THE CHINA DEBATE.

Otago Witness, Issue 567, 11 October 1862, Page 3

THE CHINA DEBATE.

(From tlie Spcdctor.)

Orr l)'t In'i ■i\ {. •■' •_ !iis j,i i'l .Tiiin. Consfant i su -.'( -, ,i, On- ii(M-, , ;! •• f ..jtjKu-r of tioih the h'j.ei'.i- \ t it v parfle-. tin- u-i 1 i.<, tint iio is i'oi the ho.ir t-i(ii- \ ti.tl to the foreign po!i"y v hie!! the euuntry desires to , m intnr 1 , feenis to have iiisjiiiCtl Lord Palmeiston ' with the Ix-lief that ho tnaj ride at will over the I T.ihcia! f-fli'ipl. Ills speecli of Tuesday night on our | pTit'in in Chiu-i, was or.c of tnn^e out'jrenks of (UTDja.iee wl' ; ch i i K-i^biij I invaiiab'v pio-.a-^ 1 as I they Hint rin'ly help to produce a Mini-tei'.-. fab. Fro. a fir-.;, !o la«t it eontai'is nothing evx-pt an assertion of hi; own \, ill and If & own intention to peisevere in a parlie-d.ir co.u-S'j vhcthur the country liked it or not. which eo'usp anfii.i h», with a reticence as imperial in form a^, in su'isti-u-e, le.ive? unrt-vealed. It \vn> a hilarious song of defiance, heard with disgust even by the >nemb"r.s «hu ffel thai their alternatives arc Lord Palnuistou nr a Tory A'in.i'iistiation. It is something too muf-'i tint a. Mini-.ter laisad to a dictatorship by Liberal Mippirt !-hou!d on a subject of the !\ >t inipoitance, to lau^h down liberal o >j, ions, to '.-i>-t to the wiiiiU the i o,i(ive assurances of his own Foreign f^e.'ietuy, and to plunge fie enuiitn iiit > a qiiuirel to win' li til-: kujr.est insitjht can s.->u no linuts,, an I the ii'j.'ewty f'.jr wliieh h« liimsi if Ii is ro'i the -elf re-traint t> explain. Tliis is not the sfWu ia wliich Ftn^lisliuion cm bo jiovprnod, anil if Lord r.-ilnici-vfin', 1 f.-'en'!-, ciii'ut coinincc him that this tone is u.ien luiable, we vain them that tluMr ido! will nu , hf wo.-?!iii)[ p(l long. Tho briefest s'ci l.'li of f ie f;'e' , v« ill exp'iri the iii-itation fit by e^tr. Lihcal po ili 'ii-i. Fur i.ruith.s p.nt we have ieceiv?l eo-istar.t lep'i.ts f.om Chui.i of alFrajs betwceii Rrili h ibi-. ie->i c-> ,md ihe roLuh, who a'-e de~-o-]'.'.Kn'X tiie cciitt.il piovincos of th. 1 empire. At Rli.iiiHini a pipuhr A>lmii.il jil.ieu^ liim-clf at the head rf a r mMarl i' )•<"», m.i.-ciii's thitt/ uiilc-s iuto the iui.ei iur, and l>y t'.n- aid of Kiuopcnn science, f-laucht'jrs - oine 0"0 | er-ous \ .- i l l l vrhoui we me not at w.u-, aud tb.-n tiiii>ln!) his exploit by burning; the vill i','i'bslon,''n-£ lo tl'e very pe 'pic whom he went out to prut et. This, tnoiooier, is 1.0 iiolafed act. Kill opeans arc def'jiulins at tin B"n:e time Nin.'po, rini- ;ri, 11-iii'.'J.ow, a-itl Shanghai, place* hunhi'ds of mile- apirt, and a re^olai sj»tt;ni of coast warfare is jmowc )ly rJ out I i be org.iiii/- i. Tlie Imperial (rtnui-nmuiit i? e'u;oui i^"d to r.iisc an .iimy under Kuiopjan ■i!li( i er j . I'ii'ieu Kunj; is promised ''asijistanc," and ihenisvo.p.i;)er»i.i Noi fhjrn China — news-pape-s reiiiirkablv) amoii!,' oohnial j iiirnals for th<» beauty of th-ir p: iuinitr. tin- a^iuaey of their iiifonuat:oi!, and the virul ne.- of the-r ophfums — .ire full of trie it plans foi — no ofl'u ial bein^ o it of China seems to know wh:>t. f'iu; t 'i\, th =• t'k-traph o n.t.tius the v.e!!-\:io.in phr.T-e wliich all jjover A-i.» sotuifls in Knplishnien'.s cans like the pa* iv ekaviji' to a war of ronipiv'-it, '' trooj)-, have been sj.i'.uioned from Imlia" tofle'ftn.l Shanghai. All t'lia while it is admitted that the iiiii\idu\ls whom our ofliik rs, without o-dei-s, •i' a pnliev, or an eve-isc, are killun; wliuk-sah 1 , beiciifr to a faction which ha. conquered a fifth of China^ which omindinU its i^re.it tridine: ri\er, which the euipi.e is powerless to ,:ii>due, an I with whicli some day or other u-i> .s!ia'! h.m» to settle a crave .account. Mr. Whit' 1 a c ks in bis plaeo some t\,>!anatiou of facts which, wcie not the mi'.vL of I^n^rshuien seeietly fever'sh from the constant leennenoe of yrcat events, wnild have excited the inii/itio'i of the whole country. Mr. 'Wlii ois not abtatuMsi in, as M> - . Liiyatd «*aileJ hii", luu I • underhtands Ciina. Ho spoke with un usu.-.l tt mpei-asicc and lucid tv, anil !it> was snppoitecl Dy the silent appi oval of every Lib-ral who h.id attended to the subject at all. He wi> folio we iby 7»lr. Cob lon, wh ) although he, asnsuil, exa^g-oratcl the ardU'uent for forbouvii -o till it looked like a pica for fli',-hr, itill cie-u'l/ mi I lairly explained Ihe magnitude of t!>e rc-spjnsiblliLies Admiuil Hope hail incurred. To all th -si- hiatcmcuts, statements which, if the country cjuhl only be made to under.stand tlieai' would iaise a <hout of n.nnoyel inerodulity, what is the oi'-iel.il reply * Fir,!," Mr. Laya-ri* then the Piviuicr hi'h-c'i', up to pi.)ve tlutbot'i the member for IJii^l.tm and the member for Manchester ha\euiuic-rstat''d the e.i.io. Not only are we defendin" our owl niwelnnt/., but wo h.ivo entered infcoei^a<j;e° moi.K Vi,h tlie R'gi-nt of (.'him. by wiiich in sixt-l'n poits K'liih-hnion aro fo act a? his '• financial asbistiints," ?c,C)llccL ! isni^enue. Ml kin-h of distrusted riiiunr« p.r.; admitted m cfiicial fatfs; Captain Sherard 0 =bom > is r. illy to 1 o sent out lo c.inunud the hnpo'ial il-.xt ; wo aic icily to lend otiieeio to inptriut the C!iiii i -,e army; it i> MCJCPs.uy not only to defend tac put i, but to pi-ot'-ct .a radius of thirty miles round them i i>. alenito-y in aai;ie?are extent aboiio eqi'al to si.vteen Kn^iih cje. ili s. ""VVc are to "«;-.e our muni s n p;).ul ti tin 1 linreiiil Oovenim^nt to (hfend itielf iUMinsl lovt.lution;" "to tho Imp'elial (Jovc-imioni as re.jre-eiit.i'^- the principle of orde'- w. 1 hlnll <A\c our sjinpnt'iv. ailvi^o, and a-sist-ancj ;" a•' f.^v RnaH-h office: s. piid by tho Chinew are tT cjmiti.iud v<s~eK 1-ou^lit by the Chinese •'' the ' " Eiimer ir is loe.ii^.i /.h.o; our {)nsitiou in the empire.*' And lisially. as if to el dm power to do any act whatever, the i'miiier dc-lined his policy ii tllese tremen.l'jus . sentences : "Wo are hound now to do everything in uiir power to uvike amends to that Imperial -Jo\ei:nnent f>r the ii-jarv they then sustained, to place their fiiuneus in a b'tter condition, and to ieinst-itethcminth.it position which, according to the lion, geiilleinan. it wmu our fault and our cu'me. have saa'.en."' . . "If by tho means by wliich my honot able friend has explained, we are 'able to gi\e tli it government suflkient jiower and vigour to enable it hy its own eneijrics and authority to' reestablish itssipi-tmwe} and to j>ut down its rebellion, w hifh carries devastfition wherever it goes, we are doing that \,-hi;h is not oid v a.lvantiKoous to the interests of China, but lo the intcre.-ls of E.igland hei-h°lf." Di I moit.d masi ever hear the like ? Without the slightest hint to Uio peiple win arc to pay for all this sapii-itcd policy, wi-hout a si>ic;lo division or debate in Parliament, wi'houtso much as a declaration of his pui-[.o>c"! th" IV'iuici- b : n./s this cnuntiy to " reinvi^orate" the (xovm-nment of 3uO tnil!ion& of people, now attacked by a sueee-ful army of 400 000 rebels; promises lo resto.eit.s finances, to ofiirer its fleet, to instruct its army, to defend it? ports, to c]a\r its enorniuns coas f s, and' iu "il.e iufensfc of order," to enable it. to put down a revolution r.mons a tlih-d of lip human raco If this be not to awnrae" the position nf the- Protecting Pow.^r over the Chinese empire words havi no value, and acts no force. What is the Mexican expedition wliich is now embarrassing France eompu-dd with a task like this ] It is fie very process by which we conquered India, bc^un over again, with the difference that it is commenced with our eyes open, and for the whole empire of China instead of tho single province of Bengal. Loi-J Pahnerston did not attempt to explain in what wav 113 hoped to carry out his project of reducing China to pupilage, but the w cps . a f?<> a ? , certain na if tho > r liacl occurred. We shall hud Hut our thirty-mile rad'us is worthloss to protect our trade while the angry T,ie»ino-s prohibits it by internal custom riuti»s, and shall be compelled step by step to push our '• line of defence" farther into the interior. In that work wo "shall have the a*ist.mce of the local fleet commandel by E'iglish siilors, and the local armies officered by English soldiers. The spirit of combat, the pride of victory, and tlie thirst fir empire— the most incurable of all the noble passions will speedily permeate every settlement in China. A strong English part" will be gradually formed among the natives, and everywhere, radiating out from sixteen centres, the English influence will penetrate and extend, nnd become consolidated. The ideas of officials will widen as they widened in Indii, soldiers will find themselves generals, messenger* ambassadora, consuls potentates with power to let loose irresistible force The Imperial (loverumeut will find that the man has mounted the horse, that its ally is an inexorable master, and will either resist by a massacre which will destroy itself, or more probably sink into a faineant royalty, leaving the government to the British intruders. Is that what this country wants '! for we can assure our readers -nnd we write weli knowing Asia— that, and no other, is the inevitable r ■suit of tl c policy avowed ou Tuesday iiitrht. Ouce fairly in action, parliament will be powerless. Member? may fancy they can restrict the supplies, limit the troops, remove the subordinate agents. They do not know how splendidly Northern energy developed itself in the tropics, or how imperial, will be the spirit of every Englishman in China. There was a little passage iv the report of the last raid which was terribly ominous for the empire :—" Colonel Ward's Chinese exposed themselves ouly too recklessly and left twelve per cent, on the field." The Chinese) then commanded by Europeans, make good Sepoys, and every adventurous .Englishman; every man who« thniks the rule of a province worth, the mere risk o' life ; every resident who- knows that with great slices of territory governed by Englishmen, wealth will rain on tiie early tra lers. is released from the burdensome necessity of appealing to England for troops. The. Chinese can do tho work, and Clives will be. found in scores. In the last resort it is only to appeal to the great military monarchy which we cull our " Indian possessions," and think of as if it were'a colouy, and armies without limit of number are always available to protect her Majesty^ subjects. Woe betide the Governor-General who rejects sucli an application, with its vista of excitement and Ik nor for Indian ennuyes, for his life will ba a burden to him under the torrent of obloquy his " cold indifference " will produce Nor can even the nation itself be trusted. It may be reluctant enough to undertake a new and vast responsibility, disinclined to new wars, hostile to new dependencies : but China can find the funds, nnd let a few men honor our name by their courage and their victories, or the local Government indulge itself with, a massacre, and the British people groaning, perhaps, with vexation, will .still hear of nothing but utter triumph. It is tl t Government of Chiua with wliich Lord Palraerston threatens us, a whole history of wars, and expeditions, nnd triumphs, and responsii ilities, which, if his views are maintained, we are a"bout halfconsciously to commence. We are not coloring matters, oven in a degree. By his own avowal we have, as a besinning, undertaken to create and officer a Chinese fleet, to instruct a Chinese army, to collect the sea-borne customs, to defend sixteen counties and to, protect the Imperial Government against a revolution. We may be told that Lord Palmerston is right, that a new India would enormously increase our power, our revenue, and our trade; that the prospect, so far from alarming, ought simply to excittj

enthusiasm. We shall not discuss that point at the fac-end of an article. All we contend is that our policy leads directly and almost inevitably to the subjugation of China, and that before we enter upon a course with .such .a result. Pailiament should comprehend th'j position, and at le \+t discn s wiuth r this be what it des-ires. If this be done, Mr. Cohtlci will for once have uttered .'in accurate prediction, and our children'& children will fi id that tiuir fot tunes were involved when the c'neory o'd Adnriial sallied out to slay 50U Taepinas.