Mr. Baxter, member for Montrose, on Friday week extorted from
Lord Palmerston a rather important statement as to the policy which will for the future be pursued by the British Govern- ment in China. The Orders in Council authorizing British seamen and military officers to enter Chinese servicehave been revoked, andthere is no intention of renewing them. But Her Majesty's Government adhere to their policy of protecting a radius of thirty miles round each of the treaty ports as absolutely essential to the security of our trade and the maintenance of our treaty rights. That seems a reasonable compromise amidst the many difficulties of this great question. The scheme originally tried would, had it succeeded, have ended in the conquest of China, and have over-weighted Eng- land; but we have always admitted the necessity of guarding the treaty ports, and the radius may be wanted to feed them. It only remains to include one town on each great river among the treaty ports, and we shall be in an admirable position to trade without attempting to govern the country.
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