The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-11-18
SECOND ARTICLE OF THE LONDON
TINES ON w. B. REEDS DIPLOMACY.
From The London Tunes, of De, 81

Ihe treaty hegollaUeu Dy MI hced, on behalf OF
the United States, with the Government of
China-probably the weakest and most worth
less document that lies among the archives at
Washington. To-day we notice the treaty con
Guided with the same semibarbarous Power by
Count Putiatine on the part of the Emperor of
Russia-an instrument of very different or
der, and deserving to be ranked among the
highest order of diplomatic papers,
Russia was, at the commencement of the
rupture with England in a very different posi-
ton to that of all the other European Powers
She had a long frontier cotermnous with that
of China; she had trade with the Chinese EN-
pre-, carried on by land transport she had an
established College at Pekin, nominally estab
lished for educational and ecclesiastical pur
poses, but really for political and diplomatic
objects and she also had large tract Of
Chinese territory, recently occupied in noise
less manner, but held by force sufficient to
hold in check all the military power of China
These circumstances formed the strength of her
position. On the other hand, she was excluded
from the privileges accorded to other European
Powers. She had no maritime rights The
right to trade at the five ports was specifically
confined to the subjects and citizens of nations
Heretofore trading to Canton. The Russians.
obtained possession ofthe country watered bv the
Amoor, had never traded to Canton, and there
fore had no share in these privileges--in fact,
the treaty of 1912 had been specially worded so
as to exclude them. The object of Russia,
therefore, in the recent negotiations, was to gain
the position of securing and utilizing her new
usurpations, to put herself upon an equality
with the other maritime European nations, and
to open up lines of communication between her
commerce upon the northern frontier of China
and the maritime commerce on the eastern
coast. In her first object she was early sue
cessiul. In the month of May last, by treaty
whereof we know nothing, except by the scanty
notice vouchsafed by the St. Petersburg Ga
zette, she acquired legal right TO all that large
tract of Chinese territory situated to the north
of the winding course of the AMOR. She thus
obtained outlet by water way to the Eastern
seas, in a latitude sufficiently southern to give
free passage to commerce for the ma or part Of
the year. Having thus secured her usurpations,
her next object was to utilize them. OF course.
she proposed to herself to obtain the insertion
IN the treaty about TO be concluded ut Tien-Sn
of the mOst-favOred-na clause: and. this be-
ing a fOregOne conclusion, all special stipula-
tons rs to maritime matters were to her a mat
ter OF supreme Indifference, She knew that
this OdiOus part Of the work would be done for
her by those most interested in that particular
matter
These nations ought to have been England
and America; but as Russia, beyond the view
OF obtaining her own treaty, had also the object
OF preventing, if possible, the presence Of any
other Power at Pekin, and the circulation of
any other than Russian merchants in the int
rior Of China, poor Mr. Reed was detached
from the side of England, and placed in an an
a in, Ill
objects, Count Putiatine knowing Lord Elgin
well enough to be satisfied that he would of his
own force obtain general commercial privileges
sufficient to answer the purposes of Russia.
The last most able move happily did not sue
ceed, but it was played with admirable subtlety.
poor Mr.. Reed being the cats paw, and being
made all the while to fancy that he was work
ing for some profound result in conducting the
intrigues against England. In reality, he was
exactly in the position of the carpenter in Ho-
garth's picture, laboring hard to saw off the
plank on which he sits.
This being promised, the Russian treaty will
be found admirably to subserve the interests Of
Count Putiatinc's master 1t consists of only
twelve articles. The first contains the usual
recital, tending to excite "a smile under the cir
cumstances, of the peace and friendship which
has for a number of years existed between Rus
STA and China; but it also guarantees an inter
community of securities for the subjects of the
respective empires. The second article is Of
more special Importance. 1t regulates the dip
lomatic relations between the two Courts gives
TO every Russian agent an open port right of
direct communication with Pekin, and provides
Tor the passage OF Russian envovs by land or
by sea, by any route they may choose, up to the
capital. The third article gives to Russia the
very important privilege of trading to the open
ports; and the fourth puts Russia shipping, in
respectof dues, upon the same footing with the
other European countries We NAV pass over
some OF the subsequent articles, which relate
to the presence Of Russian ships of war in
ChiAese ports, the treatment of wrecked Rus
sian subjects, the territorial juridical immuni
ties OF the subjects of the respective nations
and the circulation of Russian missionaries
provided with passports signed by Russian au-
thOrities. The 9th article contains stipua
ton dangerous to China-that a Convention
shall be held to settle the conterminous from
tiers OF the two empires. The tenth enamel
pates the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission at
Pekln from all its previous conditions of Chi
nese control but the eleventh draws very close
the ties that are hereafter to connect the two
countries.
This eleventh article provides that regular
postal service shall be established between Pc
kin and kiakhta-a city on the frontier, north
west from Pekn, and in a line between that
capital and st. PeterSburgh-for the communi-
cation between the two Governments, as wellas
for the wants of the Ecclesiastical Mission at
Pekin 1t is stipulated that the Chinese cour-
lers shall perform the to-and-fro service between
Pekm and kiakhta at least once a month, and
shall make the transit in fifteen DAYS More
over, it is agreed that every three months a
convoy shall make the transit between these
points IN space not exceeding one month
and this convoy shall be equal to the transport
of every kind of effects. The only remaining
article consists of the favOred-nation clause
whereby Russia adds to the special stipulations
which she alone can use, all the general advan-
tages that have been fought for and negotiated
for by England and France
We are not now discussing what the ultimate
designs of Russia upon China NAV. be. or how
far they may be antagonistic to our CONNER
cial interests, or how far, by adding to the
strength of that colossal Power, their realization
may become dangerous to European liberty
We are pointing attenuon only to the action
and result of these very interesting and import
amt negotiations. In this point of view, it is
impossible not to admire the simplicity and
neatness of this diplomatic instrument. There
is nothing in it that is not useful: nothing is
obtruded unnecessarily opportunities are left
open for hundred later discussions, but moth
ing is uncertain i'll the concessions that Russia
thought 1t important to obtain. As a mere piece
of diplomacy, it is quite perfect in its kind. OF
course, we have no right to complain that NJ
Putiatine intrigued against England and the
rest of the world, and tried to keep their states
men away from Pekin, and their merchants out
of the interior.
Having presumed that the policy of China is
pohcy OF territorial aggression, NJ. Putiatine
played ialr game for an adequate object. Per
hans we admire his skin &c &C., IL Il !. - -