RUSSIAN VIEWS OF THE CHINESE WAR.

New Zealander, Volume XVII, Issue 1574, 18 May 1861, Page 3

RUSSIAN VIEWS OF THE CHINESE WAR.

An article in the Northern Bee contains the following observations on the result of the late Chinese war:— It is astonishing that the allies made such moderate demands when treating for peace with the brother of the Emperor, The Chinese did not expect such generosity from their enemies, whose prisoners they treated in such a barbarous manner, and have therefore good reason to chuckle at being let off so cheaply, for there have been times when the capital has fallen into the hands of enemies who plundered both the government and the inhabitants without compunction, China has now only a comparatively small indemnity to pay for the war expenses, as compared with what they had to pay England in 1840, when the contribution amounted to lorty-five millions of roubles. The moderation of the victors this time remains a mystery, and the question naturally presents itself, would the Chinese have been let off so cheaply had they had to do with the English alone? In this affair we can but admire the far-sighted policy of France. When England commenced hostilities with China, under a very thin pretext, and the Emperor Napoleon might easily have shown his sympathy for the rebellion of the natives in India, which required the withdrawal of the troops destined for China and their immediate employment in quelling the dangerous mutiny of the Sepoys, France offered England her assistance and co-opera-tion in punishing the Chinese. At that time it was frequently said that England was employing France to get the chusnuts out of the fire, but it is now clear that those persons took a very short-sighted view of the affairs of the East, for England would have still been in time to chastise China after having first put down the rebellion in India ; and in making war on China with their own resources solely, they would have dictated the terms of peace according to their own interests. After the capture of Pekin they wanted to go to work in their own fashion, and place the head of the insurgents on the throne of China; but the French were of a different opinion, and their English allies did not further insist on it, but yielded the point. It cannot be denied that Franco has obtained a great moral preponderance in the East, and the eyes of all the countries situated on the Pacific and Southern Oceans are now turned towards that generous nation which declined to take part in the demands of their avaricious and interested allies. If the Chinese empire be preserved to the present reigning dynasty, they will not forget the important service that France rendered them in the moment of danger. This manoeuvre of the Emperor Napoleon’s was worthy of his superior genius, for by it he has outwitted the calculations of routine which have hitherto governed the relations between Europe and the East. France will now enjoy all the advantages that England and India obtain by the treaty, with, moreover, the great moral influence of being considered the protector of the catholics in the East. The superior aptitude of the catholic missionaries for proselytism is well known, The Protestant religion does not ingratiate itself so much to the tastes and character of the Orientals, and, therefore, England cannot expect to compete successfully with the Church of Rome in this field. This is the reason why France has already obtained a much firmer footing in China than England has or ever will have in India.

The Northern Bee then proceeds to demonstrate that the emigration of the Chinese, to which England raised so many objections, is more favourable, or at least less dangerous to France, and that the Chinese have ever shown themselves exceedingly punctilious in executing to the latter the stipulations of treaties, as is proved by their relations with Russia of more than two centuries, though the latter has often had to swallow many a bitter pill from that quarter.