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and the Persian ; their" Oriental individuality remains unchanged and unalloyed . T ? o thosewhohave beenaccustomedto regard Persia as a civilized country , find to imagine her possessed of a government and institutions analogous even to those of the worst provided states in Europe , tlie comparison , wehave incidentally suggested Trill of course appear strange and unfamiliar . But the idea of Persia being so much more highly favoured than other Oriental monarchies ,
will , on examination , be mostly found to rest upon some vague reminiscence of Hapiz and Sa . di , or a traditional belief that the Persians hare been , from remote ages , a polite and educated people . JSTor is this altogether a fanciful impression . They do possess a sort of literature ; and they still are the most polite and educated of Asiatics , let , as a nation , almost . every fault which is usually ascribed to the Chinese , may with equal justice be charged upon the Persians also . Their intercourse with Europe ha 3
been slight ; and , until recent times , only occasional . They are not to be judged by the European : standard . It is generally admitted , that , in our earlier Intercourse with the . Chinese , we too often lost time in diplomacy that "would nave been better employed in action . It is now , perhaps , beginning to be understood that large sums have been very uselessly expended , since the earlier part of the present century , in coatly missions designed to cultivate the good-will
of the Shahs of Persia . A seasonable exhibition of ibrce should , wherever Asiatics are concerned , precede any show of conciliation . This maxim was not lost sight of by those who planned the late expedition to the Persian Grulf . The local authorities at Bombay deserve great credit forthe completeness and general efficiency of the force detached for service : and ¦ praise is due at home to the
judicious selection of Sir James Outeam as political and military chief of the expedition . Tlhat a better choice could not have been made the event has Tally demonstrated . We are not so pugnacious a 3 to rejoice over a defeat that might , perhaps , in strict necessity , have been spared : since peace was actually in course of negotiation at the time the battle of Khooshab was fought . Bat we
look upon the victory there achieved as an event of the highest importance in its probable effects on the morale of the Shatt and his subjects . But for this episode in . the brief campaign a peace might have been patched up on mere considerations of ministerial policy , and no lasting impression would have been left ; behind . Nothing , therefore , could be better timed than this brilliant
passage of arms , which is rendered even more opportune by the well-known fact that the Persian troops affected no small degree of contempt for the native Indian cavalry , who played so conspicuous a parfc in their discomfiture at Khoosh ab . There are rumours afloat in military circles that Sir James Outham ' s valour and good conduct in his present high station will be handsomely acknowledged by the Crown . It is generally believed thab a baronetcy , at least , will bo conferred upon him ; a reward
which far loss conspicuous services havo often earned . From the period ( 1819 ) when ho joined his first regiment , the 23 rd Bombay N . I ., Sir James Outua . \ c has led a life of useful , zealous , and unremitting activity . His military capacity was from the fiivst we ' known ; hut , having oflafce years been almost entirely devoted to political employ incuts , it is only just now that ho has found ' an
oppor-Tjinilr . V C \ Y 1 il > ii " i i \ ri n tr l" \\ r a nr * r »/ \^ a in -M » , ¦ ¦» . (* i / . 1 , 1 tunity ot justifying , b y success in tho field , the reputation of a , brilliant soldior and tactician . And this reminds us that tho K . C . H .-ship Sir . I . vmks now hold . s i . s a Civil one bestowed for diplomatic services .
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THE KIDDERMINSTER RIOTS . TnE cowardly and brutal outrage of a rabble at Kidderminster has elicited , on every side , an explosion of unmitigated disgust . " Whether they were in all cases non-electors or electors who launched their obscene execrations and ruffianly missiles at Mr . Low : e we cannot say , hut they were idiots and poltroons . Their
" down-trodden nationalities . " The disposition to decry xts and our governmental system is sufficiently wide-spread among the Continental bureaucracies . Upon the whole , however , the elections have been conducted with the most praiseworthy order and good feeling . Candidates , electors , and nonelectors have generally vied in chivalrous courtesy and cordial temper . The conduct of the non-selectors is of particular import * ance , since it furnishes the most effective
argument for or against an extended franchise . We have to remark on a personal matter before quitting the subject . Mr . Boycott complains to us that , in our report last week , we associated his name unpleasantly with the origin of the riot . We have no desire to misrepresent Mr . Boycott . Our account was gathered from the accounts in the daily journals . "We shall be glad to
publish the proofs that he had nothing to do with instigating the violence offered' to his opponent . All we can say at present is that we dealt with , the subject more tenderly than some of our contemporaries , who directly charged Mr . Boycott with having incited the non-electors " to bully and beat . " It is not our usage to scatter random accusations , nor did we gratuitously insinuate a single word against Mr . Boycott :
mahco was that of savages , tlieir violence that of fools ; for what could they hope to gain by attempting to murder a defenceless man who had appeared on a public hustings , fearing nothing from an English populace ? We suppose that this language is not too strong for the beggarly sots who hurled thousands" of stones at one of tlieir countrymen , and all but cried out for hia blood .
Glad we aro , however , that this was tho one exception in England . We were not surprised to hear of head-breaking in Tipperary , where the old-fashioned Irishman practised on his father ' s head " to keep his hand in , " but the Kidderminster mob has dishonoured and disgraced the country—first by its ruffianism in stoning a defenceless man , and then by its sneaking flight from fifty troopers . Mr . XiOWk'b political recalcitrations have been forgotten in the sympathy and regret excited by thin attack upon him . Never was there a time at which it was
more important to the caii . se of public liberty : it home and abroad to ahow a good example of tho working of free institutions . Such an example nllonlod by England would do more to promote poliLiosil liberty throughout Europe than sill the hollow ' luiaky ravings wo hear about Hungary and Poland , and the
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THE WICK ftUiLGIiS ELECTION . The show of hands at the Wick Burghs nomination was distinctly in favour of Mr . AiiEXAJsrDUB Shaw , whose strong Liberal sympathies and special knowledge of Indian subjects would constitute him a most valuable member of the House of Commons . The election , while we write , is still undecided . But whatever the result may be , Mr . Shaw may fairly complain of the treatment he has received imm the JTnnse of SiTTHEBl / AND . He was first in the field for the Wick Burghs ; he entered into the contest upon an understanding that the SuTiiERiiAND influence
would not be exerted against him ; yet Lord John Hay , whoso Liberalism is of a lukewarm temperature , has come forward at the instance of the Marquis of Stattfotii ) , son of tlie Duke of SiTTHERLAiny . What became , then , of the implied compact between the Duke of Sutherland and Mr . Alexander Shaw , who was induced to become a candidate on the condition that he should not have to fight the agents of the Sutherland dominion ? Lord John * Hay , no doubt , is a very gallant officer , and an estimable gentleman , but lie has not , we * think , on this occasion , displayed all the franknesB and generosity of a sailor .
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AfrRii ; 11 , 1857 . ] TSE 1 EADEB , 353 ;
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Torture of Ciiine . sk at IIon < j-Kong . —It is stated by tho China ~ lMa . it , of the 15 th of February , that fortytwo Chinese at Hong-K 6 ng had then been confined for twenty days in a coll uixteen feet long by fifteen broad , furnished with only one small aperture for -ventilation , and devoid of beds or of any provision for tho necessities of nature . They -were there under suspicion of being concerned in the bread poisonings . The authorities , it Bcema , do not provide them with any food , for which
they are dependent on their relatives . Among these men is the baker AUmn , who , together with nine others , was rearrested after tho acquittal of tlio char # o of poisoning ' , and confinod in this fearful holo under suspicion of being dangerous characters . Several of tho European inhabitants of Hong-Kong have petitioned Sir John Bowting to deport tho suspected persons , as a measuro of public safety ; but this has been met by a counter petition , arguing that such , a proceeding would be extremely arbitrary .
Whst Coast of Africa . —By the last mails from Africa wo learn that tho Governor of Sierra Leone returned on tho Oth of March from a successful tour up the river , where lie arranged tioveral treaties with" the chiefs . Tho war continued in Mcllicourie , to tho advantage of the Morinhs , which tends to tho progress of trade . Tho country round Oumoroons i . s quiet . Lagos is also quiet , and nmplo preparations arc madu for any ponsiblu attack by KomoIco . A rumour prevails that the Dahomey nation intends making a descent on Abbookuta .
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HOW TO ADMIT BAEON ROTHSCHILD . There is some talk of a treaty of compromise between Lord Palmebston and tlie leading Peers hitherto opposed to the admission of the Jews . The direct way of dealing with an opposition is , of course ; , to defeat it ; but , if the opposition b » reasonable , terms of accommodation may be arranged . No on& argues that the oath of abjuration -was framed with any view of preserving the C hirisfciaaity of the Legislature . It was assumed that " the true faith of aChristian : " meant Protestantism , as opposed to Papal Catholicism ; yet the main ) objection is , that to admit a Jew would be to unchristianise the Legislature . The
Legislature has no protection against indifference , infidelity , or positive atheism ; its doors are open to hypocrisy ; its oath keeps out conscience only . "Why not frame a declaration , binding every member of Parliament , Catholic , Protestant , Unitarian , Friend , Irringite , Mormon , Jew , or Nothingarian , to observe the laws and to guard the Constitution ? To impose a Christian form of swearing upon a Jew , supposing he could adopt it , would be to extort from him an utterance of certain words which he must regard as of no meaning or value whatever ; "but accept the vow lie is prepared to offei * , and he is bound by his own code of honour and faith . We
doubt whether a Chinese , who , in a national sense , is of no religion whatever , would have any difficulty in entering the House of Commons . The Emperor of Chika ., for instance , who patronises piety as an amiable weakness , might condescend , were he a refugee in London , to patronise Christianity in the same way , and , leaving out of sight the naturalization laws , might tak « his seat by . enacting a / little farce at the Speaker ' s table . We exclude none but men with honest and strong convictions ; we stigmatize the Jews , but we fail to preserve the religious ' uniformity of Parliament . The objection to Baron Rothsciiild ' s admission is not even bigoted ; it is simply irrational .
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), April 11, 1857, page 351, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2188/page/15/
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