The Express.
London, England, 1859-11-24 00:00:00

8001177 OP 4278

The weekly meeting at the Society of Arts yester-
day evening was unusually crowded, in oenaequnos of the
esmouncentent that Sir J. Flowring would deliver a lecture,
embodying the observation. marls during hie prolonged
residence in China. The chair was taken by W. H. Scalds,
Erg., supported on his right by Fier J. Bowing, end exempt
the mamboed the teem* present wits, Messrs. J. Duke,
Frith, J. Looks, M.P., T. Bopwith, Dr. Arnett, G. F.
Urlie, T. Winkworth White, Sir Thome" Phillips, dm The
proceedings having been opened in the mud form,
• ' •

Pik J. nowaixo rose, and was received with loud chews.
After a mend sketch of the well-known features of the
Chimes empire, be reminded the meeting that recent mots
had aisle forced Chinese affairs on the public LUGO/0M ,• ant
be trodthat what was now going on in that pert 01 the
world would result In the maintenance of peace, and the ta.
Waft d humanity in general. (Hear, hear.) He did eat
mesa then to touch upoa quetiona, farther WM 10
MW.Nbits oplaion that sa far as Unitary was onward me
aliesolly enough of Chins. Hoeg Leas was enesedlogly
whams as • settismrat, oat during his relianse time
he noddles led been traded. Re hind is it SOPS nealt.
be haswllklbl,ooo. Its mesomes bed imeend be • sholer
sod nes still deny itaistebg dintsegh bend-
orm: C Von... Peru/ hymto hauthurve musera. But
la exportst of its own per:ducts, but still it wee a oaripossc.
dent that the public buildings of San Francisco were built of
germite which had been quarried at Hoag Kong. He might
mention that once in • visit to the quarries in Abyskals,
whence were extracted the materials for the monolyths of
the Pharaohs, he was struck at finding the means 11101
is raising the stone to have been meetly the same u was at
the present day practised at Hong Kong. The population
of China were the third of the whole world, end he believed
that at the present moment it exceeded 416,000,000. The
ea seteithses wan In consequence so great, that
trbrnemeire sodgratiot might be reckoned by million.. They
=ldeverywhere, an d in a port in the Philippines which
cal, beet Hues years opened, they already consumed
British products to the amount of 400,000 dollars. Amongst
the Chinese, Badhism was so general that the Romith mis-
sions/4w at first recommended the Pops to retain the cere-
monies as civil observances, and, until the Jesuits kited to do
so, they wets unmolested. But the moment the mis-
sionaries represented to the Pops that Badhism was Idols-
hay they were persecuted and (trivet out of the
empire. Life was of so little value in China that • substitute
for a meacendemned to death could be had at any time for
NO dim Web. With respect to trade, the Chigoes imports
has Banked were above 11 millions in 1867. when there was
an eaireerdinsry (nomad for raw silk, and the average an-
nual import from China wee about nine millions. But there
was a vast deal of China trade which was not represented in
the British returns, so that he believed the teal amount
would be neater 60 millions than 40 millions sterling, end our
revenue from It upwards of four minions. The excite, also,
had gone up wonderfully. In 1868 they were 876,4471.
These statistics did not moment either opium or sTer. On
the telthet of opium he whited to correct inineueseatations
of what be bed formerly rid in reference to the trade. He had
new smoked opium, and he believed that its excessive
as. might be injurious, but it had been said that we carried
on the opium trade in violation of oar treaties with
China, whilst the fen was that the treaties made no
1010/000e to the opium trade whatever. (Hear, hear.) It
was rid further that It was carried ea in contempt of the
wither of the Chines government. Now he had needed tan
years fa Chine, and had bad much intercourse with minds-
the, end be bed never heard opium mentioned exospt when
be introduced the subject himself. There was, it was true, •
wake ankeurry constantly being carried on in the Pekin
Ossotto, and hot arguments were held pro and cow, some
writer' arguing sgainat the legalising of the introduction of
the drug, and others urging that • great revenue might be
derived from It. if it ware so abhorred by the Chimes as
was alleged, he asked was it possible that it should be cul-
tivated in elet provinces of China ; and so much WY that
cullivatioa proving, that the monopoly of the India Com-
pany was la pest danger. His argument bad been always,
Inutile the trade, for you could not stop it, and the frauds
conualteld ander the present system were monstrous. It
bed been mid that the Chines perished by thouunds from
the 11•• of opium. Now, from returns he had obtained la
Hoeg Yam, he found that more persona perished out of 600
British eeeidenls of dolirisom grooms than among 80,000
Chinas from the use of opium. He had stated these facts
as he had found them in returns, mid had been accused of
perverting them to suit his purpose, and of concealing the
fact that the Chinese victims of opium at Hoag Kong went
to the main land to die. Nothing could be more unjust.
He found that in ancient times the Chines people had been
notorious for habits of intoxication, but now be knew that
they were perhaps the moat sober people in the world.
Neither did it seem to egret their longevity, for he knew one
man, an opium smoker, who wee 108 years old, and
several others of 90 years. It had been said that opium re-
tarded the labours of the missionaries, but what were the
fame? In Siam, where no opium was 'rooked, the ruts.
sleuths had no success, whereas In Clone, smongst the
makers, many converts had been made. It wee said also
that the nee of opium interfered with oar traffic, tut his
belief was that the prohibition of the opium tilde would not
sell a single bale of goods. His argument was imam the
trade, seeing that the use of opium was • temerity, en un-
happy neceesity if you will, for if we meant In carry on •
trade with China we must either send opium or tuition.
The tied* is opium was about 6,000,0001., and that would
be the amount of bullion we should have to seed
if the trade in opium was prohibited. It was • remarkable
fact, that not only the British, but the American and foreign
trade of China was all carried on through British houses,
there being only two places upon which bills from China
could he drawn, namely, Calcutta and Loudon, and this
showed how Important to the whole world were our well
estebilthed relations with the Chinese. By recent treaties
Niagpo was fixed upon as one of the rests of trade, and he
thought it was unfortunate that it should have been fined so
near filiangiun. It was • remarkable fact, in commune with
China, that not a single city was food on the see there, but
deland, mad upon the setuaries of rivers. This mime from
the eadiamose bead of gkers, bat the hot was, diat es
=se the rata el we bed ally toadied he
We bed nit se yet tombs& Ms greet ittarior lotus,
end ewe mitrelmeto who agate the Ingres did tot ence,,,d a
data The litgnist• were of the mod Werke
Ithelligetese, led bed evnymbere beet a mat nuisance.
Tea, bed es they IMO% they bed antmoray of knowledge, and
made a ury had wee a i SSW this all these drawbacks
the hawk a Mem espegided 111712,567 dole., and the ex-
II ports to 496,687 doh. haw tee the teat port; end he must
nay he did me Wit M Ohm MI Isen happily chosen. His