The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1878-10-09
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 9. 1873.
Why should 1hc Chinese SO:
A Pertinent Inquiry from n Mandarin High In
Authority.
PROM the oAliGarui. Arsoa.a,.l

In nv last eOmuunicauon showed that when.
in the thirteenth century. Chins was superior 10
Europe 10 population, civilization, and arms, and
that although she was able TO, aud did, march
halt a million Of well equipped men to the shores
OF the AdriAuc. she paused there out OF respect
for Christianity and the social progress OF man
kind and led her vast hosts back TO their distant
homes without molesuug the West. / showed,
also when, in the sixteenth century, these con-
diuous Of strength had become reversed-when
China had become the weaker and Europe the
sirongey-what bad use the latter made OF It's
superiority, aud how nothing short OF rigorous
exclusiveness OF oar part could have saved our
country from being desolated by European arms
and enslaved by European adventures.
1t SI.I not do for you to claim that you Euro
peans had no intentions Of this sort; for history
would behe YOU. What was Columbus objective
point when be sailed to the West! Csthsy, that
lar famed China, whose riches had been por'
trayei in the glowing pages Of Marco Polo. To
his dying day the great Captain supposed the
shores oi HispSnioia were those OF Caihay, and
that be had only TO explore farther in order 10
reach the civilized portion Of thai vast empire
Whar..land cid The Spauiards suppose they we're
upou when they ravsged the Mexican Empirel
China. Ii WAS always China Of which you we're
in search, and had you found 1t there can be no
dou6I that you would have despojled it as you
despoiled the lands which ycu mistook for IL
Nor will II DO for you Americans to claim ak
empiion fnon reproach on the ground that these
airoclons transactions we're the work OF other
nations than your own. Y on are all as one nation
IN yonr attitude toward China. When one OF
you obtains concession from the Imperial gov
eminent. no matter how unjustly-witness the
treaties after the wars of 1872 and lS5S-the
When one Of you gains an advantage from US,
the others are certain to claim similar advan-
tage Because the Portuguese oblsined foot
ing at Macao, the British must have the Island
of Hongkong. When any misfortune happens
10 Us, you sll eager to profit by 1t that you
stand by one another as a single body. Thus.
when the TAPPING rebellion threatened to sub
vert the Empire, your war-ships al swung coldly
al their ancRorages in our harbors. like SO many
yultures waiting Tor their prey TO expire; aud so
far from offering 10 help Us. you helped the rebels
More than this you took advantage Of the occa
sion TO make war upon Us. do not blame you
| merely state a fact. You are united BY the
bonds Of religion which you fancy 10 be the
source OF your greatness, and to be filed with
the promise OF more. The Spanish conquists
dores used TO carry the symbol of this faith in
front Of their armies modern Europe more die
creetly smugges it into the most favored IA
ton" clause of its treaties With China.
The interiority Of our arms to yours at the pc.
Rod of our early maritime intercourse is eviuced
not only by the easy fall Of Mslacca, but also by
the fact that, chief among the goods We used 10
purchase Of you, were European muskets. 1t is
also proved during the bombsrdmeut of our ports
in the opium war, when the British found our
batteries 10 contain only cast-iron lhree-pounders
and sometimes only representations Of guns
painted on canvas.
When We came to acquire knowledge OF Eu-
ropean arms, and the way 10 make them, the
fear of invasion and subsection became lesssned
bat it has never wholly passed away, nor csn il
pass away until China wholly emerges from that
fsGdsl condition in Shicq she stll fingers. This
condition Is one of great peril TO her imperial su
touomy. The efforts of the central government
have to be continually exercised to keep the
great feudstories in subsection. When stats
that there are lords in China who own greater
domains, aud are more wealthy, than any indi
yidual 10 Christendom. whilst the people are ex
tremely poor. you will understand me. For IN
stance, when Prince Keshen was condemned in
lS4l for having suffered defeat in the opium war
there was con6scsted of his property 81 500 00t
in gold, $780,, 900 in sil7er. aud other goods
worth still more-in all about S25. 000, 900 worth
a country whose lords are thus rich is easily
subduei. Her millions Of soldiers count TO
nothing, because they belong to the feudstoIies
and these may be easily divided by crafty foe
Witness the operations Of Cortes IN Mexico snC
Give in India.
From these facts and considerations from th
absence on our part of hostility toward Europeal
civilization as eFinced by our forbearsnce towarC
you when, in the thirteenth century. We were th
stronger from the exisiencs on your part o
hostility toward our civilization, as evinced b.
the bad use you made of your superiority when
in the sixteenth century. you had become tn
stronger from the feudal condition Of our EN-
pire and the fear entertained by our government
even now. when our weapons are the same 8
yours, that China may be conquered and reduce,
by you IS have been Mexico, Peru and India
from these facts and considerations, say. VI
would much prefer TO have 10 dealings with you
We would rather close our ports and maintain
policy Of entire isolation from the Europea
world.
The trouble with Europe, however is that sue
policy would not suit Its interests. You de
sire TO possess every conceivable privilege c
trade, residence, religion, etc, for Americans i
China, whilst you would deny all of them t
Cinnamon il America. And this brings rs d
rectly 10 the Chinese question in California.
Let it be fully understood at the outset tba
We Chinese have never sought to obtain lesy
for our people to live 10 your countries. except
q counterpoise to similar permission first so0gh
on your part Nearly two Thousand years befor
ChiRamsn ever settled in Europe, European
settled in China. Not only this-they wer
protected in their person, their property, an
their religion. Furthermore, the Emperor, Tier
pan. went so far as to build Christian churc
for 0lopwen aad ordered it to be supported on
of the public Golfers. And this was five hundre
| years before Christianity was introduced eve
into some parts of Europe-for example, Russii
When the elder Polos visited Us, We treate
1 them well. They remained with Us for MOI
than fifteen years. aud then departed freely carr,
lug away great wealth. When Marco Polo cam
| he was similarly treated. He remained tEeui
years. and when he departed. which be did at b
own request, he was loaded with presents an
other fsyors. During all this time we sent non
OF our people to Europe. 1t was you always tbs
sought permission to dwell with Us, whilst "
never came to you And observe what 70
/ gained by it. You took from rs the invention
of the mariners compass, sails for ships, ru6der
! gunpoEder, paper. printing. and many other rs,
fol things. All these came 10 you from Chin
either by the hands of the Arabs or. later Of
with the expeditions Of Genghis Khan or Bal
Khan, or through the Polos for these invel
tons we're not known TO Europe IN the MIDI
Ages, while they had been long used in oil
country.
When. at later period, the western nation
I ! L