Daily national Democrat., 1859-12-23
Tho Erpedltlon Agninst China.


The telegraph announces that at last ac-
counts, preparations in France for the pro-
posed expedition against China, continued
with great activity, and that eight thousand
men would probably take their departure lor
the Celestial Empire, during the latter part
of the present month. We are led to lnier
fl ON this, land indeed it Isl SO announced 'ha'
the French and English have agreed upon
plan for the carrying on of the expedition
England, smarting under the defeat sustained
bv her bold tars at the mouth Of Peiho, has
ever since that unlucky affair, been making
preporations, on a large scale, to retrieve her
prestage in Chna-or in other words, to oh
tain reparation from the Celestials, for the
Peiho affair How is this reparation to be
obtained? ? The natural answer is by force
of arms if China does not make the requisite
apology. 1t is doubtless the intention OF
England and France to overawe the Celestials
if possible. by the display of superior Mill
tary force failing in this, they will then have
recourse to arms We are told that an Euro
pean force, larger than any yetseen in China
and "equal to any service thai may be re-
quired of it, will appear in the Peiho in the
/ Spring" We conclude from this, that 1t Is
the intention to frighten ample reparation
out of the Celestials, or else, to thrash it out
of them. 1t may, perhaps, be matter of sur
prise to some, that France should join with
England in the proposed expedition, just at
this time. IF accounts from France are to be
believed, the people of that country, and
more particularly the army, bear England no
good will, and talk of the pleasure it would
give them to engage in another conflict with
their great rival The very Jealousy howeve,o of
the French, in regard to the power of Eng
land, would hardly suffer them at present, to
allow their rival to be before them, in way
of acquiring power and prestage in the Chi
nese Empire. Besides, France suffered at the
Peiho, as we'll as England. She too, has a
blot upon her name, which she must'wipe
out in some way or other. Since the race
between these two nations, is a race for pres
tage and power, it is by no means strange
that their chickering's should be suppressed for
while, in view of the probable requirement
of additional power in Asia. How the pro-
posed expedition is viewed by the other Eu-
pean nations, we cannot say.
| We remember, however, to have read an
extract from one of the leading Austrian pa
pers in which the course of England and
France in the matter, was spoken of as being
wholly unwarranteG, and not to be justified.
One of the French papers too, held pretty
much the same language We should Judge,
that as a general thing in Europe, the pro-
posed expedition is viewed in no favorable
light 1t appears to be pretty we'll conceded
that the battle Of Peiho, was brought on by
the foolhardiness, the insOlence, and rashness
OF Mr.. Bruce, the English Minister. In the
first place, the attempt to force passage up
the Peiho river, in order to reach Pekin. was
not only wholly unwarranted, but actually
senseless. There was another way by which
the French and English Ambassadors could
have reached Pekin; and this way was point
ed out to the British Minister, by the Impe-
rial Chinese Commissioners.
"The Commissioners" we are told, Gin
formed him that northwardly of the Peiho
was another river which they could enter
and ascend, and from which they could de-
bark for an overland journey to Pekin. When
arrived at this more northerly river, the
Commissioners assured Mr. Bruce that he and
the other representatives of foreign powers
would find all due arrangements made to in
sure their conveyance to the capital"
What the Commissioners told Mr.. Bruce,
was true in every respect. Ample arrange
ments had been made on the other route. for
the conveyance of the foreign representatives
to the capital. That route was afterwards
taken by Mr.. Ward the American Minister.
The Chinese Emperor, had all along refused
to open the river Peiho to foreign fleet and
hence it was no violation of the treaty with
the British, to keep it closed against them.
Common sense, Ito say nothing of policy or
justice) ought to have lead Mr. Bruce at any
rate to ascertain whether what the Chinese
Commissioners told him in regard to there
being another route to Pekin, was true. He
affected however to believe that the Commits.
sioners were lying to him. He looked upon
a map and could find no such river laid down.
Without making any further investigations,
he resolved to force passage up the Peiho.
The American Minister. on the contrary, like
a sensible man, took it upon himself to ascer
tain whether or not, another passage to Pekr
did exist. He found that it did, and that
preparations had been made, for conveying
himself and suit to Pekin.
Mr.. Bruce appears to have acted strangely
ever since his arrival in China. His letters
to the Chinese Commissioners, whom he found
waiting at Shanghae, to make arrangements
for the conveyance of the foreign representa-
tives, to Pekin, are represented as having
been arrogant, and offensive" coarse in
style, and undigni6ed in tone.' An English
gentleman of Shanghae declared that one of
Mr.. BIuee's letters to an old Chinese diplo-
masist, was enough to provoke the Chinese
into war.
Upon the whole Mr. Bruce had, or affected
to have, an utter contempt for the whole
Chinese Government And now his blunder
is to be rectifed, by the armies of England
and France.
Gov SEWARD was presented in Alexandria