Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1863-04-27
The Tlroe Great Powers ia China.

truly -.
The Three Great Powers ia Chiaa.
Tho position Of shs French, Eaelish and Rqs
SLAMS in Chins should not be lost sight of b,
| those who would watch intslliEentIy the Doli.i
cal transitions that ere likely to take place il
/ the Eastin few years. Russia IS foremost o
/ the three great Europesn powers in 50 far as pr
/ orty OF diplomatic rotations is concerned. and
her interest IN the East can easily be shown "a
bo equal to that Of any other Western nation
1 As this momen. thsIe is psrhaps no tract ol
country toward which the eyes Of travellers are
directed with greater curiosity than the vast
Russian territories which lie adjacent to the En-
plfe of China; and the recent acquisition BY Rus
sla OF an immense strip Of territory bordering
on the Gull OF Tafiary and the Sea Of Japa1,
gives thst nation prominence in this quarter Of
tho world rom which she will not readily be dis
placed. Her saizITe OF harbor IN J nan shows
tnsf future is being chalksd cut for Russian
influence, both moral and material, which IS
likely TO be Of some importance in tbs North
Pacific Ocean. The Ee5eTsI question Of R1s-
sla's night to pursue policy of ihig kind IA
not to lie disputed about. Civilization and in
dUstTy hjurish under her rule after a fashion.
ami her colouies are situated il regions which
10 other nation could turn TO much account. So
tsr her functicn5 as a civilized and progressive
rOWer are distinct and separate from thoss Of
Eng and and France. She peoples territory which
ttey DO no coVet, end opens communications
which they are at full liberty to uss and which
both East and Yves. reap the bsnef. Of L is.
therefore, quite inpossibls for the more JEALOUS
OF the other powers TO dispute ths advance of
R1ss.s in This quarter Of Asia. or 60 COMPLAIN
that only diploma ic and stgas8gie reasons exist
tor her presence in China and Japan Russia
seams to uGdsrst2nd much better than her more
polite naIEnbors, how to deal with nations that
are what is sometimes termed ssEi-eivi!ized.
She bad representative in Pekin long ago, and
1t IS not on record that any warlike expedition
was wanted to clear the way for her Embassa-
dors arrival. As for Japan, shs saved time and
trouble, and preserved Sue authorities from the
practice of deceit, simply by taking a harbor
wherever she found suitable place, aud hoist
ing the Russian flag on the nearest convenient
eminenes ashore this It msy bs noticed, al
though decided act OF appropriation, is
not so liable to of5nd The dslntY vanity or
pride OF japanese, as the presence Of for
eigners in their towns, on their high rnads. |
IT about their late capital; and the ikel- /
hood is that they will not msEe the matter g /
sutjsct Of serious dispute. To Rassis, however, /
tts acquisition is inTaluabis; even nov, on Cns /
pretext or another, she has collected q asss in l
these sessi and we may rely uoon is shat this .
o.
will one day be developed into a f0rmilsbis ns-
val aTsensl-not ons which, like Ss5sst0Dol.
Ctonstadt or Bomsrsund, has no outlet 10 tae
ocean sgainst bloekading feet, but an ample
hsTb1r, whence could ne sent a squadron 10 mo.
lest Britain herself Of the three powers. R7s-
sia is the lucAiest in her Chinese connections
We may BOW turn to France, ard iDauire
what business she has in tho East Her busi-
moss in China is openly professed; there is no
5oacea'ment shout it. Il is to protect the
interests a0d restore the property of the
Roman Catholic priesthood. In former cen
aries, the only Europeans in China were the
Roman Catholic priests they had ga fo0ting'
recorded to them they held property for tbs
mother Church. Bat they subsequently lost
nat footing, we're mRssscTed and their proD-
Tty appropriated. Aftor the lsDss Of cen
uries, champion rises up in Louis Nloo-
con, the eldest son of the Church Ho de-
armines that the soil once freely trod By the
Catholic missionaries shall be as freely trod
gain, and t5st the soil once owned bv the
Church shall return intO her possession. There
5 spice Of romance in this which makes tie
5ea acceptable to the French nation, and or
'ther grounds, acceptable to the Roman clergy,
} body that Charles Louis finds it wise to coucil-
ate. Not that either of those Obise,s determined
he presence Of 3 French f0rca in China at
Sas necesssTy," to Uss . phrase of the Eca9e-
oTs, which cats ali Gordian knots, Il gss nee
'ssary that France should have inhuenes in
Jaina 6nd an ambassador at her capital
France Chat is, L0Uis Eapoecn.) saw the
trides England would make in China, if left
,lone there IS in Indis; 81 sho proposed to
make joint expedition of it, that she might
leep friendly eye upon her ally, and come in
or whatever was to be gsined by the transaction.
1ngland's business was to protect her trade
france had no trade, go sha fell back upon the
7oTd protect" and Sooa found plea for ap.
'earing IN arms against China. Rslirion wanted
5otecaon, and the Emperor would throw his
!ron5 arm round the priests and round their
0nvorts, that no evil should como nigh them.
q the most distant parts Of tho country, The na-
We who processes Christianity Is unlsr the ,
-atchful cere of Charles Louis and It s not long
efors hs discovers that a profession of Cdris- !
ani5y secures him imnunisies beyon1 those
his Pagan brethren: the priests ars men
influence; u. BOui5illoa takes care no insult
T aifront put upon them shall 20 unpunished;
landsFins respect these priests. not because of
leir Gmiabls personal qualities, but because of :
ls iuauaees they possess in Pekin. A religion
r0tec!ed as the Catholic religion is IN Chins, is
zsiy 10 have numerous converts; and this !
ould not be the first instance on record where
orldly advantages in prospect have prompted
pro fo3si0n Of Christianity. Tbis;is undoubtedly
e way 10 establish 2 church among the heashen.
Tanting that the Christianity Of the new
,nverts is but a sham, sill il brings
len under tuition; while their children,
ON the cradle, sTe taught no other doe
ine or form Of worship; these, in their . .
i'm, viii psrpetusto divine truth through I
hanging generations, while sn ambassador is
ct Pakin By the French nation, to &
,e that no persecution for faith occurs in the s
nd-but instead Of persecution, protection of
peculiar sort, By which it is a gain bere to be
Christian, as well as hereafter. Protestant
issiOns cannot compete against such powerful
1p0stioT, and Whatever else Ffa1ce may b. the y
cans of doing 10 China, one thing is certain,
st she will give to Roman Cstholic Christian
= an impetus It has rarely received before in a
,2then country. To conserve ard increase the
huence Of the priesthood in China seems 10 be
Z B1Ufbilon's only business. As yet, our own
-cellant man has not thought fis to press the
lhiecs ofProtsstant missions uponVsn- -see-sng,
70 prime minister of tue Regent. We rather Z
ink that the hOurishing state Of tia R)misA
issions, and the diplomatic care with which
cir interests are watched, IS a very sore point
ith the general body of Protestant missi0na-
IS in China. And naturally 50, when the
ritish ambassador has postponed giving the
bjses hearing, or, rather, prayed that the !
after be not pressed upon him Whils other
attsTs Of . grave nature were ia hand Il is :
81 loL tud to4ta % altfA4 20 LleH mlS3lOa2-
ss, for that is almost the ambassadors oaiy
lsinsss here, as It was Napoleon Ills only
ca for appearing in China.
The position Of the English in Cbius now
lis to be noticed. Erring and aggressive as
3 must admit our eouRtry to have been, we
irm that her whole conduct darin gthe present
auOe has stood out in honorable contEsdi5-
uetion TO that of the French Our expedition !
as properly equipped oGr men kept under dis
ipline and guilty of 10 acts Of inhumsnity;
nd the nation we belonged to respected by the
'hinese, Those who lived in Canton during the