The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-11-20
sh,ue.c Mititar, Character.

The Chinese nave long mao the Eeputaao" Va
being the greatest towards in the world
Whether this was ever true of any but the IN
habi.ants of certain localities, such AS shans'
hal, is more than prob'ematicai' Inc oosu'
macy and destructiyeness with which they car
ry on wars among themselves would seem 10
indicate AS much pluck and stamina as any
other people. They quaiied at first before the
super Tor discipline and ornaments of the
"outside barbarians;" but IL would seem from
recent events that they have learned to face
even the rifled cannon and scientific soldier
ship of more civilized nations. Their victory
over the British squadron at the Pei-Ho forts
in 1859, was an achievement of which the most
warlike of the Western nations might have
been proud, and though the positions they
then so successfully defended have just oeeh
retaken by the allies it has been At cost OF
life tn the assailants which demonstrates tha'
the Chinese have become apt pupils In " Inc
,nanlv art of self. defence" The London Tunes
prowIs sayaseIy and doIefully over the dearly
purchased victory. THAT there should have
been a hard fight of three hours" says the
Tt~.s, ais not as tonishing, even with the over
WIDENING force aud the terrible warlike en-
slnes with which the commanders of the Eu-
ropean forces were supplied. They may be
reasonably supposed 10 have desired to ac-
Quire possession of the forts without cost OF
life 10 their own men, and 10 have made use Of
their arms Of precision and rified cannon,
keeping their own men safe, and demonstra-
ting to the enemy how useless farther resist
ance mnst be. But hat the allies should hdr,
lot 50 may men in killed and w0pnied III this
business does certainly t5ctte oar dStoHiShmsnt,
aud we shall wait with anxiety the arr ival Of
car correspondents account of the affair,
which we hope may show that such an expen-
xiiture of life has hot been unnecessarily in
CURED"
The Times inclines TO the conclusion that if
ii be found necessary, in order 10 drive q Chi
nese force out OF one of their ten thousand
fortresses, the allies must incur such enor-
NOUS cost and lose so many men, tcar IN
Chiaa has eatireiy changed ats character, and
the allies must apply themselves to reason
upon that unpleasant fact. The Boyne forts,
onoth the Times, were, to look at, tremend-
ous and impossible fortitications as CO uld be
built, yet the English used to 60 in and batter
them down, periodically, with three or four
ships of war. In the narrow waters of the
Canton river, there were fort.hcations just as
strong in guns and masonry as those which
defeated the English last ear, and which have
since been retaken at such cost OF life; yet
every now and then, when difficulty arose,
either an English or an American ship Of war
set the garrison scampering by few shells
snow, it seems, all this is changed. 4 fort in
China IS Ike a fort in Sebastopoi, and Chinese
enemy exhausis all the forms of European
warfare. The enemy stipulates for the horrors
OF war, and retires with colors flying and
gongs and tomtoms tormenting the atmos-
phere. 1t is plain, that as we continue these
wars, we are either making them more diff
cult, or else we are breeding race Of Admirals
and Generals who make more of a diffic ulty
sn the matter"
If articles Of peace, as is deemed probable,
have followed the military operations of the
Hlies, the Chinese military character has suf-
fered no damage from the collision. On the
contrary, it is now demonstrated that the tim
idty formerly manifested BY the Chinese to-
wards European soldiers, was the result Of
the inexperience and ignorance Of military
silence, as practiced by these nations, and the
iuferiority in efficient weapons as we'll as dis
cipline. But they are apt pupils in the arts of
war we'll as of peace and numbering
population of some three hundred millions,
their military subjugation, if the allies ever at
will nj