The Sun.
London, England, 1840-04-10 00:00:00

On the question being put for proceeding with the Ad-
journed Debate on the China question,
Mr. II AWES wished to explain whatke had stated last
night, which appeared to be misunderstood, relative to the
residence of Capt. Elliot at Canton. What he wished to
say, and what he thought he had said was, that Captain
Elliot obtained for the first time the concession of a resi-
dence of ;I pelhical nature at Canton.
Mr. HOG G then rose to address the House. He trusted
that that indulgence would be extended to him which had
been Oven through the debate to other Members. It was
his intention to make his address as brief as pos-
sible, by coniinieg himself as nearly as he could
for the terms of the motion before the House. There must
have been something very inconvenient in the form of the
motion to Gentlemen on the other side of the House, for
they had every one of them complained of the terms of the
motion. The Right Hon. Gentleman the Member for
Edinburgh had expressed his surprise that the motion had
been limited to the past conduct of the Gevcrnmen,
and he congratulated himself end his colleagues that no
censure was expressed, or implied on their present con-
duct and policy. The Right Hon. Gentleman added
triumphantly, that the charges were confined to nutters of
omission. And how did he answer the enargcs of omission ?
He did not attempt to reply to the alleeations of the
Right Helios:rabic Barouet, or to those or the Honour-
able and Learned Member for Exeter. The Right Ho_
nourable Gentleman at once and almost exultingly admitted
the omissions and attempted to withdraw attention -by
psreing an eloquent panegyric on that omission, although
it bad led to the most disastrous consequences. The Right
lion. Gentleman denied the consequenccs,but acknowledged
the omission and devoted the greater part of that die-
Tent and powerful speech, which teas heard with
-
so smell ad miratien
Sand delight to describe
the rel;antages of withholding instructions from a
public servant et a distance, and to illustrate the
folly of giving him those instructions. the Right
tionoureble Gentleman said " You are justified in
giving instructions to a public servant in Paris,
or at the Hague; but You are guilty of absurdity in
giving instructions to an cheer who is at a distance—who
is placed in circumstances new and trying, and, above all,
if he mixisutly implores to you to give him instructions,
and adds his opinion that the best interests of the country
are at peril if those instructions arc withheld."—(Cheers.)
With respect to the motion not embracing the present po-
licy of the Government, his Hon. Friend the Member for
Wiltshire offered a suggestion which was received by the
other side with taunts. He (Mr. Herbert) said that the
Right Hon. Haronet had avoided the question of war lest
it should embarrass the Government.-4 Hear, hear.)
Although Hon. Gentlemen opposite could scarcely be ex-
pected to give credit for such motives—( Hear, hear)—for
his part he (Mr. Hogg) would not advert to the question of
war, as it was not placed in the resolution, but for the
concluding part of the speech of the Right Hon. Member
for Edinburgh.—( Hear, bear.) He should be sorry to
give any vote or express any opinion that would tend to
impair the energies of the Government, or to em-
barrass the measures which they might think the
interests of the country required —( Hear, hear.) But
he had formed an opinion as to the question of war
and of the warlike policy of Ministers; he did not wish to
conceal that opinion. They bad been taunted on his side of
' the House with questions as to the course they would pursue.
He would freely confess his opinion as to that course, and
it was that under existing circumstances he did not think
her Majesty's Gt..ernment could treat with the Chinese au-
thorities effectually or with honour, alicept with thepreseuce
of an armament.—(" Hear," from the Ministerial benches.)
He freely admitted that, and he did not arraign the con-
duct of her Majesty's Government on that score—he ar-
' reigned their conduct, because their imprudence and
neglect had led to the exigency.--( Hear, from the Oppo-
sition benches.) - He hoped, for his part, the opinions
expressed by his Noble Friend the Member for Liskeard,
and by the lion. Member for Lambeth, would be attended
to with respect to our armament, and whatever the
struggle in which this country might be engaged,
he never would express any doubts as to the result.
He knew there could be but one result. We had, how-
ever, some experience of the countries and the confines of
China ;we knew something of Ncpaul. The Nepaulese
were undoubtedly the most formidable force we bad en-
countered in India, andtlicy were a power from whom we
1
had still much danger to apprehend. tie remembered
that when Mr. Auchtcrlonic had expressed his astonish-
ment that a people so brave as the Nepaulcse should
here been worsted by the soldiers of China, the answer
Imade to him was that he did not know the people of
China or their warlike character. We had also some ex-
perience of the Burmese, and they were a nation strongly
0 resembling the Chinese in character and religion. He
therefore thought the seven millions 'spent in a fruitless
war should now enjoin caution. He had said, however,
that he apprehended nothing as to the results of a struggle'
with China, and that there could be but one revolt to
any. war in which this great country might be engaged.
But he looked with horror even to success.
He knew that the forces we might send to
China must ha irresistible, but he feared that
the confidence of the population being once shaken
in the government of that country, they bad rea-
son to apprehend worse consequences from a civil conflict
among a population of 300,000,000. He knew we might
blockade the coast of China, and we might step the con-
veyance of rice and other necessaries of life, to that coun-
try. We might add to the horrors of war the afflictions
of famine, but what, he would ask, would be the result to
ourselves? Putting the expenses of the war out of the
question, what, he would ask, would become of a mart for
upwards of 2,000,000/. of our manufactures, which might
be closed for teeny years to come—what would become of
our trade in an article which was no longer a commodity
or a luxury, but almost one of the necessaries of life ?
We might cut up the trade, end we might perhaps be thus
• debarred from even commerce with China for many years.
He would not, however, pursue that subject any further
than to express a hope that whatever demsnds might be
"made in China, every peaceful expedient would be ex-
hausted before we proceeded to extremities with that
country. He was certainly alarmed at the tone and tem-
per of the conclusion of the speech of the Right Hon.
Member for Edinburgh, and he hoped that Right Hon.
'Member was the only person attached to the Government
who had expressed such opinions as he had done. He
wished to believe that that Right lion. Gentleman had
been betrayed by the intemperance of debate into the ex-
pressions fro had used, and he hoped the tone of the
Cabinet would be amore pacific than his.—( Hear, hear.)
He spckc of wrong inflicted on our flag. The House
should bear in mind his illustrations. He spoke of
Plassy and of Cromwell.—( Hear.) He (Mr. Hogg)
had • cheered the expression quoted, but not the
illustration ; for what were the circumstances ? A con-
flict took place between some English sailors and natives,
on the .coast of Mslebar, and the priests interfered, and
Blake said unless the priests were delivered tip to him
within a few hours, he should burn and sack the city. He
hoped the illustrations of the Noble Lord the Foreign Se-
cretary would be of a different character. His Hon.
Friend the Member for Portsmouth had complained bit-
terly of the terms of the motion, that they had not intro-•
duced the subject of war—of the trade or cultivation of
opium. lie wished them to put into it something whie.h,
though it might not induce him to support them by his vote
would induce him to support them in cpinion. The lion.
Members on the other side made the old and bac'snied
charges of its being a party question, brought forward for
at