The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-02-22

ment of the law and the facts which are now
given will have the effect of purifying the
atmosphere and driving OF some Of The lobby
brokers. Let us hear no more about the hard
ship Of keeping in custody one Of the gang,
when 20 many are running about unharmed.
We can feel sympathy for a pickpocket for
ignorance or necessity may have driven him to
the commission Of crime but your well dressed.
educated scamp has no such excuse, and de-
serves no plying tears. Let us try and con6ne
thcving, if possible, to city governments, State
legislatures and the Five Points
The War Ia Chins-The Celestial. not 90 bo
Bullied-American Policy.
Matters in China have arrived at sort Of
gular people seems to have extended itself TO
the operations of their invaders. At the last
accounts the English and French had made no
progress towards the objects of their demonstra-
ton. Commissioner Yeh is inaccessible to di-
plomatic reasoning; and as he is supported by
the court at Pekin, no other alternative seems
to be left than another appeal to force.
their full extent the logical consequences of the
rejection of their ultimatum? We think not.
The Chinese are q people upon whom no i'm
pressions can be made by knock down argu-
ments They know well that, although the
foreigners may batter down one or two of their
seaport cities and blockade their ports, they
dare not advance into the interior of the en-
pire. The population of China is, besides, so
redundant that the government would proba-
bly, look upon the operations of q little whole
sale blood letting as q positive benefit. What
does it signify to an empire like China to lose
few hundred thousand souls out of popula-
ton of three hundred and fifty millions?
When the earth swarms with human beings
and life is held in such little account, the worst
efforts of an invading force would only be re-
garded as 50 many flea bites. But if the Chi
nese cannot be considered equal to the British
and French in military skill and resources they
are not much behind them in political shrewd-
ness. Their public men-at least those who
have the management of the seaboard govern
ments-are as well aware as we are of the d.
versity of interests and the commercial jea-
lousies that sway the nations that are pressing
these claims against them They know that
they have only to oppose to the present move
ment protracted and obstinate resistance for
the combination to fall to pieces and dissolve of
ITSELF Whatever concert Of action may at pre-
sent exist between England. France and Russia
in regard to them, they can see that the first
advantages gained by the naval forces of those
nations would at once give rise to mutual dissen-
sions and chickering's. England has an interest
entirely distinct from that of France, and Rus
STA from that of either. England has a COM
mercial, France a sentimental, and Russia ter
ritorial object to achieve. <ne grounds al
legged by France for participation in this
movement are perhaps the least sincere of the
three, for under the pretence of demanding
satisfaction for the slaughter of her missiona-
ries, she is said to conceal important political
designs. But whatever may be the motives or
that they have no interests in common. The
Chinese see this as clearly as we do, and they
consequently set them all at defiance Acting
singly they might fear them but acting con-
jointly they only laugh at them. They know
perfectly well that they will each operate as q
check upon the other, and that their separate
designs will prevent them from carrying to any
very dangerous point their quarrel with China
We look. therefore, upon the present
hostile demonstrations against the Chinese
as likely to lead to no result advantageous
either to the Powers engaged in them or to the
cause of civilization. The French and English
seem to be sensible Of this, from the evident I'M
willingness which they manifest to push mat
tiers to extremities. The time lost in the opera
tons against Canton, and the diplomatic subter-
fuge adopted to give to a war with an entire
nation the color of q quarrel with one of its
officers, show clearly the difficulties under which
they are laboring. Canton taken, they will not be
one step farther advanced toward the objects of
the war. Even supposing that they we're in a
position to apply the screw to the Emperor at
Pekin, which is clearly impossible, they would
gain but little by that movement. The En-
peror exercises az present but partial sway
over his vast dominions and so strong is the
feeling of detestation entertained by rebels, as
well as imperialists, towards the outside bar
bariaRs" that any concessions forced from him
would only have the effect of ensuring the down.
fall of the present dynasty, without In any way
advancing the pretensions of the Europeans If
the Chinese empire is to be revolution
lied at all-which the success of these
claims would imply-it must be by
a movement from within, than which nothing
seems more improbable at present The English
l...I Al.
still less by this; and they will have to balance
against the doubtful honor of wholesale mas
sacre of the unfortunate inhabitants of Canton,
the cost and modification Of fruitless expo
dtion.
There are few political questions to which
some solution cannot be foreseen but the Chi