them to follow
the mutinous example Of their comrades.
II ID possible. OF course, that Gen. Barnard may
take Delhi lie IL said to be man Of dash ;
a fiery, heads.rong soldier, who thinks
nothing equal to the charge with the cold steel
! Tie may have stormed the ruined walls day or
two after the lastdespaich left and availing him
! self OF The unwillingness with which native In
dams encounter Europeans, may have swept the
! city with his little handful Of men. Bu,w we are
bound to cay that the probabilities are not in IA
vor Of this event. The disproportion between bis
numbers and those Of the insurgeuts their excel
! lent position behind stone works in q rich city;
and above ALL the terrible weather which has
usually proved fatal to European troops at this
season in the vicinity Of Delhi, aud the absolute
impossibility of reinforcing him, where ne is, be-
fore the fall all these reasons lead US to concur
III bOIu ElShoOrouBhs aPPrenehsiou snae ueu
| Barnard il much more likely to fall back upon
the Gauges than to take Delhi.
Altogether the prospects of England in Asia
are gloomy enough, and might well warrant an
active effort on the part of her friends here to
awaken sympathy -moral and physical-on her
behalf. Tie thing can be done, il it be gone
about juGiciously.
| VIE Southern Commercial Convention.