New-York tribune., 1908-03-29

bago in the West Indies. This appointr,a,,
ended disastrousy however. New Grenada NO.
captured in 1779 by Count d E,staing durinp ~,
American Revolution and the Governor sen. =,
France as a prisoner Of war. The foIIov,,
year Mccartney was compromise candidate e.
Governor of Madras. and secured the pos;,;o
largely. it would seem. through the influence =.
Edmund Burke His administration oe ,t
presidency was by no means smooth and naao.
full. Warren Hastings was at that TINA =
preme in Bengal. and between the two -
there could be cordial sympathy Tba -
Governors caution. his biographer observe, :.
economy he at once adopted in the expena;,.-N
Of the public money. the power he had -
given to correct abuses and. above all the t.
ness and independence Of mind shown bv
from the moment he took up office. could =.
fail to have been extremely disagreeabIe % ="
sons of quite another outlook and moi.
view.
Lord Mccartney. after five years In Maa-,,
was offered the Governor Generalship OF Be,-,,
in succession to Warren Hastings. but he "A
clined it. partly on account OF his bear., -,
also for political reasons. He held va-v g.,
views upon the necessity OF subordnatin, ,ss
military to the civil authority in India ana
parently felt doubtful Of support from tb. ..t
ernment at home on this point II ia a ss,,
coincidence that the same question brou,,, -,
Curzon's Indian career 10 an end and ~.
parallel may be carried further as Maca-.,o-
| who was an Irish peer. at this time asked o.
elevation to the English peera.a and o.
| fused by Pitt the ground that II vo,r,
establish undesirable precedent Rv tba So
he had reached the meridian OF life Ma,,..-N
had had a pretty good aIl-round experience =
representative and administrative Positions ~.
| eminence and when the English gove-nna,,
wished to send an embassy to Pekine vi,,
view to removing the causes OF friction basuoa,
English merchants at Canton and Chfuaza ~,
ficialS with whom they were brought in co,.,c.
Lord Mccartney. by common consent, WAS do
ignated as the one person likely to untartata
such a mission with any great probabiftv ..
success The court of China was not coriiar >.
strangers. but il having been asce-tain4f ,s,.
the embassy would be received Lord M1car,,sr
set sail on a man-Of-war in the autumn :,
1l92, with a great train Of attendants. sec-a-
taries. interpreters and servants. bearing avaz,
assortment Of presents with which to ;ny-,.a.,
themselves with the Son Of Heaven and his =,
fluentiai COurtiers- The account OF this On
bassy. the first Of its kind ever undertake., X
from the journals of Lord Mccartney write,
up in the voyage. which lasted two years a,4
comprises half Of the present volume Mara-.
w
initiated into the mysteries Of fornalitv :.
which his hosts have always attached 50 r,r,s
value When he had called upon an aged vioo
roy he was graCiOuSiy received with ease nori-a
ness and dignity impossible 70 describe. The
return visit would have required the vicerov n
pass to the ambassadors yacht over a s4aa,
and narrow plank. not very safe for a faa5-a
old man. and he asked IL he might paw his visit
vicariously. This assurance being given. ve
read:
The vicerOy came in great state with the 1a-7..
OF guards. and a very numerous attP1danOe ~
mandariDS and officers who. as sOOr as his naI,-
horses and kneeled down to pay nm their Sbe;
sdnct He sent 11 officer with his visiting paDa-
painted red and Inscribed with the owners ,5r-aS
IN large characters and which nv in-a-prafsr -
ceived from him This business being parf}-r-I
the yICerOy returned to his quarters in - -,
form. ceremony and order With whl.H Ee cI-.a
The great question OF O5eisar-e va-v =5o-
came up. the Chinese courtiers with a Ieg-aa 70
art. address and insinuation. turning the cor-
versaton upon national differences in dress and
intimatins that their own. on account o. is
looSeness. was preferable. as not impeding o.
obstructing the genufections and prostratior5
required from everybody whenever tha Emperor
appeared in public. And then followed an iat-f-
cate negotiation in which the Chimes c1ntendef
that the ambassador must prostrate himself b.
fore the Emperor. the ambaSSadOr a-g-iai that
he would be deficient in respect to his own SOW
ereign If he paid foreign monarch such r1a-x
of respect This amusing duel was long contr-
final h-rart rtr-Y,s