Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-07-12

very little about the commercial and
diplomatic relations chat exist between
this republic and the Asiatic nations.
Commodore Shufeldt was attached to the
Asiatic squadron. and was assigned to
duty IN the China seas. It became ne
cessary that some representative of the
Government of the United States should
join in the movement made nv the
Chinese and japanese Governments
looking to the opening of trade with
COrea. For some unexplained reason
China and Japan regard the American
Government as more honest and friendly
than any of the European governments.
They trust us implicitly, and seem to
regard our friendship as less mer-
cenary than the friendship CT any
other government with which they have
anything to do. Accordingly, when
Commodore Shufeldt, in the absence of
any regularly accredited Minister to
China, was assigned to duty as diplo-
matte representative of the Government
Of the United States, he found ready CO.
operation on the part of the Chinese
Government. The business Immediately
in hand was the opening of the Kingdom
of Corea to trade and commerce.
How well the gallant Commodore sue
ceeded in his diplomatic mission all the
wo d now knows. In behalf of the
United States, treaty was concluded
by which COrea, which has been for
hidden land ever since its discovery by
Europeans, was opened to American
commerce. We are to send thither a
Minister, Consul General, and various
Consuls and commercial agents, and, in
the name of civilization and commerce,
are to have free entry into a kingdom
which has been remOrselessly closed
against foreigners, and on whose shores
even shipwreeked mariners have been put
to death, and their vessels burned, ever
since we have known anything of the
existence of the country. To say that
Shufeldt is the man to whom more than
any other this great victory over ORR
entail exclusiveness is due is to give the
gallant Commodore only his due need
of praise And it would be unfair to
withhold from the Chinese Government
a generous plaudit for its active and
useful cooperation in the work in which
American diplomacy and American di-
rectness have so signally triumphed.
And now Commodore Shufeldt is to
be recalled. Unhappily, the gallant Com
modore has not only a remarkably keen
habit of observation, but he holds the
pen of ready writer. Being much in
China, mixing with the Celestial big
wigs and hob-nobbing with Princes,
powers and pOtentates, he gained clear
idea of the qualities and characteristics
of the governing class of that peculiar
people He saw how intensely aud
phenOmenally egotistical they were. He
perceived how cOnceited and arrogant
they were, and he silently observed the
elfsutficient contempt with which they
spoke of all other nations beneath the
sun. More than this, Commodore Shu'
feldt could not help seeing that in CHINA
there is no public opinion, no newspaper
press, and no possible way by which the
sentiments of the mass of the people
concerning any political question Gf they
have any sentiments) can be manifested
or asceItained. Then, again, he heard
dreadful stories concerning the morality
Tor immortality of the Chinese Imperial
Court, and he learned that the Empress
Mother of the Son of Heaven was really
no better than Isabella of Spain, Cathe-
rine of Russia, and many other royal
females of modern times.
The gallant Commodore naturally
burned to impart to his countrymen, who
dearly love to hear scandalous stories of
other people, some of the information
that he had gathered. The Chinese had
a great admiration for Shufeldt. 1t is
said that they offered him the supreme
command of their navy, now managed
by French contractor and an English
naval officer. But he remained an
American, although he might have been
Chinaman of the highest rank Like
all good Americans, he wrote a letter to
the newspapers, telling all he knew. AS
he was a naval officer, and was tenn
pOraIily employed in diplomatic capa
city, he would not commit the indiscre-
ton of writing directly to any news
paper. He addressed his communica.
ton, which was euphemistically called
an open letter, to the Hon. A. A. Slr-
gent then United States Senator from
California, and now Minister to Ger
many The letter. to use the mildest
phrase, turned the Chinese Imperial Gov
eminent inside out. 1t revealed the hOl-
loWness and unsavoriness of Oriental
diplomacy, ridiculed the emptiness of
the Chinese military and naval establish.
ment, and gave graphic picture of
the espionage, theft, and promiscu-
GUS matchmaking that prevail in
the Chinese Government from the bot
tom to the top 1t is safe to say that so
much frozen truth" has never been told
about any existing government since the
spies of Joshua. the son of Nun, were
received by Rahab and were sent home
loaded with news. Nevertheless. it does
appear that somebody in China reads the
newspapers. Commodore Shufeldts
"open letter" was copied into the Times,
and was thence copied by various news
papers throughout the country. The
letter was as interesting as fairy tale
and as real as the multiplication table.
But it reached China at last. and made
the imperial dragon very mad. So Com
mOdOre Shufeldt was recalled.
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