SMUGGLING ON A GRAND SCALE.
THE same letters which tell of our military operations in the Whig- begotten war against the Chinese Government, contain glowing ac- counts of the thriving state of British trade with the Chinese People. It is not war we are engaged in, but a great smuggling concern. The Chinese Government prohibits the importation of opium ; the Indian department of the British Government have a large stock of that commodity on hand ; so a British force is directed to make warlike demonstrations on one part of the Chinese coast, in order to draw the army to that point and leave the rest undefended, so that the opium-cargoes may be run in without risk of seizure. It is as if Dirk Hatteraick had landed the crew of' the Jungfrau Haagen- slaapen and attacked the Customhouse at Portanferry, to keep the dragoons there stationed engaged while his consort was landing her bags of tea and kegs of Nantz behind Warroch Point. So far as right goes, the corn-growing countries might serve England as the English Government serves China. The same school of political economists here which protests against the importation of foreign grain, is eloquent on the demoralizing influence of manufactures. Suppose America, Russia, and other corn-growing states, instead of endangering the morals of their inhabitants by establishing manu- factures, were to unite for the purpose of bombarding London, in order that their merchants might run cargoes of grain into the manufacturing districts, while the soldiery were concentrated in the metropolis to repel the attack ?—it is not impossible that the Anti-Corn-law League might be as ready to deal with them for corn as the Chinese are to deal with us for opium. This will not be done ; but what hinders it ? The public law of Europe, backed by the military means of the British Government. In China, where the Government is unwarlike and European usage unrecog- nized, we would dictate a law of nations to serve ourselves, and at the same time, for our own profit, play the part of outlaws and freebooters.
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