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204 T H g_Jk_gAJP E -- B " [No- 362, Sat...
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NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS. Sereral " Ope...
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SATURDAY, PEBBUAKr ^JjjT ^
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. ^ Itltlir fMJfflttH ^c/ UU4-l* AMiki *
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There is nothing so revolutionary, becau...
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MR. DISRAELI'S DEBATE. The crisis has no...
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CHINA IN PARLIAMENT. Lord Derby's speech...
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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Transcript
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
204 T H G_Jk_Gajp E -- B " [No- 362, Sat...
204 T H g _ Jk _ gAJP -- " [ No- 362 , Saturday , >
Notices To Correspondents. Sereral " Ope...
NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS . Sereral " Open Council" communications are unavoidably omitted this week . No notice can be taien of anonymous coirespondeuce . " Whatever is intended for insertion must be authenticated by the name and address of the writer ; not necessarily for publication , but as a guarantee of Ins good faith .
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Saturday, Pebbuakr ^Jjjt ^
SATURDAY , PEBBUAKr ^ JjjT ^
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puhlit Miiiiu
There Is Nothing So Revolutionary, Becau...
There is nothing so revolutionary , because there is nothing so unnatural and convulsive , as tiie strain to keep things fixed when , all the world is by tnevery lav of its creation in eternal progress . —Du-AEKOiX ) .
Mr. Disraeli's Debate. The Crisis Has No...
MR . DISRAELI ' S DEBATE . The crisis has not come . Toryism has been rejected by the House of Comra cms . Instead of benefiting himself politically by liis fiuancialdebate , Mr . DisBAEiii only exposed the empirical qualities of his mind . He spoke of a settled plan of finance , as though he were prepared with , a settled plan of events , and produced a
general impression that he never can rise above the position of a troublesome debater . The discussion , however , had results far more important than those which concern the charaeterorprospeets of Mr . Disraeli . It showed the House of Commons shaken into chaos ; the members not knowing how to dind a way out of their antecedents , perplexities , and pledges . Mr . Roebtjck and Sir Joseph Paxton
followed the Tory leader ; Mr . Layabd and Mr . Tite supported the Government ; Major Reed , Chairman of the Anti-Income x 4 ssociation—a straw flying with tlie wind—voted for the Budget ; the van of Liberalism and the rear of Conservatism were split by the division ; Sir Johk Tyre : ll confessed himself bewildered , and followed Lord Palmeesion" into the lobby , where he found
Sir Joshua Waxmsley , Mr . Spooler , and Mr . Th . omasDunco > ib : e in curious fraternity . On the Opposition side , Sir irREDioBicic Thesiger became the momexitary ally of Mr . Cobdex , Mr . Disraeli of Sir James Gbaham , Sir John Thoi / lope of Mr . "William "Williams , and Mr . Miali / and Mr . Murhough of Henley , Jollibfe , and Tyler . General Peei * voted on one side , Sir Hobert Peel on the other . The recent elections had
given Lord Palmerston several supporters . But it was to Lord John Russell—the conspicuous expectant—that he principally owed his safety . JN ^ ot one of the hereditary Whigs conspired with the Tories . When Mr . Locke King , however , had driven the Opposition and tlie Ministry into the same camp a hundred and seventy-nine Liberals voted against the Government . Had the Tories been absent , the majority against Lord Palmerston would have "been as four to one . In connexion with
the subjeot of parliamentary reform , therefore , he represents the Toric s , not the Liberals . Of this argumen t much use is made by tho Tories , who complain that the Cabinet , though professing Liberalism , Tests upon Tory support . But they , in their turn , when they attack tho Government , solicit Liberal aid , and , without it , are reduced to incapacity . "What would have been Mr . Diskaeh ' s following on Monday night , had ho not coalesced for tho time with Mr , Gladstone and a number of independent members ?
There was really no financial ( uiestion at issue , touching the financial scheme of the present year . Mr . Dibk , vkli proposed to lay down rules for the guidance , of the Chancellor of tho Exchequer in 18 GO-GO ; but ho failed to show that a largo deficit would be probable in that year , even if tho plans of Sin
Cornewai-l Lewis were allowed to pass unchallenged . The naval and military estimates may settle down to an ordinary peace level , or may experience an upward pressure ; the liquidation of the debt may be accelerated or postponed ; it would be irrational , however , to anticipate the policy of three years , and to establish a compact binding on the members of some future Government , especially as the probable course of circumstances is by no means easily defined , and as no vote of the
House of Commons in 1857 could have any practical effect on the finance of 1860 . It was , perhaps , natural , but certainly impolitic , on Mr . Gladstone's part , to act so prominently in behalf of the Tory leader , simply because that cunning tactician had nattered the Budget of 1853—the Budget that triumphed over his own , the Budget that he then , impugned , the Budget of the statesman who had treated Mr . Disraeli's proposals with scorn , as the wares of a fiscal shopman .
The House of Commons , then , had no alternative but to reject Mr . Disraeli ' s motion , which emanated neither from statesmanship nor from economy , but from faction , which had no practical meaning , and which , if carried , could have had no advantageous result . Lord Joior Russell ' s resolution on the tea duty belongs to a different category .
It is designed to relieve the tax-payer , and to force still further the reduction in the public expenditure ., This is practicable , if the House of Commons will do its duty . The estimates are too large , the army is * too dear . A revenue of sixty-six millions is not wanted . Sir CoRNEWALL Lewis proposes to maintain establishments too great for times of peace and too small for times of war . There seems
no reason why Lord John Russell should not extort the acquiescence of the Government , or obtain a parliamentary victory . It may be anticipated that the body of Bedford Whigs will follow him , and that the independent Liberals who voted with the Ministers on Monday night will co-operate to cut down an unpopular tax , burdensome to trade . Nor is it likely-that the Toi-ies , on whichever
side they act , will be disorganized by such a contusion of ideas as that which necessarily resulted from the feeble platitude moved as a resolution by Mr . Disbaeli . At all events , Sir John Tyrell . will know where he is , and not be compelled ; , for one night more , to acknowledge the noble lord the member for the City of London , and throw a sad reproach in the face of his political cicerone .
China In Parliament. Lord Derby's Speech...
CHINA IN PARLIAMENT . Lord Derby's speech on Tuesday evening was an imperfect compilation of the Canton despatches . Lord Clakknjdoh's reply placed the whole question clearly before tho House . In the first place , the Tory Earl had falsely described the relations existing between the British and Chinese authorities before the 8 th of October last . Instead of being amicable , as he stated , they consisted of justifiable vexation on tho part of tho English , and irritating insolence on the part of the Chinese . There was not a merchant in China who had not satisfied himself that
it would bo impossible to continue long on friendly terms with the representatives of tho Imperial government . No such feeling as amity existed at Canton ; the English had ceased to reside there ; the oncroaehmonts of the governor and his police became continually more and more aggressive . Nor is it correct to describo the Lorcha rupturo as having closed a peace of fifteen years' duration . Tho Bogue forts were captured in 18-17 , and 800 guns were spiked by General d'Aouilak , to chastise an act of unendurable contumacy . Wince that I period tho jealousies of tho native- officials
seem to have been embittered , until last autumn they resolved to fly in the face of the White Devils upon the first opportunity That their proceedings were directed against the English , and not against their own . suspected countrymen , was proved - by their gross disrespect to our flag , and " by the defiant attitude they at once assume d as though it were their object to force a quarrel . It is not contended , even b y Lord Debby ' that Mr . Parkes did not make the most
courteous representations before he called in the plenipotentiary or the admiral . But as Lord Clarendon very properly pointed out , an Opposition in search of a political excuse is scarcely as well qualified to estimate the necessities under which our representatives have acted in China as the British community on "the spot , and by the British community the conduct of Sir John Bowjrin-g and Admiral Seymour is all but unanimously
approved . They , no less than the native inhabitants of Canton , have suffered from the bombardment ; much of their property has been destroyed ; their trade has been interrupted ; in some cases tlieir lives have been endangered ; yet they do not complain , for . they feel that the British authorities have acted in their interests to protect them in future from outrage and offence . The assailants of the Government have found it
necessary to overlook this essential element in the case . The Arrow , it is now shown , had aright to carry the British flag . What was the value of that right if it did not bring the vessel -within the meaning of the treaty of 1842 ? AlJritisli flag does not confer British rights as regards British jurisdiction only , but confers British protection against all attacks whatever . That is the distinct , settled principle of all
international law . The Arrow , therefoi'e , belonging to Hong-Kong , manned by a Hong-Kong crew , placed on a British register , and provided with a British flag , was in all respects British , and , as such , entitled to the guarantee which accompanies that character in all parts of tlie globe . It may be said , perhaps , that the Chinese of Hong-Kong are not British subjects . Supposing , however , the Isle of Wight was ceded to France , would the natives of that island be French or
British subjects ? "Would an Isle of "Wight ship be British or French ? "We exercise in Hong-Kong a right of sovereignty precisely on the same basis with that we exercise in . Malta . But it is objected that the Arrow had allowed her register to expire a few days . Lord Clahenbon supplies an answer event more decisive than we had expected : " Although the register had expired a few days , there was a provision that ships should not be obliged to renew their register if they remained at the station . She was there : the
English flag was flying . " This is altogether satisfactory . The collateral question , whether the JBritisli Government has the right to grant sucli registers , has been disposed of with equal success . Similar registers have been granted for a long period at Gibraltar , and for several years at Singapore , and on the Malabar coast-In the presence of "barbarous governments , always onger to make an arrogant show of thoit authority , incapable of logic , and disdainful
of general interests , it has been found impossible to foster tho commercial enterprise of British subjects in the Eastern settlements without some such regulation . Tho Imperial Court of China naturally regards with a sort of vindictive jealousy the Chinese- in Hong-Kong , released from its control , owing allegiance to an outside power , and therefore takes every opportunity of snatching thorn back within the limits of its irresponsible jurisdiction . They who know China know
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Feb. 28, 1857, page 12, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_28021857/page/12/
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