Ministers are in their own country in an inferior position to their predecessors; and may therefore, be safely slighted at Peking and Tokio, as they have been slighted at Hong Kong.
(2.) That the withholding of the usual Honours from high Chinese and Japanese Functionaries was a studied insult, justifying retaliation on high British Functionaries by the Chinese and Japanese Governments. It is difficult to imagine on what grounds any change in this matter, which is of great practical importance in all Oriental countries, can have been suggested in any responsible quarter. Assuredly, the interests of public economy cannot be reasonably pleaded in favour of so mischievous a departure from established practice. For it is well-known that the gunpowder fired in salutes is generally damaged gunpowder, useless for other purposes.
Witness the extreme care shown about the salutes and other Military honours paid to Native Princes and Rajahs in British India