The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-09-18
CHINA.
The Burlingame Treaty Nsission-British
Opinion of the ImperiOi P0licy-The
Tientsin Treaty Revision.

has done since the year 1860 when an allied French
the convention OF Pekin was made, experimenting
the treaty Of Mentsin, which mad been agreed upon
two years previously but the execution OF when 1s
the mouth OF the Peiho in 1859. 1t was very wisely
arranged by Lord Elgin that the treaty ne had
formed should come for revision after ten years.
experience OF its working and this Is the year winch
was fixed for that event.
with China have been of rather peculiar kind,
owing cheny to the desire of the people, or at least
country secluded as far as possible. A humorous
mandarin once remarked that England hit CHINA IN
Insisted that that t's snoa De- Gr@sped in emdy
acav; and 1t must be owned that our eoun.
trymen have stu decided leaning TO sydney
to be sent to all nations who insist upon shutting
themselves up from the rest OF the world. It Is use
less to disguise the fact that good deal OF our re-
latonship with China is q forced relationship, which
requires fleets and armies either in the foreground
or in the background. In such case any fine spun
arguments about international rights would be quite
thrown away; and it is wise to cOntne ourselves to
consideration Of those changes in the treaty of ITEM
tsn which are for own interest and may be
effected without doing the Chinese obvious injury or
seriously rousing their opposition :. 49,
A few years ago, when the Chinese were In the
midst ftheir difficulties with internal rebellion and
the changed state of foreign relationships forced upon
them, they would not have dreamed or attempting
to influence the action OF occidental nations towards
them but would have simply looked upon 1t as they
do thunder storm or drought. or any other IN
fiction which 1t pleased Heaven to send now now
ever their remarkable success $50 much owing 10 tne
aiQ given Them Dy lOreiRnerSD Ill TcstoIHS buo
empire to "a state OF order and peace
has given them courage to come forward ana
press their own view OF The lessons to De
have commissioned Mr.. Burltngame, who was Ior-
merly the United States Minister at Pekin, to pc
their representative to the treaty Powers ana th9
line which he has taken up is rather peculiar ana
apparently Objectionable one. The Chinese, he as5
nations, and are 50 willing to allow foreigners all
reasonable privileges Of residence and trade In the1
country that there is necessity for any treaties OF
this seems very absurd; for without such stPnia.
dction to the use OF the greater and lesser aInboo
and to that popularity OF Chinese courts OF lustc9
which subjects witnesses to corporea punsnmenS
are quite as unlikely any other people to submlu
to such conditions and no doubt calculate that ~
their great influence in China and by subtle stipu'a
lions they will retain their own Jurisdiction; but,
the thing is to be properly arranged at all, there y
no reason why 1t should not be done, as by our
present treaty, in straightforward and definite
way. -
China have their ideas as to what the expert
ence of the last years teaches and what are the
improvements which should be made IN the treans ss
attaches to their Views and these have been very
fully expressed in memorials from the Chambers OF
Commerce at Hong Kong and at the open ports "
the British Minister at Pekin. 1t need not be ad-
mitted that merchants are conclusive authority
any more than MIR. Burlingamel from whom there u
no appeal even as regards their own nterestsS
while much less is 1t to be held that where SO many
to be accepted ofrhand as indicating exactly what
this country should aim at as regards China: There
Camille Community on the coast of China that the
treaty of Tentsin has proved very valuaple
which, %TGe they are are almost all agreed IN demanding
further privileges or better means than they all
they nave a. Tor e 81
two points in particular on which great stress
are laid and on which the Chambers OF Commerce
pretty well agreed-namely, the illegal levyina
OF transit dues foreign goods by Chinese authOrs
tics and the obstacles thrown in the way Of foreign
erS travelling and residing in the country.
There is no doubt that one important object OF the
existing treaty to extend the facilities for thd
sale of British manufactures, and especially OF cot.
ton goods, in the Chinese empire. TO this end il
arranged that the inland transit dues, or at least
one species OF Them should be cOmmuted Tor pay.
ment of ~ per cent at the ports OF entry and 1t is
now complained that, in spite OF that commutat.onS
transit dues illegally levied on foreign goods so
as virtually to exclude them from the greater paru
OF the country. The Annoy merchants declare thas
these taxes range from per cent to 80 per cent on
the vaue OF the goods, and the shanghai Chamber
alleges that piece Of shifting costing It's. I'd. at thaa
port cannot be delivered at Soocnow, only eighty
miles distant, Mt less than ISIS. Adj, showing" as
they assert, IAN inland charge Of Is. ID" And,
generally, they alege that these illegal transit dues
are most injurious to commerce In increasing the
price OF Chinese exports but more particularly In
preventing the sale OF British manufactured goods
This complaint about illegal transit dues Is always
telling point In this country against the Chinese boz
1t suggests that the interests OF the British ar
tisan are involved, and throws halo OF philanthropy
and benevolence round the China merchant. At
the time OF the opium war some one created an I'm
mense sensation n Manchester by calculating what
Of cotton goods II only every Chinaman could be got
to buy Lancashire pocket handkerchief yearly, and
similar suggestions easily arse In the minds OF many
persons when the hundreds OF millions OF the popu-
| lation Of China are contrasted with our own powec
made an Intelligent acquaintance with the actual
condition OF China the question OF inland transit
wonld have rs believe II Z yerv dc"ie IN aSse
country to know on what ground levies are made.
Its public works such as the canals, which are the
principal means OF conveyance, are maintained by
the government and II these much out Of repair
the local mandarins find IL necessary to levy special
| taxes In that district in order that there
| should be any sufficiently cheap means Of
| conveyance at all. Again. It Is well known that
form form themselves into Formidable bands in any part
| OF the empire where portion or the population
happens by some accident, such as the nooding OF
OF its ordinary means Of subsistence. The result Of
such state Of matters Ia that the government ON
cials placed in charge OF q district 80 disturbed
must have to special taxes in order to re-
store 1t to state In which there can be any demand
for foreign goods, or transit OF goods or commerce
in any shape whatever. They have no other source
TO look to except the revenues OF their district Tor
the latter in the most convenient WAYS which pre-
sent themselves. Now, In circumstances such as
merce to refuse permission to the man
darins TO levy transit dues In the case
OF canals, roads and such like matters, the tax
levied Is no way different from our own system 81
taxing carts and carriages at tolls still 10 be found
IN many counties at every few miles OF road; and tho
Chinese might for similar reasons to those Of our
merchants complain that the sale OF their Is pre-
vented In England by local transit dues. As re-
CARDS taxes levied for the preservation OF order they
might say that the excessive police rates OF Bengal
and Malwa prevent them getting their opium so
cheap a. they ought To this II IL truly objected
that the treaty OF 1ensin contains special article
twenty seventy which provides for Communication OF
transit dues but, then the question Is whether look
ing at all the circumstances OF the case, IL IL ays-
able to insist on the execution OF article which
was demanded In considerable ignorance Of what
might be its effect, which assented To
under pressure which left the Chinese little
opuon IN refusing or asserting, and when.
strictly carried out. would interfere so
seriously with the internal economy OF the coun-
Wv. At all events we have mentioned sufficient 10
show that the principal demand made by the Cham.
Ders OF Commerce Is by no means so simple IN lseu
or so clear In Its probable effects they would nave
US think, and as on the rst blush IL NAV appear 10
those who have given no special attention 10 Ine
condition OF China. On the other points m0oed ~
the chambers much to the same purpose might 10