The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-04-16
BALTIMORE.
FRIDAY, APRIL Is, 1858.

FRIDAY, APRIL Is, 1858.
The Allied captors of Canton appear to be very
much in the condition of the man who had drawn
an elephant in a rattle. They do not know exact
ly what to do with their prize. They are in I'M
disturbed possession of the forbidden town. but
as far removed as ever from all intercourse with
its people. They have broken down the middle
wall of partition erected by Chinese exclusiveness
against foreign intrusion, but have made no pro-
gress whatever towards the attainment of their
original purpose, viz the establishment of direct
diplomatic relations with the Imperial court and
permanent commercial relations with the Chinese
people. At least, such is the confession of the
London Times, which journal in q recent leader
holds the following language:
''Our proceedings in China give result strange
ly compounded of success and nullity We have
done great deal, and have yet got almost every
thing to do. We have been victorious in every
advance without apparently getting step further
on our way, and seem to have finished the war
most fortunately without being any nearer the
true objects of peace" The "Chinese puzzle"
therefore, is nearer solution than before. Upon
the stold unmpressbe Cantonese the chastise-
ment inflicted by the Allies seems to have had no
more effect than the passage of a vessels keel
leaves upon the surface of the ocean, At present,
the English soldiers and sailors ''come and 90,
buy and SELL and wander and stare about the
shops and streets of Canton and there is tnot the
smallest disposition on the part of any native to
insult or shun" them. The people seem perfectly
Indifferent at the occupation of their city by the
'outsde barbarans, - and totally unconcerned as to
what may be their future plans. They appear to
care not whether they go or stay. No sense of
national honor or feeling of patriotism stimulates
them to oppose any of the measures which the Allies
may choose TO adopt. While, so far as the Impe-
rial Government is concerned, the Times candidly
contesses its inability to tell whether the Court at
Pekin has ever heard of the capture of Canton, or
whether the event will exert any influence upon its
decisions" Truly satisfactory and gratifying
result. War has been waged and brought to Il
successful close and it is not at all certain that the
vanquished party is aware that he has been
whipped, while it is very clear that the victor re-
CARDS his triumph in the light of barren victory
What next to do, the Times knows not. The
Times Especial correspondent is equally at fault
Lord Elgin and Baron eros are in doubt Those
confidential advisers of the Plenpotentiaries, 'the
Interpreters" are also in doubt and ACCORDING TO
the last China mail, Mr.. Commissioner Reed, and
Count Putiatin the Russian Ambassador have been
called into council to assist in getting the Allies
out of this awkward dilemma, of doubt and I'M
certainty and help in bringing matters to a salts
factory conclusion. The Times thinks 'Gord Ell
gin will probably proceed to the North, and open
communications with the Celestial Court" but as
to what good that will do the Times does not in
form us, but ominously shakes its head, and sue-
gest ats doubts whether his overtures will be re-
celved in any spirit promising definite result
In the meantime, the captive Yeh sits on the deck
of the InReridle and passes his time prayinr to
Buddha and telling his fortune He was asked
whether he wished any books to read. His answer
I'What should | do with books? All the
books that are proper to be read know by heart
Peh-kwei, his quonddm colleague in power and
mischief and present partner in misfortune, spends
the hours of his captivity in much the same way.
CHE is too great man to do any thing" saws the
Tunes correspondent. 'He sits all day in an I'M
comfortable STRAIGHTFORWARD chair, and receives a
few reports and writes occasionally-or rather
dictates, for his handwriting is unpresentable-to
the Emperor" He too asked s'whether he |
Iassed much of his time in reading? He replied |
No, | never read; my heart is very heavy. |
cannot laugh romances, and if read GOOD |
books 90 to sleep" What can one do with a |
people, of whom these great dignitaries are proba-
bly,, if not the most favorable specimens, at least
very fair types?
To crown all, says the Times after clearing |
-,
which we have suggested as likely to interfere with
the establishment of permanent diplomatic relations
and unrestricted intercourse with the Chinese |
'there is still one point on which we are sadly |
helpless. We cannot converse with them Two |
centuries of commercial intercourse, including a |
long period of trade upon the most enormous |
scale, have not produced any sufficient crop of
Chinese scholars All communications with the |
Chinese officials, all intercourse in fact beyond
the simplest transaction of buying and selling |
between the conquerors and the conquered have |
to be conducted through the agency of one or the
other of the three interpreters who appear to cnioy
monopoly of linguistic knowledge, so far as the
Chinese tongue is concerned. When to the embar-
rassment which this single circumstance is alone |
sufficient to create are added the obstacles thrown
in the way of all diplomatic intercourse by the
cumbrous forms of Chinese ceremonial and etiquette
by the confirmed red-topism of Chinese Mandarins
and other officials, and the general system of cir
cumlocution, Misrepresentation and msreprescnta-
ton which characterizes all their dealings, we NAV
form some faint idea of the magnitude of the un-
dertabing which the English and French penipo-
tentlaries, the American Commissioner and the
Russian Envoy have at present in hand Wishing
them safe deliverance out of the diplomatic
in which they involved, we leave
the solution of the "Chinese puzzle' where we
find it, without further mystifying ourselves and
our readers in its CONTEMPLATION