New-York daily tribune., 1858-09-18

According TO the synopsis OF the Amencn
treaty with China which We published yesteray
from Hong Kong newspaper, the 26th srtick
provides for the exclusive jurisdiction Of Ia
- United States authorities over rights and inter.
course of its citizens" The statement is Gttk
obscurr, but there can be- no doubt that the prom.
sion referred TO is the embodied in the treatyd
Nankn, and subsequently in our treaty with China
by which the Chinese Government were obligets
renounce all jurisdiction whatever over the En-
glish and Americans resident in China This
remuneration included not merely the dsputesd
the English and Americans among themselves bd
their disputes with the Chinese also, and cvH
criminal proceedings against them for No
laions of the Chinese laws, and acta u
violence against the Chinese, all of wbd
under these treaties were recognizable only ia u
English and American consular courts. The ans
privilege has since been claimed BY the FrescA,
Dutch, Portuguese and other foreign nstions -
that the Chinese have suffered the annoyance Of
having erected their coasts imperism ~ imp
RIO Of the most mortifying character. Undoubtedly
the repugnance of the Chinese to any further open
ing of their country to foreigners and especially
TO admitting them into the interior, has been N Q
considerable degree due to their dislike to any fur.
her extension of this extraordinary privilege
Itisvery certain that neither we nor any Ear
pean nation would entertain for q single no
ment the proposition TO invest foreigners with
any such extraordinary privileges. In the cs~ d
our first Consular Convention with France, the
giving TO the French Consuls jurisdiction over The
controversies of French subjects among themselves
was found to be attended with extreme incon-
venience. Granting, however, that the security d
foreigners against the injustice and oppression OF
the Chinese tribunals, and the employment o.
Judicial forms means to drive them out OF tho
country, makes il necessary to shield them from
Chinese jurisdiction, the system actually adop's
has proved fruitful source Of abuses. Escs
Christian nation on the coast Of China has undrf'
taken to set up there Judicial system Of ts OWL
the Consuls or Commercial Agents being msds
also judges, with some sort Of a right
appeal to the Minister resident. The EngnA
having q settlement at Hong Kong, have
established something like a regular judicial syS
trH, auu' IL - t''u odi" W th' 'f"ty "~s
reasonableness Of their decisions, have made
favorable impression on the Chinese. As for W.
our administration Of justice ON the coast Of Chn
has been most nOtOriously inefficient, even in IL
eases Of mercantile controversies among the Amsr
lean residents themselves. As to the ease Of COO
troversies between foreigners of different nations
the existing system makes no adequate pro,isoa;
while the persons selected for consuls arc q
general very Unqualified for the task Of acting =
Judges even between their own countrmens whs
the prevailing ignorance Of the Chinese hnguags
a=d the extreme lack Of competent interpreters
quite disqualiy them, even were they ever -
VEIL disposed for adjudicating cases in which o"
Of the parties is Chinese.
Ifit is necessary that the foreign residents .
China should BE- judged BY tribunals Of their Oh
the convenience and interests OF all parties fori9S
ers a. well as Chinese. would seem to require ~
establishment Of a single system Of courts for u
purpose, instead ofthe multiplied but ineHhcienshS
unas which Of present exist. AZ the Ensb~.
French, Americans and Russians have co5pen'"
to coerce the Chinese Government into yieldinsp
their jurisdiction, why should they not also cooPs'
ate for the purpose of coercing their own sup,ees
and citizens into decent respect for the rs's
both Of each other and Of the Chinese IL
vain to expect-if the utter hwlessness on the p''
Of foreigners in their dealings with the CAM
which has prevailed for ten years past, 10 70 %
lowed to continue-that We shsn success
overcoming their dread and hatred Of US nse'
is made part of the system Of forcing traas :.
intercourse with the Chinese to relieve foreis'e"
from any responsibility to the Chinese tn':a.
and that on the seors Of their incaPscity 70 saH-
lister justice, We arc certainly bound !"
this opportunity to give to the Chins'' . p's~.
exhibition Of our superiority ip this msst'f'