The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-06-22


in the columns of THE EXCHANGE, that those who
antipate through the treaty of Tien-tsin a rapid
extension of foreign commerce with China were
laboring under an erroneous impression with re-
gard to the resources of that country. The value
of orr exports to China must at all times be gov
erned almost wholly by the value of the commodi-
ties we are capable of receiving in exchange, and
as the Celestias have hut two staples for export
silk and tea-which meet with anything like an
extensive demand among MS, we can scarcely ex-
pect to furnish them with textile fabrics of our own
manufacture for which they are unable to supply
an equivalent If China were rich in the precious
metas-which she is not-the case would be DIFF
ferent IT, also, with the advantage on our side
of skilled labor and machinery, we could undersell
the Chinese in fabrics, which are the result of the
cheap handwork of a swarmng population, we
might very naturally look forward to an extraor-
binary extension of our commerce with Eastern
Asia unless the Imperial Government continued,
as Of DID, to discountenance the purchase of
foreign commodities. But where, as in India, the
most insignificant sum will suffice to pay the daily
wages of a vast army Of artisans and mechanics,
successful foreign competition becomes matter of
extreme difficulty. The Chinese, it must be re-
membered, are not progressive people. What
they were five centuries ago. they are at present.
They have neither advanced nor retrograded
MARCO Polo, who published, toward the close of
the thirteenth century, account of his travels in
China, was long accused of having " drawn on
his imagination forhis facts, yet his accuracy in
relating what he himself saw, has been from time
TO time confirmed in remarkable manner In
deed none of the Asiatics appear to be capable of
advancing beyond a certain stage of civilization.
With the Chinese, this characteristic lis so very
strongly marked, that there is scarcely to be found
any appreciate difference between the record of
experiences which MARCO Polo gave to the world in
the thirteenth century, and that of Hue, the mis-
sionary, in the nineteenth The more recent OBJ
servations of Lord ELGIN do but serve to confirm
the conclusions which were reached by previous
travellers and plenipotentiares. At the civic ban
quet with which the Londoners, on the 4th of the
present month, welcomed Lord ELGINs return
from ''the fowery land" he made telling and
effective speech. While contrasting the pure and
elevated precepts inculcated in Chinese books with
the corrupt administration of the laws he re-
marked that "those who dispensed what with a
little touch of irony, was denomnated Justice
''were not wholly above suspicion; and that fatal
mischief, pervading as it did the whole social
'and political system, introduced everywhere the
'Seeds of corruption and decay" Ia sarcastic
allusion to the competitive examinations, which
have lately been introduced into England, in the
case of candidates for service in India, and for
subordinate diplomatic appointments, he said
that
n China public functionaries of every class passed
rapidly through the ordeal of competitive examination
1t was matter of custom also in China rather than of
positive eXctement-but it privilege accorded to
none but officials of high rankthat the person who ac
cepea an Office requiring great integrity did with the
Coortaoe assurance, the perfect certainty that il he
laied 10 eNtrlcate himself credably from the difficulties
OF emparrasSmens pertaining it, sooner or later he
Would terminate his official by decapitation
tiear' near and laughter.) Now, that was a custom
which, no doubt, was attended with some slight incon-
aenehGe, ana pressed perhaps little hardly upon
individuals renewed laughter but it was efectua for
TINS purposeit vacancies and operated in that
was as powerful incentive and encouragement to enter
ptIsns young men who were DESTROYS of attaining
instruction IN their country's servce-(much augherl-
anu ne mad sometimes thought that if that practice were
introduced into England it would produce considerable
amongst the heads of public departments,
ana AT any rate have powerful tendency reduce that
ethora oil prime ministers and that kind dee mina-
on blood to the head which appeared the disease
81, WHICH, 70 Judge by present appearances England
most likely to be visited Hear, hear) The result
y beer
that the system of competitive examination even when
completed by decaptaton not an adeoute substitute
lor hat manly morality which the legitimate product
OF free institutions
After cleverly excusing himself from making any
revelations with regard to his course in China,
winch might compromise his character as dis
Greet dlplomatst, and, perhaps, bring him as a
state prisoner, 'under the auspices of the Consta-
'ole OF the Tower he took up the question of
foreign commerce, and alluded to the general i'm
preston in England, at the close of the Opium
war, that so great would be the advantages accrtl-
ing from the opening of the five ports that call
''the mills of Manchester would not be able to
provide goods enough to supply a single Chinese
province" .....
"He-1oRD ELGIN-had been told, for instance that il
ne wished TO Scertaia what quantity of Manchester cot
ton goods the Chinese would require event of
to calculate the number of nightcaps they wore. "a
augh.l But lnasmnch as his experience amongst the
Chlnese was confined to the daytime
to the night he could not speak with upon thai
point, although he could venture say that if they al
wore nghtcaps capacious enough to their Ions
tails they would require very large quantity of cotton
indeed for the purpose Much laughter.) This, how
ever he knew that the whole of the 600 Chinese
wore blue cotton blouses and that ladies as well
their lords and masters arrayed in another
tion of garment ALSO without the mpuation of the neon
Venlence which the costume was supposed
Engl
Lord ELGN, however, was not prepared to say
to what extent commerce wonld be benefited by
the treaty of Tien-tsin. He, therefore, contentet
himself with intimating, that now that diplomacy
had completed its work by breaking down thu
barriers which had so long separated foreign ma
tons from four hundred millions of their fellow
men, it remained for the merchant and the manu-
tacturer to ascertain what it possible for them
to accomplish but he warned his countrymen
that they Unjust tax their ingenuity to the utmost
IF they would supplant the native fabrics y
Inc same warning will apply to the American
nhhuiacturer and it indicates alike the fallacy Of
ihuu'glng IN extravagant speculations with regard
" .u' '''ue OF the concessions which have re-
cent'y oeen made to commerce in Eastern Asia.
and the skill and energy which arc vet roonro5
to be brought into play before anv sensible od-
vantage can be derived from the new and ovtan.
sive fields which have been opened 70 r,a,oar,:,.