Year: 1874

China, Japan and the East.


We print this morning later dispatches
from China, which come by way of San Fran
CISCO. The news regarding the settlement OF
! the difficulty between China and japan is
confirmed. The indemnity is fixed at about
seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars,
which, by the convention of 1858, they paid
us for long continuity of wrongs. So
we may regard the difficulty as at an
end, leaving no trace, except, perhaps what
may be termed an ugly and unpropitious one
on the domestic politics of China. This We
deem exaggerated In all these matters we
are compelled to take our views from the
British press, distrustful as we are Of it.
That government keeps in its Oriental diplo-
matte service staff of experienced men, at
the head of which is the most accomplished
linguist who speaks the English language,
Mr.. Wade. He fifteen or less years ago, was
a mere interpreter, and is now Minister Pleni-
potentiary. 1t is part of English diplomacy,
when dealing with the East, to keep the
home press duly advised at least of its
opinions, if not of its designs. We are chang
ing our representatives all the while, having
had thirty ministers to China in fifteen
years. and what they see and think and write
is only known when, months and years after
their dates, their dispatches are printed at
Washington.


The foreign press, and, we may infer, the
British Embassy, are sorely puzzled at what has
just occurred, taken in connection with the
sudden degradation and quite as sudden restora-
ton to Office of Prince Kung, whom it suits
Occidental fancy to regard as q liberal and
progressive statesman. We, for our part i'm
agipe him to be of the same Oriental type
no better, no worse-as Keying, who
boasted how he had cheated Sir Henry
Pottingsr and Mr.. Cushing in 1914, and
who, being despatched to cajole the advancing
allies in 1858, and failing, was ordered to cut
his own throat, and did it. We have no
faith in liberal Chinese craftsmanship, not
jot but we have faith in the peculiar
sagacity of the Chinese administrators
of every class and shade of prejudice,
which teaches them at the right time to yield
to pressure. The great question now is, What
exactly is that pressure? Is it from without or
in certain sense from within-in theological
phrase, exoteric or esoteric2 The London
press believes, or pretends to believe, that
this war with Japan has been forbidden and
stopped by one of the European Powers
accredited to Pekin, and, disavowing any
agency on the part of Great Britain, sees in the
sudden back down of the Chinese, a submis-
sion to the mailed hand of Russia raised in
warning


These London views of these matters are
simpler solution seems reasonable and justi-
fed by all past experience that the Chinese
authorities, with oil their "faithlessness and
cruelty and arrogant foibles," are, when their
material interests are made palpable, exceed
ingly and practically intelligent. We hardly
think they would have gone TO war for
the defence or rescue of what is materially of
so little value to them as Formosa but when
they found that the difficulty could be adjusted
by the payment Of round sum out of their
abundant customs they were only too glad to
pay it. They know that whatever may be
their military strength they could not just now
cope with the Japanese at sea /; that at certain
seasons an effective blockade Of all the main
ports could be effected and maintained and all
imports cease. and hence the pacifcation.
To us Of this country, only interested in COM
merce, it ought, let the remote future be as
dismal as English alarmists paint it. to
be matter of rejoicing that this useless,
distant strife is stayed. We do not share the
apprehension as to ultimate wars with the
| West