The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1860-12-10

The War I'm China-Re neSved Hostilities.
BY despatch transmitted to the British
Foreign Office from Suez, on the authority Of
the China 1fau Of October l, we learn that hos
tilitics had recommended in the North, in which
two skirmishes had been fought with the Tar
tar cavalry, which had been repulsed.
We further learn that the Allied army was
waiting in hostile position before Pekin, and
that negotiations had been opened by the Chi
nese, but not in supplicatory manner. This is
just what we expected. The British have not yet
learned to understand the Chinese, nor to make
the Chinese understand them. John Bull is
the most matter of fact of men; the Celestials
are, in their dealings with him. exactly the re-
verse, and make an art of deception. The
English ought to have known their character
10y this time, but they seem to have neglected
the study. The Celestials have not exactly the
game in their own hands, but they have thus
far combatted the enemy with heroic courage,
and their usual skilful but discriminating and
embarrassing diplomacy has not failed in
accommodating obstacles in the way Of their
invaders, with whom they are now enabled to
considering that they have only bows and ar
rows and gingslls to oppose to Armstrong guns
and shclls-the most terrible engines of mo-
dcrn warfare.
The progress Of this costly and unsatisfacto-
ry war--the objects to be gained by which are
not known to one Englishman in millions
daily making the people Of England more un-
comfortable as to the result Of the task which
their government has undertaken. Many very
properly deny the moral justification Of the
enterprise, and all feel that it may entail con-
sequences equally unexpected and deplora-
BILE. Has the treachery or the pride of the
Chinese government at all meritcd the humiia-
ton and disaster now being inflicted upon it
by the Allied forces? We answer, No. And
the British will have no one but themselves to
blame for any reproach they may incur or any
loss they may suffer in consequence of such
aggression. The Chinese may well call the
people Of the West barbarians. We may
compare the English, without exsggeration,
to one set Of barbarians to whom they have an
unmistakeable resemblance Germanic con-
querors Of the Roman Empire. They them
selves admit that they have as little knowledge
Of what they are doing as any Gothic or LON
bardan chieitain, yet they are causing the dis
solution Of great civil polity, dealing out law
and securing material order among vast po-
pulation Of intelligent men and women. They
are trying TO humiliate the Emperor at Pckin,
without knowing how his disgrace will affect
the millions that people the far interior OF the
empire and swarm along the Great Wall They
are fighting in the dark. The Tae-pings, class
Of insurrectionists who have long been plot
ting the dethroncmcnt of the rcigning dynasty
of China, are likely glad Of the presence Of the
hostile armies, but it would be the last thing
that Britain would desire, either for her inter
est or good name, to bring about the objects for
which these insurrectionisis are struggling.
Nevertheless. she may be unwittingly promot-
mn their cause. and there il no knowing how
soon the catastrophe may occur, for the sue
cess Of the Tse-pings could be consid-
cred a. nothing les. Even the spurious
Christianity which these insurgents profess
affords conclusive reason why their success
should be deprecated "a real calamity. His
tory procams that wherever a corrupt version
of the Christian creed has been adopted by a
conquering people the victory has always been
the bloodier for H. the oppression heavier, aud
the vengeance more pitilcss and revolving in
IT, cruelty. The victor in such cases has
proved himself net only . '.rar' hai mon