The New York herald., 1869-12-13
The United states md China-The Bur-


and the Chinese Empire, in the ratification at
Pekin of the Burlingame treaty between the
| two countries, have been placed on sound
| footing. The mutual concessions embraced in
that treaty will be advantageous to both
nations, and especially to us, in view of the
new commercial era opening upon the world.
Already, since the completion of our Pacific
Railroad, such has been the increase in the
trade between San Francisco and the great
ports of China, and such the increase of the
population and commercial demands of our
new Western States and Territories, that we
can hardly exaggerate the value and import
! ance, even ten years hence, of the exchanges
| of the Pacific and the Atlantic slopes of our
| continent with the eastern flank of Asia, and
| all the neighboring chains of Oriental islands,
especially as half way to the end of the decade
we expect the Darien ship canal to be in full
operation.
Meantime this new treaty opens the new
and broad field of China itself to American
enterprise, in the introduction of railways,
steamboats,, telegraphs, mining machinery, &c.
The equivalents to China are the first broad
recognition by any Western Power of the right
Of that great empire as an independent nation
to the management of its internal affairs; and,
secondly, the protection of the Chinese in Cali
fornia. This concession of the right to China
of selfgovernment as civilized Power is the
special object of the Burlingame mission to
the great Powers Of Europe. We are graft
fed, also, to be able to say that England,
France and Prussia may be set down as sub
scribers to this important concession and that
such being the case, Russia may also be
counted as party to the general agreement.
Butwhile the great European Powers have
thus from the first manifested their readiness
to adopt the liberal policy of the United States,
the Burlingame mission has been bitterly
opposed by the old British party of merchants,
emissaries and adventurers in China, whose
policy has been to Indianize that people. This
British party have found the game so exceed
ingy profitable to foment quarrels with the
Chinese, and to call upon the British feet to
lombard, now and then, a city or two, and to
levy tribute in the way of damages, that they
would like to keep it up. 1t is just the game
which our Western Indian agents and con-
tractors and rings have played for SO many
years with success in filling their pockets at
the expense of the Indians and the public
treasury-the game which General Grant is
happily undermining and superceding, with
General Sheridan to manage the fighting
Indians, and honest Quaker peace commis-
sioners to deal with the friendly ones.
Our late Minister to China, Ross Browne,
| with his California prejudices and political
affiliations and calculations, and from his igno-
| rance of his business in China, fell an easy
| prey to this old British party at Shanghae and
Canton, and their American allies in Chinese
trade and politics, called by the coolies ''sec-
ond chop Englishmen"-th real English being
''first chop" Hence the mischief done for
awhile by Browne in upholdng the policy of
the British Spectators and adventurers of
Indianizing China and in opposing and mis-
representing the policy of his own gov
ernmsnt But the prompt recall Of
Browne by General Grant, and renewed
assurances to the Chinese government Of the
good faith Of the United States touching the
Burlingame treaty, have resulted in repairing
the mischief done by the 'second chop English
men" and in securing the ratification of the
treaty, which Browne so blunderingly, in the
| interests of British adventurers, labored to
defeat.
Our new Minister to China, Governor Low,
also from California, is diplomat who under
stands his mission. Fully instructed, more
over, by his government, he cannot make the
mistake Of Browne, an appointee Of Johnson,
who assumed the responsibility of acting for
himself after Johnson's retirement from Office
The British party in China, in getting hold
OF Browne, played their cards very adroitly to
create diversion in England against the Bur
lingame mission. They induced Browne, in
deliberate letter, to denounce our treaty and
the Chinese themselves as semi-barbarians,
unfit for equality under international law.
Then the Chinese were told that the Bur-
lingame mission was involving them in all sorts
Of trouble, and every foreigner in Pekin was
denouncing the mission to the Chinese and the
Chinese to every foreign governpent But,
notwithstanding all this ''noise and confusion"
in China, Lord Clarendon sided with Bur
| lingame and so England is committed to the
great purpose Of his mssion-the treatment of
China not as race of barbarians, to be bonn
barded and plundered on any pretence, but as
government entitled to the respect due to a
civilized and Independent State.
From the foothold already gained, then, in
this direction, we think we may safely assume
that the Burlingame mission is great success.
and that from its good results in the way of
peace and trade with China, and the new field
opened to American enterprise, the United