The Sun.
London, England, 1840-04-25 00:00:00

EVEN IN Cr EDITION.

OPIUM TRADE.-WAR WiTH

CHINA.

A public meeting took place yesterday at the Freema-
son's Tavern, Great Queen-street, for the purpose of peti-
tioning Parliament against the Opium War with China.
The Hall was crowded shortly after twelve o'clock (the
hour fixed for the commencement of the proceedings), and
there were a large number of ladies present.
Among the gentlemen on the platform we observed,
William Eagle, Esq., Rev. John Burnet, Josiah Condor,
Esq., John Scoble, Esq., Rev. C. Stovel, Francis Fox,
F.sq., Rev. Mr. Bean, Rev. N. M. Harry, E. V. Alex-
ander, Esq., Henry Sterry, Esq., John Beaumont, Esq.,
Samuel Fox, Esq., William Forster, jun., Esq., Dr,
Hodgkin, Nathaniel Clark, Esq., Russell Jeffrey, Esq.,
Gough, Esq., George Neigh, Esq., Abraham Beau-
mont, Esq. W. E. Gladstone, Esq., M. P., was in
the body of the meeting, but did not come upon the plat-
form.
At a quarter past twelve, on the motion of Mr. SYDNEY
TAYLOR, seconded by JOSEPH STURGE, the Right Hon.
the Sari of STANEOI-13 was called to the Chair amidst loud
cheers.

The CIIAIRMAN said he considered it a distinguished ho-
nour to be called to the Chair of a meeting assembled for a
purpose which was most important to all who had at heart
the honour and interest of Britain. He allowed no decla-
ration of war had been issued against the Government of
China—orders, however, had been issued for the detention
of trading vessels, and we were now engaged in hostilities
with an empire the most peaceable, and also the most po-
pulous, which had ever existed either in ancient or modern
times; with an empire which had maintained with us rela-
tions of peace for more than two centuries; with an
empire with which we had carried on commerce,
aseful and beneficial to ourselves, and supplying us with
an article that has become from habit one of the neces-
saries of life to all classes of the population. We were en-
gaged in a war with an empire, the trade of which yields
iio less than four millions sterlieg in revenue, and em-
ployed thousands of seamen, as well as capital amounting
to ten millions. Under these circumstances, it behoved
us to consider what was the origin of this war thus unex-
pectedly
commenced.—(
Hear, hear.) Whether that war
could be justified on that principle on which alone war,
under any circumstances, could be tolerated—of its being
necessary for self defence.—( Hear, hear, hear.) It be-
, hoved us also to consider whether, in the proceedings
which had produced that calamity. we had acted
upon that principle which was solemnly impressed upon us
by the religion we all professed, of " doing to others as we
would tlsey should do unto us."—( Hear, hear.) It was
their bounden duty to express their opinions freely and
fully upon the subject, as became Englishmen, with the
liberties they enjoyed. It would not be necessary for him
to enter into a lengthened examination of those papers
which had been presented to Parliament upon the subject,
and which, although they contained much extraneous and
irrevelaiit matter, omitted much of great importance to the
question, and several documents which ought to have been
furnished be the Government at home. It was the less re-
quisite for him to go at great length into the subject, be-
cause it was his firm resolve, within a few days after the re-
assembling of Parliament, to bring this subject fully be-
fore the consideration of the House of Lords.—( Hear,
hear)—not with any party views, for he was, as they well
(knew, altogether unconnected with any political party—
but with a view of preventing, by an address to her Ma-
jesty, the introduction of Opium into China, by any of
her Majesty's subjects, and thus establish the principle on
which alone we could ever hope to restore that peaceful
and beneficial intercourse which formerly existed with that
empire. When that discussion took place he would demon-
strate satisfactorily to every impartial and intelligent per-
son, from the evidence of Capt. Elliot himself, that although
there may have been in that country as in this, instances of
venal ty an I corruption, (although he was aware smuggling
could not be carried on in this country at all, or, at least,
to a great extent, if all those entrusted with the adminis-
tration of the laws performed their duty), although such
may have been the case in China, he would prove there
was no connivance whatever on the part of the Chinese
Government. He would prove that for several years the
Chinese Government had made the strongest remonstrances
against the continuance of the trade—that repeated
warnings had been given over and over again—that
I the British Superintendent had been called upon to
aend away from the coasts of China vessels lying upon the
coasts, not with any view of prosecuting voyages, but solely
for the purpose of receiving a poisonous drug, strongly
prohibited by the Chinese laws, and introducing it sur-
reptitiously into that empire. But it had been said the
Chinese violated the law of nations by confiscating this
drug, and by the imprisonment, as it was called, of
British subjects and the officers of the British factories.
He begged them to remember the position in which—he
would not say the Chinese Government—but any indepen-
dent Government, wnu:d be placed, when it found its
orders were resisted—its power defied—its warnings dis-
regarded—no attention paid to its mandate—no regard
shown to the health, happiness, or the lives of its subjects.
Was it manly, because a nation refused to truckle with
those who trampled upon it, and to say " let your will be
done, we submit to injustice," or if it did proceed to avenge
the wrong, he asked them to judge of their conduct by the
Chinese or English law—take which they would. Now, it
had been said the Chinese proceedings were unjust, be-
cause their law enforcing the punishment of death upon
those who dealt in opium was of recent origin, and retros-
pective operation ; but whether this were the case or not,
l did not in the least affect the agreement, because they
knew, by an old memorial of one of the Chinese Ministers
to the Emperor, that the punishment awarded even then,
according to the law of the country to those who dealt in
opium,was "enslavement to the militaryat adistant country."
Ho would not argue—it would be but arguing that which
was universally admitted, and could not be denied—that
*every man owed implicit obedience to the laws of any fo-
feign country in which he resided. He went further, and
said he owed a greater obedience to the laws of that coun-
try than his own, because he was not a citizen of that
state. Then he would suppose the Chinese had acted
upon their own law with respect to that 'act of smugglers
who lived at Canton, and carried on a trade known to be
contraband, in open defiance of the laws of the Chinese
empire. Accordingly if that law had been executed against
them, they would have been marched to the confines of
Tartary, there to undergo the punishment of " enslave-
ment to the military." Again, if they were judged by
the English law upon the subject, if they referred to a re-
cent Act, called " An Act for the prevention of smuggling,"
they would find that any person harbouring, or who con-
curred or assisted in harbouring, keeping, or the transpor-
tation of contraband articles, was to forfeit three times their
value, so if that law were acted upon in China, the smug-
glers in question (for he would not disgrace the name of
British merchants by applying it to them), they would have
forfeited not the opium itself, but three times its amount.
But that was not all, if they looked at another clause, they
found that any ships found within a short distance of
the coast, hovering about, not prosecuting voyages, were
confiscated, and not only the ship but the cargoes also.
And he begged them also to beer in mind that most sacred
rule inculcated by the Christian religion, " Do unto others
as you would they should do unto you." And suppose, if
it were possible to imagine a parallel case in this country
under the present system of free trade, as it was called,
that any article should be prohibited in this country as
opium was in China, its known effect in debasing and
depraving the character, demoralizing the conduct,
in destroying the health, the strength, the happiness,
and lives of the countless millions in China.---( Cheers.)
Suppose that with respect to an article, the use of which
in itself was innocent, and of which the introduction could
only have the effect—an effect to:be mach deprecated—of
. throwing our own artisans out of employment. In such
a case let them suppose that a number of French merchant
ships should be lying for years at Margate, not continuing,
or attempting to continue, their voyages, but remaining
there for the sole purpose of receiving the contraband
article, and sending it ashore as opportunity might offer.
If there should be found living in this metropolis a number
of French smugglers, giving orders on payment of money
for the delivery of the prohibited article at Margate.
Would such a state of things be tolerated for one
moment in this country ?—( Hear, and cheers.) Or if the
chips should have been driven away from the coast by
force of arms, and the smuggling merchants proceeded
against in the courts of justice, would the French Go-
vernment venture to ask for compensation ? or if any king
f or minister of France should be found frantic enough to
entertain such an idea, or bold enough to attempt to exe-
cute it, would there not be, from one extremity of the
country to the other, even among those evho were the most
peaceably inclined—those who like himself deprecated war
as one of the greatest calamities that could befal the human
race—(Cheers)—as a state of things always to be avoided
it possible, and the most atrocious and iniquitous, if un-
justly carried on—( Cheers)—one cry of war in defence
of our national rights.--( Cheers.) The Chinese nation
had not as yet called for war, but they might be
ultimately goaded into resistance, It was with the great-
est astonishment that he had heard the declaration
made in
the Rouse of Commons by the Secretary of State for the
~.vCl‘ntenti,r,Cwhihnoa; , when asked the cause of the armament
and asked for a reason for its justification,
ij iovaii-ilumth3actiEcitd ; To d
s, (11,"eet,
. w were, 1. To ask indemnity for the
demand reparation for injuries ; and,
e That he h A ope, to establis'i our consmercial intercourse
with China upon a better footing. With respect to in_
demnity for the op;urn SeiZaVe,
read
a couldthe hardlyd think that
the Noble Lord could have
Noble Colleague the Secretary for ForeiesPnatc‘hff Affairs
of
his
°
' that subject. Long before the confiscation
of the opl' um
took place, that. Noble Lord had stated in his despatch
that those who violated the laws of China must suffer
themselves the loss which must accrue. Could that be
urged as a reason for the commencement of hostilities ?
3S,sides, this confiscation had even been of benefit to the
etpium holders, as it had greatly increased the price of the
article, and facilitated the trade, which, owing to the
increased rigour and vigour of the Chinese Government,
had been almost extinguished. He would ask what had
heeome of the honour of British merchants, which had
hitherto been so celebrated in every quarter of the world ?
It bad never fallen into such a state of disgrace
i Arid degradation as that into which it lead now fallen.
How was it reduced, when British merchants, after
having given a solemn pledge in writing to abstain
from the introduction of opium into the Chinese empire,
in the course of the same year are now carrying
along the whole extent of the cast coast of China the in-
troduction of this same opium in vessels equipped and
armed for the purpose of war, in order to effect by force
fiat which they might be unable to effect by fraud—
(Cheers)—compelling the authorities of the Chinese
empire to have recourse to coercion to prevent this impor-
tation.
in the sighter of God and man—
( Cheers)—and would have to answer tothei r Creator for
creatures.
the iniquitiee they inflicted on their
fellow
(Cheers.) He would not presume to
give
to the progress of the war or its probablecoanneopinioe as
whether or not we might be able to contesndluences—
:fully against a population of nearly f,inr hundred"c nlegs-
of human beings. It was true, we might burn the.:t'° lion
;and villages on their coasts ; was true we might murder
;their unoff ndinss inhabitants, fur murder it would be:
intelligent( Chaermf—of the most peaceful, industrious, intelligent
and ingenious people In. the world; we. might 812.ughtur
' tile onoffeadiLg Cilin4t, we 'Light capture, according to