The Sun.
London, England, 1854-01-13 00:00:00

DR. BO WRING AT MANCHESTER.

Yesterday morning, an interesting and highly influen-
tial meeting was held at Manchester, in the Mayor's
parlour, to which the members of the Chamber of Com-
merce and Commercial Association were invited to be
present, along with the leading merchants and manufac-
turers, to meet Dr. Bowring, previous to his departure
for China. Amongst the leading gentlemen present
were :—Mr. James Heywood, M.P., Mr. J. Kershaw,
M.P. ; Mr. George Hadfield, M.P. ; Mr. Alexander
Henry ; Mr. Thomas Baxley, and Mr. J. A. Tur-
ner. Benjamin Nicholls, Esq., the Mayor, introduced
Bowring, who having expressed the gratification he
felt at meeting so many gentlemen eminently connected
with the industry of the country, delivered an ad- ,
dress, of which decimal coinage and our commer-
cial relations with China were the more prominent
topics. He believed the empire of China was destined
to fulfil a great mission by the emigration which was
now going on from thence through all the eastern na-
tions. Such was the population of China that there
was not a foot of it scarcely but was cultivated. Such
was the over population, in fact, that, notwithstanding
the most violent interdicts against emigration, its sur-
plus streams were overflowing the countries of the east.
In the island of Java he found 25,000, in the islands of
the Indian Archipelago he believed there were not less
than 70,000 Chinese ; whilst in San Francisco there had
been settled 25,000 more, and great numbers were emi-
grating to Australia, and the islands of Polynesia, or
wherever there was a field of labour open to them. It
appeared to be a law of Providence that the superior
races of mankind should supplant the inferior, and
we saw in the progress of time the inhabitants
of the West India islands swept away—that the Anglo-
Saxon population was invading and removing (he
would not say destroying) the red Indian tribes of
America. So the Chinese race was setting aside the
Malay in the same way that they (the Malays) had set
aside the Dyaks. He ought also to have referred to the
great and growing importance of .the opening in
Western America, in the great changes taking place
in Australia and in India, which had opened a trade
with India equal to that between Great Britain
and China. All these subjects afforded topics
for reflection and for encouragement, and he would
say that he had seen in China an exemplification
of its value, to which he might be excused for refer-
ring. When we first reached China many ships came
there from this country, which were an opprobrium to
the name of England. Such was the character of craft
from this country, and when two years ago the Americans
introduced their magnificent clippers, they could obtain
no more than two guineas, whilst the Americans obtained
seven guinea freights to load tea for England. At that
time the gentlemen present knew what were the appre-
hensions of merchants as to the results of free trade, if
it were allowed to touch its last stronghold of monopoly,
the shipping interest. It was introduced into shipping,
however, mid as all were aware, there was no interest
which had been so benefited. (Cheers). And when he left
China the ships built in England under this system were
some of the finest that ever glided over the great waters
and the freights which they were able to command were
equal to the average of those given of the finest clippers
of America. (Cheers.) Some alarm had been expressed
he was told, that if we opened the tea trade more fully
least there should be an efficient supply, but he could
assure them there was no fear of that. The quantity
used here was but a drop in a bucket to what the
Chinese themselves used, and to what was necessarily
therefore produced. Tea was drunk in China by three
hundred to four hundred millions of people as many
as three or four times a day, and there was not a
cottage at which you could call, where it could
not be supplied. They did not use it as we did ;
they did not fire up black tea to the black-
ness of ours, and they did not paint their green tea to
the extent we required—(laughter)—but it was, never-
theless, an article of universal request. He had no
fear but China would be able to supply any amount of
tea we might ever require ; and as to silks, he would
only call attention to the progress in exportation which
was already taking place in that article. Its value was
more fully recognised he believed every day, and,
strange to say, this country had almost a monopoly of
its importation. When he was in France the other day
this was mentioned to him, and ho believed the reason
was the singular trait in the French character which
so soon discouraged him. He had been asked how
it was there was not a single French merchant
at Canton ? They had sent orders to Shanghai
for silk, but those orders had not been preceded by the
arrangements which the English merchants had made to
secure a supply. He was of opinion, however, that they
would have French merchants there ere long, and thought
we could hardly expect to retain the whole trade of that
important branch of Chinese exports. He admitted that
great mists and doubts and darkness overhung the future
of the Chinese empire, but at the same time believed that
a
our own relations with that country would
more important and beneficial character. (Applause.)
The meeting concluded with a vote of thanks to the
chairman. yet Flssum

ANOTHER HEAVY FIRE AT MONTREAL.—lntelligenoe
reached London yesterday (Jan. 12) that on Christmas
morning a very destructive fire occurred in one of the
finest blocks of buildings in Montreal, entirely destroy.
,
ing it, partly occupied by J. and D. Lewis as dry goods
stores. The losses are as follows :—London offices.—
Globe, 10.0001. ; Royal, 5,000/. ; 3,000/. ;
Equitable, 2,100/. : Liverpool and London, 2,000/.
Local offices.—Hartford, 2,0001. ; Home, 2,000/.
Etna, 2,6001. ; Protection, 1,2001. Total, 29,900,-:
.Post Magazine,