The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-11-09

We published. on Thursday last, an article from
the London Times, in which the course pursued
by Mr.. REED, our Commissioner to China, pend
ing the treaty of Tien-Tsin, is commented upon
with great severity. The position occupied by
Mr.. REED, as a pacific negociator in quest of a
treaty under cover of the guns of Foreign powers,
one which we have never regarded as worthy
of our national honor and dignity, and if he has
really failed, as the Times alleges in impressng
the Chinese with due respect for the UNITED
STATES, whose representative he was, the blame
must certainly, in part, be attributed to the in
structions by which he was hampered, and to the
awkwardness of the situation in which he found
himself placed. That he should have held opn-
ions adverse to those entertained either by Lord
ELGIN or Baron GRos, may be regarded as proof
that he was disposed to exercise the right of pri-
vate Judgment and was not at all inclined to adopt
their quarrel with the Celestias. Nor is the fact
that in expressing his views, he conceded with
Count PUTIATIN, any evidence, whatever that he
was the s'fond dupe'' of the Russian Commits
sioner. 1t might just as readily be argued be-
cause they thought alike and acted in unison,
that Count PUTIATIN was the dupe of Mr.. REED.
But when the Times charges our Commissioner
with being ''always on the side of the Chinese,
stand always against his own countrymen," it is
but lust that we should examine whether so da-
maging an accusation is borne out by the facts.
One of the points urged against Mr. REED, is that
he was eager to make treaty OF some sort with
any Mandarin that wore button, and whether the
Celestial official was clothed with full powers or not
This we believe to be true but only in so far that
Mr.. REED and Count PUTIATIN were willing to treat
with Commissioner TAM leaving the question of
''full powers open to subsequent settlement
Whether this concession, to government as pune
tilious with regard to etiquette as the Chinese was
iudicious, or not, we do not undertake to deter
mine; but with the reservation attached, the error,
if it NAV be so called, certainly carried with it the
means of correction. The Times further charges,
that the treaty which Mr.. REED finally made,
merely re-affirmed the stipulatons contained in
the treaty of 1874, without embracing any other
concessions than the merely abstract right to send
a Minister to Pekin upon special occasions, and
the privilege of trading with Swatow and Tai
Wan. two ports that were already open to Foreign
commerce But it is not so much of the modera-
t;on of Mr. REEDS own demands that the Times
particularly complains, when compared with the
Russian Commissioners should have made siren
nous effort to obtain an abatement of those exac-
TONS We are told, that 'the Chinese Commits
ssioners had agreed by letter to all the English
sand French demands, the treaty had been
"draughted, and the hour had been named for
ssthe signature, when suddenly Mr.. REED and
ssCount PUTIATIN sought solemn audience of
| tsRaron GROs and represented to him that it was
.the height of oppression to insist upon any resi-
ssdent Embassy at Pekin; that the free transit
sttbrouph the country was most useless and
ssoGensive demand and that the additional ports
ssnever could be agreed to. We are told that
sttbese circumstances were pressed so strongly
ssunon Baron GRos that he who had no special
st;nterest in the commercial stipuatons would
shave given up the points, had he not been infu-
stenced by a loyal regard for the unity of the
sscounsels of England and France. We are further
stold that the two remonstrant powers even forged
ssor believed the fable that the Emperor of China
chad sent down an edict positively forbiddinp
'the Mandarins to concede these points. For
'some hours the whole of the substantial benefits
t'of this treaty were in peril-we are STATING
s'nothing which was not we'll known throughout
''the whole expedtion-and the Americans were
s'insaney rejoicing at the apparent success of an
| sintrigue that could be beneficial only to the
sChinese and the Russians; would be in
different to the French, and would be vitality
| sfniurious to the English and to the Amer
l''icans, By great ability, and by great firm