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Leader (1850-1860), 11th December 1858, Edition 1 of 2, Page 1348, Untitled Article

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      THE WAR TIGE 11 . The War Tiger . By " William Dalton . une tvar j j . . Griffith and Farran . Mr Daxtox , who lias already favourably introduced himself to us in bis . Wolf Boy of China , has chosen a most fortunate moment to bring forth another work , calculated to display throughout a very sparkling and livelv romance , the manners and habits of a people who are about for the Qrst time to throw open their country to the trading visits of

      the " European Barbarians . " The War Tiger is a light volume , pretending to no serious -weigh tj and brought forward as a means of affording picturesque and exciting views of the habits of the Chinese ; it may fairly be recommended , as it fully carries put its purpose . In surh a tale probability is not a necessary ingredient , and of this fact Mr . Dalton avails himself liberally . The hero is a sort of Chinese Don Quixote , accompanied throughout Jiis adventures by a faithful esquire , named Chow . Their first meeting is thus told : — and after

      Then the first officer took the glass , gazing for some time , said , " Truly , my brothers , this is no ship , but a frightful demon that the insulted Ma-tsoo-po has sent from the bottom of the sea to devour us for carrytbis impious youth . " This was sufficient for the superstitious fear of the crew , who , clustering towards Nicholas , with one voice cried , " Over the side with the irreligious dog . " Seeing no other chance , the boy ran to the stern of the vessel , and , keeping them at a distance with bis sword , said , " Let my brothers open their ears . Their servant has brought this calamity upon them , but will yet save them from ' the anger of the demon by seeking him before he reaches the vessel , for surely the demon will be satisfied with one victim . "

      " The boy ' s words are good , and if he will pay for the boat it shall be so , otherwise it is not well that we should lose its value , " said the artful captain , fearing he should lose any money Nicholas might have about his person . " Back , rat , " said he to the advancing captain , keeping him off with his sword , and springing sidewards on to the edge of the junk , adding , " Lower the boat , with provisions , and I will give you silver ; refuse , and I will leap into the sea . " Fearing he would keep his word , the crew placed some rice cakes and a small water cask in the boat and lowered it ; and when Nicholas saw it fairly afloat , and held but bv one cord , he scrambled down the side like a

      cat , drew his sword across the rope , threw a handful of silver upon the deck , and pulled so hard at the oars that in a very short time he was far out of the cowards' reach and on his way to the floating demon ; -which , however , he had no sooner caught foil Sight of than he laughed till he could handle the oars no longer , for the terrible demon who had scared the wits of the sailors proved to be neither more nor less than a great tree which the circular winds had -wrested from the earth with such violence that the root had dragged with it a mass of earth and pebbles sufficient to keep it afloat in a perfectlyupright position , when , with its spreading branches and lower boughs , it bore in the distance no bad resemblance to a -well-rigged vessel .

      saving the life of the princess ) , is enabled to penctrnte ^ hc walls of the palace . Previous , however , to his interview with "the Son of Heaven , " The War Tiger describes many of the functionaries who surround the imperial throne , amongst others the chief historian of the empire , a post so ^ very peculiar ,-that it will be best told iu . the author ' s own words : — . Next this prince , in their robes of office , stood the

      colabs , or ministers of state , and with them an officer whose bird-embroidered robe and cap betokened him a mandarin of letters of the highest rank in the great college of Han-Lin . This officer was tutor to tbe heir to the throne , but in addition held an office so peculiar that I do not think you will accuse me of tediousneis if I tell you something about it . He was the chief historian of the empire , an appointment which , if carried out with similar integrity , vrould be creditable to other empires besides China . within

      " These historians , " says a writer who resided the walls of the palace thirty years , " consist of a certain numl er of men , who for their learning and impartiality are purposely chosen for this office . Their business i 3 to observe narrowly not only the actions but the words of the Emperor , which , without any communication with the others , each must write upon a loose piece of paper , and put in through a chink into an office set apart for the purpose . . . " In these papers both the Emperor's virtues and faults are set down , with the same liberty and impartialitv . ' Such a day , ' say they , ' the Emperor ' s

      behaviour was unseasonable and intemperate ; he spoke after a manner which became not his dignity . The punishment which he inflicted on such an officer was rather the effect of his passion than the result of his justice . In such an affair , he stopped the sword of justice , and abrogated the just sentence of the magistrate . ' Or else , ' The Emperor entered courageously hi to-a war for the defence of his people and for the maintenance of the honour of his empire ; and , notwithstanding the commendations given him by his flatterers , he was not puffed up , bit behaved himself modestly , his words . were tempered with all the sweetness and humility possible , which made him more loved and admired by his court

      than ever . " Such is the way in which they record down all that occurs ; but that neither fear on the one side , nor hope on the other , may bias men to give a partial record of the Emperor , the office wherein these papers are kept is never opened during the life of the sovereign , or while any of bis family sit upon the throne . When , however , the imperial dignity passes into another family , all these loose memoirs are gathered together , compared , and a history composed , that either hands down the Emperor as an example to posterity , or exposes him to the censure and odium of the nation , if he has been negligent of his own duty and his people ' s good . Thus is it the interest of the Emperor to be circumspect , and cautious how be behaves himself during his reign , "

      The frequent destruction of idols by The If ar Ti // er are well told , the greed and dishonesty of the Chinese ministers are graphically treated , while the revolutionary spirit which Mr . Dalton assures us pervades , or did pervade , all China , gives us a curious insight into the perpetually disturbed state of our new allies . We may safely say that Mr . W . Dalton has ndded another capital volume to the boy ' s library , and we give it great praise when we say that it fully deserves to stand on the shelf with the author ' s previous book , The Woif-Boy of China . The author may now fairly take his place as a writer for juveniles—a position of no little importance nud diliiculty .

      Rowing cautiously , for fear the tree might topple over and upset his boat , he heard a faint cry . Surely it could not be human ; he listened ; again he heard it ; and looking upwards you may imagine his astonishment at seeing a boy sitting across one of the upper branches , " Who cries for help ? " said Nioholas . " It is the miserable Chow , who must die if the benevolent stranger will not aid him , " was tho reply . " Canst thou swim , 0 Chow ? If so , drop into the water , for I dare not come nearer , " said Nicholas ; but

      scarcely had he spoken when a strong gust of wind toppled the tree over , with its great arms stretched out as if to save itself from falling . Fortunately it foil in an opposite direction to the boat . In the fall the boy was dashed so violently upon the water , that becoming instantly senseless lie would have sunk but for Nicholas , who , getting hold of tho long hair of his head , mannged to drag him into tho boat . Upon recovering his senses he said , " Alas 1 then , Yon-Vang has poor Chow after all . "

      Thou art far nway from tho king of the lower regions , my poor Chow , " said Nicholas . " By the social relations , I am alive and on earth—no , on water—and ungrateful to the benevolent stranger , " said tho boy , holding his head with both hands , as if the better to comprehend his situation . " Satisfy thy hunger and say how It happened that Chow came to bo perched like a wild gnoso on a mast- ' head , " said Nicholas , giving tho boy some of the rice cakes , which ho devoured as ravenously as if ho had not tasted food for a week . The lad , who had so unexpectedly made the acquaintance of Nicholas , was a tall , bony youth of about sixteen , with a broad forehead , Bparkllng black eyes , and covered with a coarse robe , so torn and tattered , that ho might- have passed for a beggar of the lowest olass , Our hero , after innumerable adventuros , arrives at Pckin , and through a lucky accident ( that of

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      irec trade . And he argues that it can both be fr ^ tered nud its results cheapened to the consumer U the establishment of permanent protective dutir upon the . foreign article , lie coincides will , 1 1 rench diplomatist who remarked upon a system of reciprocity and free trade submitted to him tint the plan was ' excellent in theory , but to make " if fair m practice the experiment should be deferred for half a century , untrl France should be on the same footing with Great Britain in marine , in nia nu-factufes , and the many other peculiar advantages

      now enjoyed by the latter . Mr .. Trench considers the foregoing a most profound remark , but he must excuse us on the score of nationality if avc differ from him . The Frenchman must have been profoundly dull who ' ¦ imagined that Great Britain was going to wait fifty years for her fellow nations to overtake her , or that , supposing her marine , manufacturing , and financial energies to be equalled , ' her " peculiar" ¦ advantages would cease to profit her .

      I he arguments of the author iu favour of a protective duty upon . English iron are not without ingenuity , and are elaborately supported , but his readers arc never permitted to lose sight of the fact that he writes more from an iron-master ' s point of view than from I hat of a patriot . Patre after page lie tells us of the rapid progress of the ' iron' manufacturers of the United- Srates , and of the Western States especially ., of increasing prices of labour in those countries concomitant with vastly swelling imports of British iron . He shows us that these imports go into consumption , and therefore not into dead slock ; and yet he proposes to arrest the eiiormous mauufaeturiiifr enertrv of Jiis cou-nf . rv now

      employed in the conversion of all imported iron from the pig or bar state , audio reduce the supply of the liiiished article or mightily enhance its price to cverv American man , woman , and child , who now . coiis-ume on the average about l . "j , UUU , 000 dollars' worth of goods made from British iron in course of the year . The amount of the interests he would disturb may be gathered from a irlancc at the tables of population and iron nianuuielurers . Tho . production

      of pigs in the Slates for Ib 55 , was 7 U 5 , 743 tons , valued at 10 , 010 , 910 dollars . The actual home consumption of foreign iron and manufactures was about as much more in weight , and worth 20 , 191 , 502 dollars , ' . the total consumption of the foreign and domestic article was 'Jb , 59 b , 310 . dollars . The intervening labour , therefore , which the crude iron interest would derange without llhiching , in quest of what they term protection for domestic industry , would seem to have been worth , in 1 S 55 something

      like 62 ,: JSO , C 2 S dollars . - Mr . French , although he docs not seem to ignore the fact that an ainple . supply of iron is indispensable to the progress and welfare of his nation , alludes to her enormous purchases of British iron during her railway-constructing mania as a calamity due partly to her own folly , and partly to foreign rapacity , for which she ha ^ bled severely . JJut lie must recollect that had the prohibitory or proteo . tive tariff of his predilection ]> n : viulcil , Iia < l Uic American enterprise—to which wo administered m many cases by selling iron for bonds—been distributed over the tiimr rcriuircd for the American Utliu

      iron trade to answer tin ; demands upon it , the fever had not in truth been so severe ,, out ins country might , even now have been crawluiff oyci the nio " iistrous > stage in civilisation which , witiuno help of our oppressive merchants , nuiuulacturcis , and speculators , slia has cleared , as it were , m '"" ' political economists , " says Mr . French , in the course of his argument , " usually allow lor ontu individual in this country a consumption o no products of tho land to the value of 0 » llf "' X annum . Tho number of people supported by uic iron business of tho whole country w , «« ovo i 1

      jinin led tho way , to 1850 , at which period the official tables aooin to atop , nnd has embodied a mass of authorised statistical information which cannot fail to bo of value to all European manufacturers , and economists who iako interest in tho staple productions of tho States . His object in tho publicafciph of his work is a politioal ono . Ho desires to exhibit tho evil effect of free trade principles upon tho industry of his native country . Ho complains that tho iron trade of tho States has suffered ( wo cannot obsorvo that ho says it h suffering ) from financial revulsions , -yvliioli liavo , from time to time , brought ruin upon it , and are born of

      IRON TRADE OF THE UNITED STATES . History of the Iiise and Progress qf the Iron Truda of the United States from IG ' il ' 18 . 07 . By 13 . F . French . Now York : Wiley aiul Hnlatuil . London ; Trubner and Co . Although -vvo nro not prepared to coincide with tho author of this history in his vicw . s on tho subject of protection , M'O tiro happy to admit Unit we mvo boon highly interested as well as instructed by his elaborate memoir on tho Iron Trade of the United States . Ho lias traced tho vise and progress of tho manufacture from 1021 , when

      Virad malmti , about 000 , 000 , who , at 50 dollars pci nw « . consume annually aOjOOO . OOOilollarb' wor hoi tj « stud ' s . If these cannot liml emp loyment iu »«» fuoturhiff , they must bucomo producers , iini is a homo murkot to this immense amount ' 0 Sl tho present producer : * . " , , tj But ho is here wandering after iv »» nil % 0 () 0 Q proves satisfactorily enough that , these " " » . sons of Tubul Cain nro 7 : i no danger ° l %° turned adrift . Wcro foreign iron excluded lio >» American market , ho would , on tlio con I Y . to moot a u immediate doinnml lor out ) ' " 0 % . of them ; and horo , wo apprehend , f l ° ioa oulty would arise . If we cau rend "" tf " ' ^^ for is rich ouougli , outorprwiiig enough , I" m ° v j | a of her own wants . She is blest with viwt dopos >* . oro and ooal , her sons aro of surpassing " > J CJ 1 U J

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      104 & THE LEADBR . ^ [ No , 455 , December 11 , 1858 .

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Dec. 11, 1858, page 1348, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2272/page/12/