New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-10-03
mo. ., n occ.,iou .. .iviss i. an "un.ps.i.ss

qualification, anc eagerly acSP" 'ucui Is v'''
Jog rot merely the god feeling Of tue Amerc'a
Coumodo,e and EN- eas.a6.r. but az Al e.rDess OF
the rmn,tb.s. in this rev collnicc with she
Chinese. "of the great Ar gIeSsIor Republic
1t is very delishtful. DO dcuct. TO have the COM
mentstion Of The London inns, aud To fad that
torrent Of repro.cbes ard bitter inslnasrons
se.in.t us on the subject Of Chinese policy. IN
rh,el tb Journal has go long INDUCED, concerted,
all at once. into applause aud approval Bat even
this pleasure may be purchased too deiry, If IT ;'n
Only be had at the expense Of change IN tba' pol
icy which in spite Of tie criticisms OF The LondoH
Times, sud Of some journal. nearer home, hiss sii
alopg been pursued on cur p.rs IS TO this Ctlaets
quarrel It is perhaps natural enough that our
navy tficers should not like TO see fighting going
on under their loses End they have No part in IT,
Wbsn the trouble. first broke out az Caoton, they
vent in for their share in the fray. and had It de-
t,p6ed on their choice, We should have joined
Enelspd hid Fra, ce ss parties to the WAT.
Something of the same feeling appears to have
dictated the conduct Of Commodore Tstuall and
the American Eubsssador on occasion OF the
recent collision between the Chinese forts and the
ali. squaoron They did not, it is true, tske so
active part in the attack on the Chinese forts. To-
deed, bad they desired II, they would have found
serious obstacle TO that in the fact that the little
chartered steamer, the only vessel 10 which they
could approach these forts, was without any arms
ment What they did wss to volunteer the Aid OF
that steamer to tow up to the assistance of the dis
couftd English Admiral the boats containing
his reserve. The officer in charge of these boats
evidently considered that such piece OF assistance
would not be consistent with the neutral position
which the Americans professed to hold. He did
not, therefore, venture to ask it, be only looked un
uttersbe things But these locks were conclusive
with the Commodore, who easily brought the Em-
bassador TO bis way of thinking, and 1t WAS BY the
aid of the American steamer, that the reserve OF
the British attacking force was carried into action
The Commodore in his dispatch to the Secretary
Of the Navy, attempts t. ja.tfy this proceeding on
several grounds. He suggests in the frat place,
that Mr. Ward by adopting the idea OF the Chinese
Commissioners that he might best proceed to Pekln
in company with the British and French Embssss
doris, had thereby Z" to certain extent" assumed
"tbe same platform" occupied by those embassa'
doris Blu. to what eItent' Cert,uy not to the
extent Of joining them in forcing an entrance nto
the southern mouth of the Peibo against the oppo-
sition of the Chinese since the Commodore himself
conct dts in this very dispatch that be was not to
20 beyond the point consistent with our neu'
"trality." Next, be dwels with q good deal OF
emphasis upon the Kindness of the British Admiral
the day before, in sending steamer to be'p him of
when be had grounded under the guns Of the
fcrts in attempting to enter the river, and, when IL
appeared that he was too fast stuck to get of IN
that way, in Offering him the loan Of British
ste,mer, it being probable that hi, own might roll
over and fll--an offer Of which the Commodore was
none the less sensible that he did not see ut TO
accept it. But whatever claim upon the Com no-
dore's gratitude the British Admiral might thus
have established that claim could hardly go 90 far
as to Justify him in forgetting that as between the
Chinese and the English we held neutral position.
Finally, the Commodore sets up tina. when be towed
in the boats to the Admirals assistance, the con-
test was really over, and that these boats and
men were needed not TO continue the attack
upon the Chinese forts, but to enable the
Admiral TO extricate himself, aud to re-
tire from hopeless contest. The towing
I'D the boats is thus represented, not as
an offensive movement, but merely as move
ment of assistance, and which, on the part Of
a neutral, the Commodore seems disposed to place
on the same level with picking up the wounded or
rescupg the drowning after the fight WAS over.
In point of fact, however, the men and boats thus
lowed up by Commodore Tatnall we're employed in
offensive operations. Not only did they furnish
new crews to the British gun boats, thus enabling
them TO continue the bombardmsnt of the forts,
but these boats and these men were employed in
the attempt to land and storm the forts which turned
out so dissstrously, and by which the losses of the
English we're so much aggravated.
TIE Chinese who are not disposed to add to the
number of their enemies, may be inclined to over
10 this interference our part, especially as it
only resulted in making their victory the more
signal; nevertheless it might be we'll enough that
Mr.. Secretary Cass should enlighten Com. Tatnall
little as 10 the rights and duties Of neutrality.