The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1857-01-21

The United States war We -
san Jacinto have cut IL, ' hoi's'nou'n az"
~ y"e' .e q Gordian knot to which
onsst;on yne- last article on the Chinese
4ue'''Vu' " 4 have opened the channel into a
Cmhese Ear There was some danger that the
MgD..A would contrive to rob the rest of us of
the donor and Of the profit of a forcible settle
Haent of the Chinese question; that danger is
now averted We are in for the war, and God be
thankful for it
The circumstances under which the United
States frigate Portsmouth bOmbarded and de-
stroyed Chinese fort near Macao are of no par
ticular consequence. From the telegraphic &C
count it appears that the Chinese molested our
countIymen. But the unexplained tragedy,
which cost us SO valuable life as Mr.. Cunning
hams, is quite reason enough for the lombard
ment Of any number of Chinese forts. Indeed
we are surprised, considering the circumstances,
hat our officers should have evinced such Chris
ian forbearance and evangelical long suffering,
while the English naval men were proceeding to
work with the more practical though less biblical
weapons invented by COngreve, Paixhan and
Colonel MIME. Our representatives in the Chi
nese seas are probably afraid Of being sneered at
for Yankee go-ahead-ism.
Bat the breach is now made the can
non have been used, and practically we
are at war with the great empire of China. The
rest devolves not upon this or that navy captain
or Commissioner who may be in the Chinese
seas, but upon the government at Washington;
and to that government accordingly do we adj
dress ourselves in commenting on the subject.
Many years have elapsed since the necessity of
insisting upon the opening Of the Yeang-Tse-
Keang was urged in the columns of the HERALD.
The idea appeared chimerical when it was first
suggested; no one contests its propriety now.
That the Yeang Use Keang, the Hoang-Ho, and
also the other great rivers of China may and
ought to be opened to the world, is the intimate
conviction OF every one who has thought upon
the subject; the only question in the mind OF
Chinese merchants and statesmen has been about
the time at which the attempt should be made
Some have advoca'ad waiting for a settlement OF
the dynastic war Others have proposed to wait
till the present d. nasty was overthrow. Others
have suggested that until the Chinese made a
forward step, we should be patient. The fossil
whigs-the men with broken skulls who groan
and whine over the AUGMENTATION Of Central
America, the prize blockheads Of the Unite
States, who tear their hair whenever young Jona-
than shows his pluck and his blood-say that
we must wait until the Chinese agree to
open their rivers-that is to say, that we
must give up the idea altogether.
We say-NOw is the time This is the oppor-
unity. Here is the chance.
If you let slip the present opportunity of
'orts at the head of navigable water on each of
The great rivers, you lose the very noblest chance
that has been offered to us during the present ge
neration. These rivers are the highway of q
traffic quite unexampled in the world. Millions
upon millions of boats travel them every month.
With proper facilities for transit that traffic might
be increased tenfold; and merchandise might be
prepared for exit such as no Eastern country has
ever sent abroad. OF all Christian nations We
are most interested in the question, for China is,
by the sea, the nearest great neighbor Of our Pa
ciic possessions China produces precisely what
they lack in all probability they will supply the
deficiencies Of the Chinese. England will benefit,
as the seignor of East India, by the
OF China, and the opening of its un-
bounded resources to Christian enterprise; but
her interest will be far less than ours
Under these circumstances, we desire
strongly 10 urge upon the government the
duty of cooperating energetically with the
governments of France and England, and
general Christian policy of civil
cation against the Chinese. We do not desire to
exterminate these poor people. We do not even
wish TO deprive them Of liberty or independence.
All that We desire is that they viii let us sail our
steamers up their rivers and peddle our wares in
their big towns, without having our threats cut
and this we want to DO, paying our pay, and b.
saving fairly to all men. If the Chinese refuse,
why, then, we want the three great government
Of the world, France, England and the Unite
States. to force them into our views. II will
come TO this, sooner or later; il is only ques
ton whether Mr.. Pierce has the sagacity to
anticipate events or will leave the glory to his
successor.
MOVEMENTS OF GEORGE PEABoDY-This dis
tinguished fnancier at the last accounts was lee
turing the Pennsyvanans on the text tia
honesty is the best policy" his subject ben