son of the lowliest cooly may rise to the highest offices in the empire, and that makes scholarship the test of merit; that does not believe that genius is dead in the land of Confucius; that does not believe the powers of the mind shall no more be kindled and burn on the soil beneath which rest the bones of the inventors of porce lain, gunpowder, of the compass, of paper, and printing; that does not believe the Christian's hope should cease to bloom where the Christian martyrs fell. Ricci, Verbrest, Schaab, Morrison, Milne, Bridgeman, Cuthbertson, and a host of others lived and laboured and died praying and hoping that the day would arrive when that great nation would stretch forth its arms towards the shining banners of Christianity and Western civilisation. The hour has struck and the day

is here."

what means that free competition by which the company, that, advancing from small things to great, had ended by converting a splendid native empire into an appanage and dependency of an alien and distant Power. There still remain amongst us too many cial-who would perpetuate the policy (or commercial and uncommerpoliticians impolicy) of force towards China, who would compel it to govern itself by our ideas, and who would force it to buy our opium for the demoralisation of its people, even if the trading compulsion took the untradesmanlike form of fire and sword, the bombardment of their cities, and the slaughter of the inhabitants. There are others not so truculent who would, nevertheless, secure the monopoly of the Chinese tradewhether acquired by fair means or by foul— to the merchants of Great Britain; and who look upon Mr. Burlingame's mission with a considerable amount of jealousy. These persons, whether they be few or many, must reconcile themselves to what it has become the fashion to call "the logic of facts." The future intercourse between China and the Christian nations must be guided by the Christian doctrine of doing as they would be done by, which is the doctrine of Confucius as well as that of Jesus; and not upon the barbarian doctrine that, because a nation, great or small, does not see its way to profitable trade, or any trade, such nation must be taught political economy at the point of the bayonet or by the fiery eloquence of artillery.

It is only necessary to add to this authoritative exposition of the wishes of China for her future intercourse with the world, a few facts to show what has been the previous intercourse of the world with China. There have been faults on both sides, but the greater faults have been on the side of the Europeans, and notably of Great Britain. The Chinese have, doubtless, been in the wrong in treating the Europeans and Americans as "outside barbarians; but have not the Europeans been quite as much in the wrong in depreciating the intelligence and civilisation of the Chinese? We were barbarians two thousand years ago, and they were not. And though we have run faster than they in the interval, they have not been asleep during all that time. The In the new relations already established European error has been the more prolific and to be still further extended with China, of the two in producing ill feelings and it must be a question of give and take on war, inasmuch as the Chinese only desired both sides, and a mutual relinquishment of to be let alone; and the Christian nations old prejudices. If the Chinese have much - often forgetful of their Christianity to learn from us, we also have something to very obstinately persisted in not letting learn from them. Among other things we them alone, treating them in a spirit but can learn from them how to educate the little more kindly and conciliatory than people. They are, par excellence, the litethat which they displayed to the red abo-rary nation of the world; and their literarigines of America, to the blacks of Africa, to the Fijians, and the New Zealanders. Even if they did not fall into this extremity of error, they fell into another quite as hurtful to the pride of the Chinese, and treated this people with its ancient traditions, its venerable history, its humane moral code, its intellectual religion as if it were a child to be taken into pupilage, and to be indoctrinated, per fas aut nefas, into those Western ideas and habits which might suit the West, but which were unknown to, and might, if known, be wholly unsuitable to the East. The Chinese, no careless or uninterested observers, saw at the same time what had been the fate of India-swallowed up piecemeal by a foreign

ture, unlike our own, does not merely float lightly over the heads of the upper and middle classes of society, but percolates to the millions who toil for their daily bread, so that an uneducated Chinaman, even of the meanest and poorest estate, can scarcely be said to exist. If all their printed books were consumed by fire or otherwise destroyed to-morrow, a body of sound and wholesome literature, including the works of Confucius and Mencius, would still exist in the memory of more than twenty millions of men, and would be reprinted without the loss of an idea or even of a word. So long have they preceded us in the establishment of true principles in the administration of all the minor offices of government

THE CHINESE MISSION TO CHRISTENDOM.

cause ours,

and of the civil service, that it was but the peans the graveyards of their ancestors. other day that the British Government The whole country, populous beyond comadopted a principle that has been in opera- parison with any other, is populous with tion in China from time immemorial-the these cities and villages of the dead — of bestowal of public appointments as the re- the dead who died thousands of years ago, sult of a competitive examination. In this as well as of the dead who died but yesterrespect the Chinese are still in advance of day. And if a railroad company in search us. In England a young man must be of a straight line were but to threaten the nominated by somebody before he can least of these sacred enclosures, the whole compete with others for a civil or military population would be up in arms to prevent appointment. In China the young man or to punish the sacrilege. Either the rails can nominate himself as a candidate for the must be laid on the existing common roads honours and emoluments of the State. He or the religious feeling-it may be called needs no aristocratic support, because in the superstition of the people must be China there is no aristoracy but that of modified or softened down, before the rail learning marked with the seal of success is possible in China. In like manner the in the indispensable examination. There electric wire, if laid, would not be safe -as among a people, especially in the interior, is, it is true, an aristocracy of wealth there is and must be in all countries; but who are still very jealous of the "outer official aristocracy is the aristocracy of barbarians; " and its introduction must be learning and literature. Thus the poorest postponed until that jealousy subsides, as man of merit and capacity has an infinitely it is to be hoped it will with the increase of better chance of rising to the highest rank trade and friendly intercourse. The Centhan the rich man whose capacity is either tral Government, with Prince Kung at its small or non-existent. The first-mentioned head, very fully appreciates the advantage has all the chances in his favour; the latter of these things; but the powerful local Such a people are not to be governments, who sometimes yield but a has none. taken under European or American patron- very shadowy or fragile allegiance to the age, or to be accounted as barbarians be- Emperor, may not; and the people may, their civilization is different from and do for the present, go along with the Yamen," or Foreign Office, and has not been of such rapid latter. This is evident from a memorial to "Slow and sure" has been the the Chinese growth. motto of China since the days of Confu- from one of the most powerful Governorscius; and if China now appears to be go- General of the provinces, who rules over ing a little faster than it did, the Christian the two Kiang and a population of upwards nations should not be disappointed if she of sixty millions. This high functionary, does not move quite so fast as they would Tseng Kwo Fan, though he does not wholwish; and remember, in the case of China ly oppose the enlightened policy of the as in their own, that a liberal and progress- Central Government, expresses some doubts ive government cannot always carry a prej- of its wisdom, as well as much distrust of udiced people along with it. The neutral- the foreigners who come to push a trade in Foreigners in the East and West," he ity of Chinese waters, the integrity of the China against the wishes of the natives. have for several hundred years been Chinese territory, the sovereignty of Chinese law over all persons, native or foreign, says, inhabiting the territory-these are de- making and unmaking kingdoms, each kingmands which the Chinese have as much dom wishing to deprive its neighbor's subright to insist upon as France, England, or jects of some advantage, with the hope that America have as regards themselves, and its own subjects might ultimately profit within their own jurisdiction. These points thereby. Their object in coming to China, and trading largely in goods, is to follow conceded as from equal to equal, an exten- setting up places of business everywhere, sion of trade- perhaps total Free-trade will follow in due time between China and their nefarious devices of depriving others all the world. But the go-a-head Ameri- of advantages, and to damage our mercans and the enterprising English must not chants." Tseng Kwo Fan, with a strong be in too great a hurry with their railroads faith in his own religion, has no fear that and their electric telegraphs, or expect any Christian missionaries, however numerconcessions from the Chinese Government ous and eloquent they may be, will make Roman Catholics and Protestants hate each - at least not yet awhile-for the estab- converts among the Chinese. He hints that lishment of either. other, while the religion of Confucius" has not suffered attrition through myriads of ages." He objects, however, to railroads,

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Two powerful but not insuperable impediments stand in the way. The Chinese venerate to a degree quite unknown to Euro

LIVING AGE.

VOL. XIII.

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to the admission of foreign steamers to the inland waters, and to the admission of foreign traders to residence in the interior. This document may show some of the difficulties with which Prince Kung has to contend; and which all friends of the peaceful progress and intercommunion of the nations of the world must hope that he will sur

mount.

An unpleasant incident - which occurred but the other day at the port of Yang-chow, and while negotiations were in progress between Mr. Burlingame and Lord Stanley for putting the affairs of China and the Western Powers on a better footing- may serve as well as anything in the past history of our relations with the Celestial Empire to show how unexpectedly, and how unfortunately, the Government and people of Great Britain may find themselves at war with a great unwieldy power which it is possible to injure, but impossible to defeat power which is always peaceably inclined, and the infliction of any chastisement upon which is alike unsatisfactory and costly to the British people, or any other power that runs amuck at such a mass of inertia

and incohesion.

-

Brethren" they appear to call themselves— and just as possible that it was not; but as the case was doubtful, it ought to have been submitted to the decision of the Imperial Government at Pekin. But instead of this, and in pursuance of an old and evil example, the captains of two British ships of war in Chinese waters were appealed to by the consul, not to demand redress from the Imperial Government, but to exact it from the local functionaries of Yong-chow at the cannon's mouth. This is not civilised but barbarian warfare, and places in the hands of a naval officer the power to involve his country in hostilities that may cost millions, to avenge injuries that, upon investigation, may turn out to be imaginary. If to do as we would be done by is alike a divine maxim and a Christian duty, as none will deny, the British people have only to imagine what their feelings would be if it were posasible that the case of China and England could be reversed, and China should happen to be the more powerful and aggressive nation of the two. Let us suppose, for instance, that half-a-dozen mandarins of the ninth class, zealous propagandists of the doctrine of Confucius-unbelievers alike The associated powers Great Britain, in Moses and Jesus Christ and the whole France, Russia, and the United States theology of the West - should land in the secured- we might say extorted-in 1858, East India Docks or elsewhere on the from the Chinese Government the right of Thames, and, proceeding to Whitechapel, residence and of trading for their subjects Aldgate, Cornhill, Cheapside, Ludgate Hill, in certain ports, commonly known as the Fleet Street, and Charing Cross, should treaty ports." The foreign and Christian hold forth at each halting-place against residents at these ports were placed under Christianity, denounce its churches as temthe protection of the several consulates of ples of idolatry, its priests as emissaries of the nations of which they are citizens or the devil, and proclaim their mission to subjects, just as the foreign servants and be the introduction of a purer faith among household of an ambassador in London or the benighted English people. There Paris are to a certain extent privileged, and would be a row of course, -or British huplaced under the jurisdiction, though they man nature would be revolutionised. The are in foreign territory, of the sovereigns holy men holy, at all events, in their own whom their masters represent, and to whom estimation - if not submitted to the tender they owe allegiance. Certain over-zealous mercies of Judge Lynch, and hung up to missionaries and propagandists of the Chris- the nearest lamp-post, would receive more tian faith as by them understood and in- cuffs and buffets than applauses, and might terpreted believing erroneously that all think themselves fortunate if they escaped China, and not merely "the treaty ports," with their lives. Fancy their appealing to was opened up to missionary enterprise, the Chinese consul, and that functionary took it upon themselves, no doubt with the sending down to a Chinese fleet, anchored very best of those intentions with which a somewhere off the Nore, to steam up and certain unmentionable place is said to be bombard London, on his failure to obtain paved, to lecture the Chinese population, in the support of the British law to protect and about Yong-chow, on the error and su- the Chinese firebrands, and punish the inperstition of their religious creed, and to ṣulted citizens of the metropolis, - and we revile and throw rhetorical dirt on the mem- have a counterfeit presentment very similar ory of Confucius. Very naturally the Chi- to some British proceedings in China. It nese were angry, and the missionaries got is virtually what was done the other day at into trouble. It is possible that wrong was Yong-chow, and what has frequently been done to these missionaries-"Plymouth attempted upon questions of the surrepti

66

tious introduction of either our theology or | peoples from the younger nations of the our opium into an empire that considered world. If there ever were a case in which both of them to be equally undesirable. the well-worn maxim, "c'est le premier pas It is clear from the treaty that Mr. Bur- qui coute," applied with peculiar force, it lingame has already concluded on the part was that of the attempt at fraternisation of China with the Government of the United with China. Without expecting too much States, as well as from the similar treaty as the immediate results of Mr. Burlinwhich he has partially negotiated with Lord game's mission, or sharing the lively faith Stanley and Lord Clarendon, that the day of the Plymouth Brethren or other missionfor the bullying of China has passed; and aries, whether Protestant or Roman Cathothat if any of the European Powers de- lic, that China is to be speedily or ever conclares war against that empire, it must be verted to the Christian faith; without beafter the same efforts at an honourable and lieving it probable that the Chinese will satisfactory understanding have been made look upon Christian churches in their land and failed, as would be employed in the with more favour than Englishmen would event of a rupture between themselves. No look upon the erection of Buddhist temples doubt this would have been the practice of in England; without even expecting that Christendom towards China if the Chinese the men of this generation shall be able, if Government had not shut itself up in proud they wish, to traverse China from end to isolation, and refused to listen to any other end as cheaply, comfortably, and expediargument than that of force. The Chinese tiously as they can travel for similar distanGovernment has at last discovered the un-ces in Europe and America, — we may yet wisdom of this course, and by its own ac- expect an increase of the world's happiness, tion, in the appointment of Mr. Burlingame as well as of the world's wealth, from the to explain its wants and wishes to the West-new relations which the East and the West ern nations, held out the hand of peace and are about to assume towards each other. good-fellowship, and expressed its willing- It is alike the reward and the glory of wellness, as a highly-civilised nation should, to doing that true wisdom is always more fruitsettle all questions by reason rather than ful of good than the wise men know or can by the sword. There is yet much to be possibly calculate. The mission with which done, although an auspicious beginning has Prince Kung has intrusted Mr. Burlingame been made, before the great Eastern nations and his colleagues is a noble one, and ought of China and Japan will enter fully into the not only to secure for the Chinese prince cosmopolitan brotherhood which appears to a high place in contemporary history, but be the destiny of the modern world. The for Mr. Burlingame and his two mandarins great thing was to make a beginning, and respectful recognition and a hearty welbreak down the barriers of exclusiveness come from all Europe. and jealousy which separated these ancient

proving these metals as far as possible.

It is a Parisian fashion to chronicle the toil-relating to steel and iron, with the view of imettes of ladies and courtesans side by side. Two members of the aristocracy have written to the Gaulos, resenting the impertinence, and demanding that their wives' names for the future be left unmentioned. The threat of a fine, according to the law Guillouet, enforces their just

remonstrance.

THE extraordinary and constantly-increasing demand for iron and steel for mechanical purposes, and the great importance that these should be of the best possible quality, have led to the establishment of a new scientific institution by the iron-masters and others in the North of England. It is proposed to call it, The Institution of Steel and Iron,' and the business of the members will be the discussion of all matters

SEVENTY-FIVE years have elapsed since Baddeley, the comedian, left funds for cake and wine to be partaken of on Twelfth Night by the Drury Lane company, "in the green room for ever. The anniversary was duly honoured this year, when Mr. Chatterton supplemented an additional cake and other good cheer. Mr. W. Bennet, the trustee of the fund, no longer gave "The memory of David Garrick," but the proper. and original toast "The memory of Robert Baddeley." This actor was the last who used to go. down to the theatre in his uniform, of scarlet and gold, worn by the patented players as "Gentlemen of their Majesties' Household."

FROM AN ISLAND.