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Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3851, 20 November 1883, Page 2

Our cablegrams to-day state that volunteer forces are being raised in China in view of the prospect of war with France. The foreigners resident in China are naturally uneasy, for the Chinese hatred of "barbarians " is so inten.se that on the slightest pretext they will attack either (heir persons or property. An instance of this occurred not long ago at Canton, which affords a warning of what foreign residents may expect .should war break out between France and China. The accidental drowning of a

boarding-honso tout whilst attempting "to board im English steamer was the incident which fanned into a flame the latent hatred of the "foreign devil" common to ihp ordinary Chinaman. It must be said iov these Cantonese rioters that on this occasion, they contented themselves with doing damage to property, and made no attack upon the persons of the Europeans among them. It is, however, impossible to expect that similar forbearance will be shown in future, Avlien hostilities have actually broken out between China and any European Tower. The significance of the incident, wo may hope, will be appreciated in Paris. The present tone of the French press is by no means pacific, and it cannot be amiss that the journalists of the Boulevards should bo reminded of the real dangers that must be incurred in a conflict with the Chinese people. The misfortune, however, is that these dangers will chiefly effect, not the gentlemen of Paris who are now clamouring for war, but the English, German, and American merchants who are pursuing their peaceful avocations in China.