The Express.
London, England, 1857-03-14 00:00:00

SIR JOHN 110 RING DEFENDED.

The following energetic defence of Sir John Bow-
ring proceeds from the pen of one of his sons—Mr.
Edgar A. Bowring, registrar and librarian to the
Board of Trade:

Protected by the privileges of parliament, and profiting
by the favourable opportunity of "stabbing in the bark" a
man 10,000 mile away from his native land, and therefore
unable to raise his voice in self-defence for many months to
come, certain "noble" lords and "right honourable"
and "honourable" gentlemen have thought it con-
sistent with their position as British legislators and
men of honour to lay to the charge of Sir John Howring
during the recent debates In both Houses of Parliament,
without circumlocution, and in so many words, the heaviest
crime that can be alleged against a man in his relations to-
wards society—that of "wilful and deliberate falsehood," in
consequence of a pretended discrcpany between two letters
addressed to Consul Parkes and Commissioner Yeb rupee-
.

tively, in the first of which ho stated that "the Arrow had
no right to hoist the British flag," while in the sewed be
obeerved that "there is no doubt that the loreha Arrow
lawfully tom tho British flag under a register granted by
„

That there may be no mistake so to the language used in
reference to this subject, I will cite the very words employed
by some of the so reported in your columns. A
youthful earl sitiesd" the falseness and perfidy " of
the traneaction ; a recalled Governor-General of India won-
dered that "her Majesty could permit soy non to remain in
her service who could state the thing he believed not to be
true the member for F • en said that Sr J.
. .

, -
Ilowring had boon guilty of " equivocation, fain,-
hood, erasion, misrepresentation ;" a late First Lord
of the Admiralty stated that ho had "advisedly
and knowingly practised a deliberate deception upon the
Chinese government ;" a late Colonial Secretary charged him
with " falsehood, or the most barefaced contradictions;' an
expectantan former Chief jrtgineet of the Dosused
ed off T''rdaire employed the
phrase of " liar " and " and deliberate falsehood"
Three extracts are perhaps sufficient.
So gnat was the importance attached to making good this
cruel charge, that some of the above speakers actually made
it after the news of the wicked attempt to murder Sir J.
Doering and his family by poison bad become publicly
known, and while it wee quite uncertain whether their lives
would bo saved.
As Sir John Bowoing's nearest relative and as his repro-.
tentstive in this country during his absence in China, I
could not hear there charges advanced without the greatest
pain end the greatest smaxement• feeling that, if true, he
would be unworthy to hold hie sovertogres commiteion.
These experienced in parliamentary tat nee told me, indeed,
that these accusations were put forward mainly to influence
votes in the division, and not from any irrepressible horror
of falsehood ," and that they aro also intended to be
turned into capital at the forthcoming general election in
shown by the address just issued by a right hon. member for
Portsmouth who voted against the government, and who de-
liberately repeats the gross charge of falsehood now that the
heat and peoaion of the debate have passed away.
Ido not now addrees you, sir, to deny the fact that Sir
John Bowring actually employed the two plume. upon
which those heavy accusations are based, as be undoubtedly
did employ them ; but I write to protest indignantly and
emphatically on his behalf against the unjust and ungene-
rous inferences drawn from them, and I trust to be able to
show your ceders in a very few words bow meetly and hew
cruelly two simple sentences, each equally correct, have, for
party purpowe, been twisted from their plain and obvious
meaning to convey a sense never for ono moment intended
by their writer.
On taming to the blue-book from which these passages
were taken I was immediately struck by the feet that the
two letters containing them were written at an interval of
five week. from each other, and that 79 ponderous page" of
correspondence intervened between them. But on looking
at the documents to which these letters were the reply, the
apparent discrepancy between them was instantly explained,
and the utter Injustice of Sir J. Bowring's accusers displayed
in their piecing in juxtaposition what I cannot but call
garbled extract. of deopatchea, inasmuch sea knowledge of
the eireumetanem under which they were written is indispen-
sable to understanding theta properly. I leave your
readers to judge of the femme of those who
could wilfully suppress half the truth end take ad-
ventage of Sir J. Bos-liw.,'s abeence to advance
allegations of falsehood against him, which, if present, he
would have instantly and triumphantly refuted. Surely, the
honour of England is felling low, when her eo-called states-
men thus etandeeeend.

In writing hie first letter to Consul Parkes on the 11th of
October, Sir J. Bowring acquainted him that, having failed
to comply with a certain provision of our colonial law, "the
Arrow bad no right to hoist the British fag." But, after
showing that this was the case under our municipal reltula-
lions—that is to say that as between ourselves and
the vessel, she had lost by a vary few days bar claim
to insist on our protection (though the fact of
her hsoing, without opposition on the part of the
Chinese authoritice, deposited her papers with the British
consul after her register had expired proved conclusively
that she wee still a British vessel every sense of the word),
the plenipotentiary proceeded to show that, as between
ourselves and the Chinese, this technical Saw in the
register made no difference whatever, and that the Arrow,
by treaty end International law, se distinguished from muni-
cipal law, remained a British vessel to ell intents end
within the broad meaning
WeliTas all he cif the treaty with Chips, bad to consider.
Since the elms of the debate I have ascertained that the
Arrow is well known in China es a regular British trader,
and that the expiration of the Bosom in her ease is by no
means a singular one, as such expiration cannot be avoided
in many instances, when the vessel happens to be absent
the time from the waters of Kong Kong. But the rule In
each assn is to mew the meter as seat* of coarse when

she returns there, the master being, unruly repilleand4
his carelessness when neeevary.
But what as respects Sir I. Bolrring's second letter—thg
to Commi.ioner leh of the 11th of November Why,
spoeilimill stated to be a reply to Yetis letter of the [fib,/
that month, in which ho stated that "the Isryha less Lou
by a Chin.,; a register was pnrelmsed for Ler 04 the 11,
chant Block for 1,000 dots., and she ...wood the Britoil
flag without being entitled to it;" or ((an tneulatod woo•
curate ly in the note, no proved by a sulseopant letter of k.lO
aulaumed the flag fraudulently." Here is ch.rly
reared, sweeping assertion that the cirrutosmoccs .1.44
by him rendered the use of the British flag friuthde.t.
and that the creed, in her general c.harayter, was
and not British. In apecilk refutation of this bawd
untrue ihitement, Sit Joint I.l.wrina madu that nlastly
broad but true reply which is now so
that " the Arrow lawfully bore dm British nag, owe
register granted by him." In other words, while lkh steed
that the vessel toomonsl, awl therefore bore the IL/ frawit.
lastly, Sir J. Bowriug rejoined that clue did not, but to td
contrary bore it lawfully. And ilia is the wilful and dale.
rate jkloehood eharged against the latter,

Tim further rePenti.2,77,f Yeh,dig;dßoventher 17, prone
conclueively that the &sensation had reformer to the goneral
character of the Arrow, and not to her los ldest,4 and
Meal position at the moment of the outrage, fur lie Arms
almost verbatim his former statement as to the madame of
the register, and adds that "she fraudulently sauteed the
flag of your nation."
I believe, sir, that your readers will deem the foregoing
plain statenamt of facie coneJusive evidence of the
the charge. advanced against Sir J. 'Mining; but, is may
caste, I have already written urgently to him ti bite his own
explanation in his own words, and I now pledge myself, on
hie behalf, that at the earliest possible tilotikin a full end
complete answer shall he Riven by him to thew elandosue
shoidd his health be Frowned, and he lava
escaped the band of the poisoner and assassin dinsted agsfan
him at Hoag Kong, and nut sink under the effects ~f the
insidious poison rent him from home.
Sir, I make no eppeal for generosity towards Sir Jahn
Bowing, but only for the simplest, ot antiog justice; and I
have etude confidenee in that spirit of justice and fair I
plc
in whichinherent in the chancier of Englishmen lied
cannot for one moment doubt that the solemn verdict which
is abut to Ise given by them throughout the length end
breadth of the bad will be one of disapproval of this crud
uttenitg -- call it by what name you will, conspiracy, Cole.
bination, "fortuitowt commune of atom,"—to rain ea
only the public but also the private character of an absent
man.—l have the honour to be, air, your very faithful
servant, EDGAR. A. BOW RING.
Atheneum, Mardi 13.