The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-09-14

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PLANTATION or action, must come soon.
China Under Its New Relations With the
Outside World.
Mr.. Burlingame, when speaking of the mis-
sion from China. of which he is chief, has
always said that it means progress, freer
and more enlarged intercourse with the
Chinese, the expansion of commerce and the
Introduction into China of telegraphs, rail-
roads, the steam engine and other improve
ments of our Western civilization. A portion
of the British press and the China and East
India traders and opium smrgglers say the
contrary. They say, through the columns of
the London Times in an article which we
publish to-day, 1t means retrogression and
return to the old Chinese policy of
isolation. They point to the past history of
China to show that this policy of isolation is,
ike the laws of the Modes and Persians, I'M
changeable, and that there has been no way
Of opening intercourse with that country but
at the lannon's mouth. Which is right-Mr.
Burlingame, OF the British, who disapprove of
his mission?
1t cannot be denied that the fixed policy Of
the Chinese government formerly was to ex-
clude all foreigners, or barbarians, as they
were called, from the interior, to have as little
as possible to do with them and to hold no
diplomatic relations with other nations. The
Chinese had supreme contempt for all of
nc tyiI 10 hor rso or,IJ
contact with us. This state of things would
have continued, probably, had not the thunder
Of British and French cannon, and we may
say also of American cannon-for we took
hand in the fray-awakened the Chinese gov
eminent from its sleep of ages and demolished
its long cherished pride of superiority and ex-
clusiveness. Mr.. Burlingame or any other rep
resentative of the Western Powers would never
have been in Pekin, probably, but for these ter
rible cannon and the irresistible war steamers
which ploughed the interior waters of the EN-
pire almost as freely as they did the ocean.
Probably, we say, Mr.. Burlingame would
never have entered Pekin as American Minis
ter but for the force used against China, and
sador for China. Whatever was the pretext
for the war, or however much we may now
deprecate the force policy, there can be no
doubt that we are indebted to that war for the
opening of China to the world and as a conse-
quonce for this very Burlingame mission. II
was hard lesson for China to learn, but she
may console herself with the knowledge that
other nations too have had to get instruction
through the humiliations and sufferings of
war.
pose. The Chinese government Of to-day is
very different from that of former times. It
sees that the world moves rapidly all round
the central fowery kingdom" and that mod
ern civilization presses upon il in every direc-
ton with irresistible force. It has fully
realized the fact that China can no longer
remain In isolation and that she must enter
the family Of nations and march on with them
in the way Of progress. There is no doubt
about this being the settled conviction Of the
ruling class in the empire, from Prince Kung
down to the lower grades of mandarins. They
have learned q vast deal within the last few
years. 1t would be absurd to suppose they
could dream Of going back to their old system
impossibility, and they have too much sense to
think Of 1t. Besides, We do not believe that
either the ruling classes or the people Of China
desire to return to their old system of isola-
ton. In this very Burlingame mission, and in
the selection Of Mr.. Burlingame, a foreigner, to
represent them before all the great Powers
of the Western World, they have given
the best evidence Of having thrown of
their former exchsiveness and national con-
ceit. Their efforts to establish permanent
diplomatic relations with other nations, the
employment of foreigners to the most i'm
portant and highest positions in the empire,
the introduction Of steamship navigation very
extensively on their great rivers under the
control Of foreigners, the grant to an American
company for establishing a line of magnetic
telegraph along their coast from Canton to
Shanghae, with the free introduction of other
improvements and free intercourse with for
eigners generally-all show that the Chinese
have entirely abandoned their old policy Of
exclusion and isolation. They cannot go back
If they would, and they have no desire to do
so. From reason and the nature of things, as
well as from confidence in the knowledge and
judgment Of Mr.. Burlingame, we believe that
his mission means, as he says, progress, freer
intercourse, enlarged commerce and the intro
duction of telegraphs, railroads, steam power
and other improvements into that vast, rich
and populous empire.
1t is said by those who question the object
and value of the Burlngame mission that the
treaty just made with the United States ia one
sided, that it comedies nothing valuable to
China and gives us much we had not obtained
before. Well, it is called supplemental treaty,