The New York herald., 1868-05-26

threatening was permitted audience at which It
sgrse1 no snst the East India Company should pay
lvov taes, Iour pieces OF iron ordnance anu niW
ra @ per year for the privilege Of Canton trade
trac @ Win various profit was continued under this
pei all strangers at the instance Of the Portuguese at
Macao who agreed to pay the sum OF "a 600 taes per
year ios .ne privilege OF exclusive trade. This edict
faithful to the contract
In l742 the mission OF Commodore Ason (Engsh)
was undertaken, resulting, however in little advan-
tage to the English traders; for five wears after the
English had only eight vessels engaged i'm the
trade against six from Holland four SWedish and
two Danish the total being twenty In i1s2 how.
ever, the English trade had largely Increased and
the American stood second, the table making up as
English vessels. ........ 81 Holland vessels
American vessels. 49,. Is Danish vessel. ...... l
taken in 1892, consisted OF Lord Mccartney and Sir
George Stanton, and arrived in Pekin In July 1898
sderation, being even permitted to enter the i'm
perial presence without the ceremony Of the kOw-
tow, to which Lord Mccartney refused to submit on
any terms. In 1908 Admiral Drury took possession of
Macao but was ordered on with bOmbastic procamas
tion by the Emperor, who suspended all trade with
nation should be compiled with. This temporary
estoppel was however soon relieved and matters
went on smoothly until 1913. when, upon the success
distractions were again interposed. In 1915
the Lord Amherst Embassy was undertaken;
Kow-tow, was peremptorly ordered from Pekin.
From the rather submissive behavior Of Admiral
Drury IN evacuatng Macao in obedience to imperial
proclamation and the n0n-resenting Of the insult
Onered to Lord Amherst, Kea-klng became somewhat
arrogant and in 1921 restricted British trade to the
port OF Canton and otherwise abridged the privileges
OF English factors In consequence Of this the traders
OF Canton petiti0ned Parliament in $780, from which
Mme an agitation was kept up Gntil final applica
uon Oi IOrce was the consequence by which argu-
mentation the restrictions were in a measure re-
moved From this date the history of English diplo
discussion.
Russian diplomatic intercourse with Pekin dates
from 1892, at which time an embassy, headed by
Yshvants Ides, of which De Lange was Secretary,
arrived in Pekin to negotiate in favor of caravan
trade across the desert from siberia Of which furs
ably the trade was opened and permitted to
continue without interruption until 1877, when
owing to some impositions on the part of Russian
traders the traffic was suspended and the privilege
withdrawn by order Of the Emperor. The difficulty
negotiation extended only to trade by caravan. how
ever and 1t was not until 1905 that Russian vessel
entered the port OF Canton and came near being
confscated by the Emperor for doing So In 1922
Russia sent her first consul to Canton.
In 1906 the first ambassador sent to that Power
by the United States arrived In Pekn. The embassy
was rendered gorgeous reception. In 1897 not
more than three American vessels had ever visited
the port OF Canton, though as early as 1888 the ALI
ance, formerly revolutionary man-Of-war and then
owned by commercial house in Philadelphia, was
regularly engaged in the Canton trade. From this
small beginning America has steadily gained innu-
euce at the Imperial court, un at present Ameri-
can Minister heads the Imperial Embassy to the
Of the West on the mission
at Pekin-a mission which Is to open the Imperial
domain to trade with all freedom and to
Introduce Onethird Of the population OF the world
into intimate relations with the gtabooed Euro
plan races, brief survey Of The operations OF which
from the first opening OF trade by the Portuguese has
been presented.
In their treatment Of Europeans the Celestias have
not, during the four centuries reviewed, proved re-
markable for good ialth but rather remark
able for evasion, crafty cunning and subtlety,
as we'll as frequent positive deception. Ths
may be In part accounted for, however, by the fact
that the earlier adventurers were as rule
scrupulOus set OF villains, whose impositions
simply audaciOus, not to say int0erable. This was
especially the case with the early Portuguese traders,
though 1t is true to lesser extent OF England and
Holland On the whole, however, 1t must be admit
ted that the treatment OF the EmperOr's subjects by
Europeans has not been such inspire any
found confidence In The sincerity Of their intentions
except as to profits, and 1t has been reserved Tor
American diplomat to open the vast resources Of this
empire, with its 900 of people, TO the conf
merce Of the world. Here is an Old natiOn-old as
Egypt almost or qulte-witl fixed habits nXed
modes OF thought and government OF semi-tneo-
cratic organization shaking hands with the youngest
nation the globe almost, with its free Thought,
elastic habits and thoroughly republican government.
strange spectacle, indeed, when all Its concomi-
tantS are considered and strange Illustration OF the
magnetic power OF Tree Institutions In diss0lvng the
hardened grooves Of the Old World and impdrting
neXibility to Its modes OF thought. An era IN the
history OF the empre-the Burlingame mission--may
become era In the history OF commerce, European
and American.