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

1 the provisions of the order in Council, their junks and
trading vessels; the progress might be marked by blood
and fire, but he did not think that success would be more
certain for these things..—( Cheers.) With regard to the
third object, that of placing our commercial interc urse
with the Chinese on a more secure footing, would v at be
more likely to be accomplished by having our name
execrated.—(Loud cheers.) We might talk a; we
pleased of our superior enlightenment, but we s, owed
our selves by our conduct to be nothing less than pirates.
—(Cheers.) Our trade would be injured. We could
not attempt to enforce our blockade without being resisted
by America. He would put this alternative, from which
there was no escape. In blockading Canton, the blockade
would either be acknowledged by the Americans, or it would
not. If they did, what was to become of our trade in tea
and silk, paying upwards of four millions annually to our
revenue, employing a capital of ten millions, and hundreds
of thousands of our seamen. If they did not, we must
either consent to this non-recognition or not. If we did
not consent, and attempted to enforce this blockade in
spite of America, we should be exposed to a war with a
nation with which our commercial intercourse was most
extensive and important—(Cheers)—a nation the navy of
which was better prepared, and more formidable than ours.
If we consented to the non-recognition of the blockade on
the part of America, and suffered their trade with the
Chinese, the result would be, that the whole trade of the
country would pass into the hands of the Americans. He
beard much of reparation for injuries. Now the Chinese had
suffered from us the most irreparable injuries ; but it was
said that our Representative had suffered indignity and ins
prisonment at Canton. Why, he had forced himself there.
He had gone up to Canton in spite of the positive orders
of the Commissioner, and in spite of every effort made to
prevent him. The British merchants were imprisoned at
Canton, in order to investigate their conduct, and the
British Superintendent had chosen to join them. This
detention, however, could not be considered as an im-
prisonment. It did not appear from the whole course of
the correspondence that he had ever applied to leave
Canton and been refused. But it was said the innocent were
made to suffer with the guilty. He should like to know
of those detained how many were really innocent—( Cheers)
—he knew that there were a few most honourable excep-
tions among the British inhabitants of Canton, to whom
all praise was due, because they lived in the midst of con-
tagion and bad example. The detention had been general
preparatory to inquiry—there was no exception made, but
he had yet to learn that, on the part of the guiltless per-
sons, there had been any demand for reparation whatever.
The Americans, who had acted with scrupulous good faith
and had shown also much good sense and judgment, had
continued to enjoy all the advantages of the trade. Then
it was urged against the Chinese Government, that they
had proceeded hastily. Those who said so had surely
forgotten the violent attack and the outrages that had
been committed on the defenceless inhabitants of China
—some of whom had been murdered ; and when repeated
remonstrances had been made by the Chinese authorities
to Captain Elliot, he had declared himself unable to
find out the murderer.--(Cheers.) There could be no
doubt that Captain Elliot, if the murderer had been found,
would have treated him according to the laws of his coun-
try ; but then the question was whether he had adopted
the proper course to do so. It was his duty to have
called upon the Chinese to see if they could not identify
the murderer. No such course was adopted, and then
we complained against China because she retaliated upon
us for the numberless miseries we had caused, and the pes-
tilence and death which we had carried to her shores by the
trade we had carried on with her in opium. No nation
that had the least regard for its own dignity, or that which
was far more, the health, and happiness, and prosperity of
its subjects, could possibly have delayed longer resenting
that conduct which had been pursued by the merchants of
this country towards the people of China. It was the
duty of every person in this country, if he would obey the
laws of God and man, to raise up his voice and petition
the Legislature for an equitable and pacific arrangement cf
the differences of this country with the Chinese. Look at
what had been the result of the introduction of opium into
Assam ; there all the prospects of the country had been
blasted, and the great expectations entertained of her put
an end to. Look at another view of the subject--look at
the infamy this country was bringing upon itself if they
sanctioned the continuance of a course which was
unapproved of by an independent State, because
it was the means of the destruction of the morals
and lives of its hitherto innocent people.--(Loud
cheers.) Look at what had hitherto taken place, and
which might hereafter occur. The propagation of Chris-
tianity had been retarded—in vain had the Bible Society
sent out large numbers of Bibles into that country, trans-
lated into its language, for the purpose of disseminating
the Christian religion there. In vain did their Missiona-
ries destroy their health and lives in this great work. In
vain did they attempt to imitate the example of the first
Apostles, and induce all to look up to the religion of Jesus.
—(Cheers.) In vain did they attempt all this ; their
exertions were rendered useless by the injustice of this
country. He would suppose the instance of a Chinese
youth being addressed by one of the Society's Mis-
sionaries, who was endeavouring to teach him the beau-
ties of the Christian religion. The intelligent youth
would, doubtless, feel the force of a good deal that
was said, but then he would recollect the ills that had
been inflicted upon his country by the countrymen of the
man who was talking to bins, and he would raise up his
eyes and exclaim, " Lord, how great thy mercies are, in
allowing men to live who speak so well and act so ill.
(Great cheering.) He would think that the Missionaries
were nothing more than canting hypocrites when they
talked of the beauties of their religion, and were, at the
same time, carrying death and ruin into the kingdom they '
were pretending to Christianize.—(Cheers)—because its
benevolent Emperor was determined to prevent the intro-
duction of poison into his dominions.—(Cheers.) He
( Lord Stanhope) felt strongly on this subject, and he
spoke as the Chairman of a Total Abstinence Society,
and he could assure those present, that when the subject of
the opium trade was brought forward in the House of Lords,
he would be found at his post, if he stood alone there, or
in this great metropolis, fully and fearlessly to argue
against the pernicious effects of the course this country
was adopting. The Noble Earl said he could here enter
into a variety of details which would, however, now be un-
necessary, as they would be brought before the House of
Lords. He trusted that he had expressed his views upon
the subject impartially and consistently.—( Hear, hear.)
He had, in conclusion, to declare his unqualified approba-
tion of the resolutions to be proposed, which he hoped
would be considered fairly and dispassionately, and
that if (as he doubted not) they met with the concur-
rence of the meeting, petitions founded upon them would
be circulated through all the districts of the metropolis,
and numerously and respectably signed.--( Cheering. )
Mr. SIDNEY TAYLOR was called upon by the Noble
Earl to move the first resolution, when
A person rose in the body of the Hall, and said some-
thing about wishing to have an independent Chairman.—
(Cries of " Order," and some confusion.) This is a
public meeting, I suppose.--( Renewed cries of " Order.")
Are we not to have a discussion?—( Great disturbance.)
The Noble CHAIRMAN—I have had some experience of
public meetings—(Hear)—but never before did I see such
an exhibition—perhaps it is one of the improvements of the
age--( Shouts of cheering)—that after a person has been
unanimously voted into the Chair, before a resolution has
been proposed, a change of Chairman should be called for.
—( Loud cheers.) The gentleman asks if this is a public
meeting? Undoubtedly it is. Whether the friends of the
opium smuggler will be heard ? Undoubtedly they will.--
(Cheers, with renewed uproar, occasioned by persons rising
and angrily protesting against the term " opium smug-
glers," one of them persisting in attempting to speak for
several minutes, in spite of loud and reiterated cries for
order, which at length was restored by the unequivocal wish
of the meeting, and
Mr. SIDNEY TAYLOR again rose, and was received with
great cheering. He said he did not at all regret the
inexcusable and unprecedented interruption which had
taken place, for it had called forth an honest and cordial
expression of respect and esteem for the Nobleman who
occupied the chair—( Loud cheers)—a Nobleman not more
distinguished by high rank than modest worth--( Cheers)
and who was ever ready to conic forward on behalf of the
sacred interests of justice.—(Cheers.) But (continued
Mr. Taylor) he had been diverted, by this unseemly and
indecent interruption—( Vociferous cheering)—from the
subject before the meeting. And before he came to the
resolution which he had risen to move, he would state dis-
tinctly the grounds on which he came forward to raise his
( humble voice against the opium war with China. He
I came here not upon party feeling—( Hear, hear)—nor
upon sectarian interests—( Hear, hear)—but upon a ques-
tion of public morality—(Cheers)--a question affecting
the honour of the British nation—affecttng. our Christian
character—affecting the welfare of 30,000,000 of our fel-
low creatures in China.—( Loud cheers.) After the able
speech of the Noble Earl, it would only be necessar j to
glance at the origin and object of the war, and the general
nature of these transactions which had so disgraced
the British name. Upon indisputable evidence it rested
that ever since 1796 the Court of Pekin, the supreme
authority of China, had been zealously and earnestly active
in preventing
the opium trade—proclamations had been is..
sucd, edicts published, penalties threatened, hut all in vain_.
the trade, instead of diminishing, had enormously increased.
All the efforts of the Government had been met by increased
enerey and ingenuity on the part of the opium smugglers
—notpl
oyedotnol
ybtult co
ieerffiruepateiyonoafntdbebprribeevreyo,
thiavde
mbee
se
bn s erme
..-
only
feosrter oe
sorted to by the Government. At last the Emperor
ordered the seizure of the opium, and now, forsooth, com-
pensation was claimed on that account, which was, in
effect, saying to the Emperor of China, We have for forty
years disobeyed your laws, disregarded your edicts, seduced
your officers, contaminated your subjects with a deleterious
drug, and we claim compensation for the injuries we have
sustained through our persisting, against your edicts, in
poisoning the minds and bodies of your subject.—(Cheers. )
Yes; the cry was to be, " Compensation or blood."—
( Cheers) Great Britain was rushing; into war and blood-
shed — for what?—For supporting
the claims
of dis-
-1 honest smg —(Cheers and renewed interruption.)
umiDglrs.
might he said of th'ss local authorities of China,
Whatever
i
t ws.s well known that there was in the intercourse
Christian nations a cupidity
sometimes
b e
which could
acted upon by bribery and corruption.
eßuto t
owmh.abtoe
uv es
er
might be said of the local authorities of th
at China, there was no tittle of evidence thaet the Emperor
fi
i of China had ever defiled himself with the p
1 opium trade—that he had ever replenished hiosts coffers of the
the revenue derived from it—or that he had
ever'l al7l
hands upon the gold produced by this foul source of na-
tional 1 debasement and moral degradation.—( Loud cheers. )
Their Noble Chairman had alluded to the revenue that
: was derived from the trade in this nefarious drug. It had
' been well said by a moral poet of their own country : -
- " Long since ten thousand casks
For ever dribbling out their base contents,
Touched by the Midas finger of the State,
Need gold for ministers to sport away."—(Cheers.)
Nothing could be more derogatory to the high commer-
cial character of the country than to see a system of na-
tional demoralization, like the opium trade, made a source
added
rof China had
of public wealth.--( Cheers. )
If the Empero
chosen to realise a revenue out of the opium traffic, he
might upon the mo.s. moderate calculation have
one million sterling per aunura ; but he disdained to have
recourse to so vile an expedient, arid that was the great

Mr. HorKi;sthen said he had an amendment to move
to the resolution, which was a very short one, and which
be thought the majority of the meeting would approve. 110