The Chinese Government . has acceded to Sir E. Satow's
demand for full redress against the officials responsible for the murder of two missionaries in Hunan. The Mandarin. who Shut the door of his official residence against Mr. Lewis, that is, practically gave him up to the raging mob, will be executed, and other officials degraded from their posts. This is regarded as most satisfactory; but the Times correspondent complains that in official who smuggled one thousand Hauser rifles and three hundred thousand cartridges into Kwang,si in spite of Imperial prohibition has received high promotion, recorded with all the facts in the Pekin Gazette. The incident is reported as an illustration of Chinese faithlessness, and no doubt it is one; but disarming clauses in treaties, or indeed in legislative Acts, never succeed. Human nature is too strong for them, and they only increase the cost of firearms. You can stop an importation of heavy artillery, but rifles and revolvers are wanted by the authorities as well as the people, and they slip in in spite of laws, agreements, and punishments.
