The Sun.
London, England, 1859-11-24 00:00:00

SIR JOHN BOTVRING ON CHINA•

,f Arts,

At a crowded meetin of the Society et s- _
yesterday evening, Sir John Bowring et
red .11;
long and highly interesting discourse on China and
its relations to British commerce. Numerous per"
sons could not obtain admission, and the confusros
round the entrance, owing to the crush of visitor
struggling for entrance, rendered the commence
men of Sir John Bowring's observations indlr.
tinctly audible He began by describing the vas,'
ness and importance of China, its immense per's.
tion of 400,000,000, the general character
exports.
country, and the extent of its imports and
The average exports of China to this country.'
during the last five years was stated to excri ee,a
£9,000,000 sterling, and its imports of
manufactures amounted to only £2,000,000 ;
an
but for the opium imported from India the balance
would be required to be paid in bullion. Sir J. 13eNtcs
ring dwelt with much force, and at some leng
on the misconceptions that prevailed in this countrse,
with respect to the trade in opium, for the Put,l3,°pd
of disabusing the public mind respecting the alteons
immorality of the trade in opium and the injurio.
of ;the
effect the drug is represented to produce on the
people. To prove that the use of opium is not
bidden by the Chinese law, it was sufficient, a
said, to state that opium is cultivated in China ...t°ed
great extent, and that the quantity of it imPe"o.
from India does not amount to so much as the Pfeet
duce of China itself. His experience of the eJohn
of the use of opium on the people led Sir
Bowring to conclude that it is far less panicle
than spirits ; and he mentioned that in Hong,l(,°ll:
during the period he was governor of the Isins.
there were two-thirds more deaths caused by aeed
rium tremens than by taking opium. He adduced
instances in which the introduction of opium'
had tended to improve the morale of the people biPrs ;
ting a stop to the excessive use of spirituous NV°
and the effects of the two kinds of excess were, he ss'is
greatly in favour of opium. The effect of opium
¢s
different from that of spirits. It 11111‘s
deaden the faculties and produce stupor, but it dong
not incite to the commission of crime ; and 6111? ss
a people who take opium there is a much bests
amount of robberies, assaults, and
among those who indulge too freely in spirits• It
had been stated, he said, as one of the evil e°4lrst
quences of the encouragement of opium.eating',.`this
it prevented the diffusion of Christianity; but •et
war so far from being the case that in one distriti..
into which opium had been introduced as a sn,„bsen
tute for intoxicating drinks the people had u'is,„
found particularly willing to receive Christian his
sionaries, and had become ready converts. slll ese
intercourse with the mandarins and other Cionbein
officials he said he had never heard any
Of vice t
°Af he felt
speak against the importation of opium ; and
persuaded that the prejudice that had been excited
this country against the opium trade was I'i and
foundation, and that the recognition of the trade
the import of opium into China at a low dutYd be
one of the most beneficial measures that coul
adopted for the promotion of commerce. The
average annual imports of the drug into China but
but
amounted to about seven millions sterling ; ha
for the teas and silks exported there
been a most exhausting drain of the precious nte'ra'l
from this country. After entering into seveeno
statistical details of the exports and imports sbreen
China and Hone. Kong, which have alreadY notice
published; Sir John Bowring proceeded to,11" the
the ports which had been opened to trade
.by
treaty with Lord Elgin, some of which, for
Ning-po, he considered had been ill chosen', oss
would 11...40
ar
was not the place of residence of any rahof
officers of the Chinese Government. The porte of
Tchao-Tchou, however, which was the resident,
mandarins of the first rank, had not proved
Chi o
far,
able for commercial transactions with the t,hai
though possessing those advantages. Shaep for
has
_become the principal shipping Irbour-
Chinese produce ; and as it is in the nelg" the
hood of the tea districts, it is favourable Or ea
export of that commodity, more than half the rt,
exported from China being shipped from that PS of
Sir John
.Bowring observed that all the seablarge
China is remarkable for the absence of any the
towns; the principal ports being situated ell the
estuaries of rivers, as remote as possible from
sea, for the. sake of protection against the litne.eed
uotisir
pirates who infest those waters. Having
at length, the statistics of imports and exPeAl'aud
John Bowring proceeded to consider the hav"-ss of
qualifications of the Chinese, and the prospecs,ich
extends 5,000 miles in length,
an increasing trade with that vast country'sw3"6oo
and upwards 01 „'
miles in breadth. That vast territory is scarcely
to accommodate its 400,000,000 of in'hiek
tants, and the rivers swarm with boats in W„end
hundreds of thousands of the people live and °rot
their lives. Some of their institutions are been
more republican character than could have COr
supposed possible in so despotic an empire• been
pEtitive examinations for public offices har pool
established in China, and some of the Pr'ni,:oes
officers of State had risen to those positions sew.
low conditions of life. Among these was t11e,,,c t
brated Commissioner Lin, who, in early life' 'les
small stationer's shop. In many of the mall fat
turing arts the Chinese, it is well-known, Were -s-
-in advance of Europeans. It appears from their.Z,
cords, that silk dresses were worn 4,000 years 'lntl
though woven silks were not known in Ding 'twee
200 or 300 years after the Christian era, and vie
not much worn, even in Italy, 600 years ater..ness
mariner's compass was also known to the C.lll the
long before it was applied in Europe, and In r.
ceramic arts the Chinese were celebrated for tbeieP 0
fection they dim attained. The great Obstacle
the progress of provement in China is the. con,
stant recurrence to the past instead of lookin.g.,„""
advance, and many of the Chinese manufactures
acs
not now so good as they were hundreds ofa Yrest
ago. This state of circumstances presentee was
advantages to a manufacturing country aev at
enabled to supply goods by the aid of niaic_llTheedold
a much cheaper rate than can be made e)' • eery
loom. At present,- however, the Chinese princiPrery
weave for themselves, as there is a loom in eto
house, but if their attention were directed reaeord
the cultivation of the raw produce of cotton
of
ss.is
silk to supply the manufacturing
country, we might be enabled to supply thou ;0
cotton and silk manufactures at a cheaper rate in
to
they can make them. The cultivation of tort that
China is a subject, Sir John Bowring observe ea
deserves earnest consideration. There is at Prialive
a large amount of cotton grown to supply the sena an
looms; and by the introduction of better souls-hitless,
improved mode of cultivation the urif" us
machines 01_100
might be in a condition to suP2 might
with the raw produce, which we ~at ad-
then return to them in muslins. The grioglish
vantages of machinery had enabled the joss
we John
.Teht
manufacturers to surpass the celebrated Daces have
lips both in cheapness and quality, andd
now possession of the Dacca markets; andshe earns
that in the course of a few years avow
result would occur in China. One of the :Hess
tages attending the commerce with the °o e
was that they were always ready to pure has sl-tett
best article at the cheapest price, withoutsectid,ir
the country whence the goods might come' unlit.
the British. manufacturer could produce his
pods in the Chinese markets of
and cheaper than they could be made there, lobs
would be bought without any prejudice. Sir ht
tang
Bowring said that the result of his experience, will
him that the Chinese are a people who may "„eat the
deceived ; and he expressed the opinion t" nee of
Emperor of China hud been kept in igneroaiitered
the full effects of the treaties that had been ',mica'
into with the English, and that if direct collie no-
tion were to take place with the EmPerer' twisted,
sent difficulties might be reconciled.
I,ll° Chinese,
at least, that a better knowledge of the orels-
and of the importance of improving our colnim ,lifir
relations with them, would have the effect 0 ego
ins* the present angry feelings, and be them st be
of bringing hostilities—if hostilities there must
—shortly to a close.
At the end of Sir John Bowring's
CHAIRMAN (Mr. Bodkin) complimented hillt sea to
able address, and a vote of thanks was pas
him with loud applause. an
Sir J. BONN-RING again rose to return than
and
in doing so he alluded in a very, energetic Illnes
,s the de° Chinese
to the circumstance of his ref • refusing
the Chinese .Commissioner to give up the
sailors who had taken refuge under the -Vniars
flag. The demand, he said, was made by "man
who had immolated more victims than any 'novss
being who ever existed ; and if he (Sidrisilliuerin'atile
ring) had delivered over those men, who were d he
protection of the British fla to be victimise 'lle
should never afterwards have
enjoyed repfelt assured that there was no Eaglishllllo c,14 11/0
under the sam
e circumstances, would n" of
don the same. He sat down amid a tumult
ap-
plause. actesdr.l
The mntine. was then adjourned till lire
next. -
os.
who,

TIIE MURDER ON TIIE HIGH SEAS,---We nrel?
formed that the Sheriffs of London awl ikliddlasoxeniber
received a further respite, until the 26th day. of Pe,c,atc.
next, for the convict under sentence of death in Noc,bero
STATISTICS OF PRINTING IN EUROPN.
are now in Franco 1,037 printing offices, whicliterfa,,a
9,500 compositors, 3,000 pressmen, and 900 correctl
ev
overseers. The printing force of Londonalone gleitc•iti'
coeds that of all France. The little kingdom of
.„cotind
has, at the present time, 262 periodicals, whilst Fr3'nd hag
lEonog;lapniducssoivan t7oon;lyAfurositnria2,7o4oto;
Spain, 51
ch. golla
28; Portugal', 13; Denmark, 14. Theresta;reSasby°illlit_ll2's°El
periodicals published in Europe at the present tiSited
nearly 1,500 in tbe rest of the world,
of
the DO United
States, where, should the present ratio of increasOL"ouso l
retarded by a money panic, we shall soon have five L to 11
regularly published periodicals, or more than arloority
found in all the rest of the world put together.--
Echo.

MARKET AND CITY NEWS.

CITY, Two o'CLocK,
AlthoD,.h
ts the demand for money is actively
ill:atatained, and the applications at the Bank etoin-
:title 'numerous, very little interest is felt in the meeting of the directors at that estab i
i_
-,e,,n,t' es an alteration is not yet considered imm
lIR
-`' In most instances 2-1- per cent. is charged. for
first
bills, as bankers and others take adv ani
r,tlsage of the increased requirensents of the public o
A'ytaill full terms for the accommodation they afford.
'4l imMediate advance in the minimum to 2 per
e.eot.
t, is considered improbable, because the circfula
41 is generally contracted at this period of theh
3:ear, and the bullion is still supported at a high
millions, the total last week being nearly seventeen
raillions.
Aril; l'eP°rt has been issued by the directors of the
h;lt'ean Steam
-ship Company, preparatory to their
thelearlY meeting, which states that after makingd
b usual reserve of 71 per cent. per annum for . e.,-
.4r2eeir,ation, amounting to £4,303 17s.—deducting
vi th meet the cost of the inter-colonial ser-
a:ce' and defrayinc, all. expenses-4here remains an
tilvailable balance of £5,914 3s. 5d., out of wluc
be! 41rectors recommend a dividend of 7s. per share,f
ihing at the rate of 7 per cent. per annum free of
0 tax,
at e'eants from Liverpool state that in the Cotton
•,tart.
k„ 'et yesterday rather more business was trans-
eiltoed, 7,000 bales having been sold, at a decline of
elolleat 1-IGd. per lb. The Railway Share Market
Toc,,cl,,lll°tlY; prices, however, were firmer.
have-' 'flank of 'England directors, as anticipated,.
ro at, not made any alteration• in the terms of ills-
All ' t'daY, and as the supply of money continues
or lillndant, and there is still a large accumulation
withtillien, it is expected that the rate will remain
jn°ll,t, any immediate variation.
sloe `ue Stock Exchange markets to-day the
sloe
of business transacted has been rather
the
-a:l,' 1314 valtes are well maintained, owing to
Ivith-undanee of money, and the improved feeling
sli,(zht7gard to Continental affairs. Purchases have
tatac,',7 Preponderated, and the effect is seen in
96i ;'f an upward tendency. Consols have been
glace money, and 967, for account ; they have
Neacsen to 961.1 for both. The New Threes
ket,.44, 941 95, and the Reduced at 94-1 1; Bank
226--. la 2201 to. 228 ; India ditto has receded to
he
eii ditto v
-,ew Loan is firm at 1041- ; and the e-
,, , res 0 n
.„ 3
Do-
-278, ' 4.1, -g
Exchequer Bills are steady at
and 30s. preen,
iii loOd
iii th crate amount of business has taken place
iltheeh,.P°reign Stock Market, and prices remain
e•' anY important change. Turkish 6
6peir
Iltaz. tiro 761 to 77-1 ; ditto New, 66 to 6,;
h "lan 5 per
Cents, , at 1021; ditto 4
rer ce , are
spw Cents
at 961 ; Russian 41 per Cents. at 99;
at 851111)eferred at 33i ; and Dutch 21 per Cents.d
to 28,1' ; Venezuelan 23. per Cents. have advanced
The '(11)3 kit Mexican has receded to 22Z.
are at 11 ian Marine Insurance Company's
Shares
The
1., J Premium.
to this dad,week's railway receipts, ascertained up
0 are in round figures as under:-
1858.
Nit,e,,Weate
£29,040189 £26,569
I'lttlic\v„terni,; ...............
75 059 66,945
bri tq-Wcatern ..........
5,441 kikton ... -
. ' .........
37,304 34,788
Qr ..aate.r;o:
17 919 16,116
144eiatIsz?rthe .................
ip; ealdr,
' 4187
kr,8,1-,Gland i€11:-York. s.h-ir.e.
5,613
OxioLlaciEaate-`l4err,
366,6228
00 31,087
Prkiei4lllll4\ltijorpeeosotir., . flu d..W. Olverbampton 4 815 4,344
3,506 3,275
01a. ~arghlr,,,,,
~,
6,185 5,798
thetow aii,lV- k-i-lasgoly
bltt4t Norti; '3onth-Western
Qr ch.lthe .1:1 Scotland
0,,e4t \V„t"I'll ......•
...
ekeeln of Caza,d,•
8,815 8,587
nrg
These 'abe
....
2,261 2,002
pd tQeeiPts compared with those of the same.
rove of the previous year show a decided ira-
Intounilert ; the increase on the Great Western
!11,11 -",,' t° 42,471, on the North Western to
1360,4: ua the South Western to £1,986, on the
thern to £1,085,
on the Midland to £2,516, on
ilnil ytillti.ll Eastern to £1,803, on the Lancashire
t? .•°(-11,°:hiro to £4,060, on the North Eastern
229°';„'',' on the Great Western of Canada to
'the -,"" en the Great Luxembourg "to £259.
been Itealings in the Railway Share Market have
14444 a rather limited scale. Prices, however,
P,tiate (tried to the extent of about :1- to 1 per cent.
astern, Lancashire and Yorkshire, South
i'likilt-' and Norh British have declined ss. ;
khq°lll North-Western, Manchester, Sheffield,
`lerliar,,iticein, and Oxford, Worcester, and Wel-
, Thaten advanced ss. • and South-Eastern, 10s.
'414 ; "reign and Colonial undertakings con-
Ilatehs4 rate request at about former rates.f
°klticirtit,henish have declined 55., Grand Trunk o
kik, „ 'B* East Indian and Great Indian Penin-
,yei;ro at.slightly advanced quotations:
ekeeed! Stook Bank and Miscellaneous Shares are
have il'glY inactive. London and Westminster
ehta.-1111 P_r°ved 58.; Oriental Bank declined 10s. ;
torolevalaee and Red Sea Telegraph realise
rates.
lilt,
14,„411.41 ~,,. aat4
c(i,„ek '. 4. 11DS THIS DAY AT ONE O'CLOCK.
. 2261
kr
~..
.ilt. Ito .. • ...... : .
941 i
11,,, /it p ulleod Annuities 1 ' 3 leer . -un.sols Annuitio
I,lliNia Cent A,ln . . s
Nt . miles
tto • _ ........
226
~,, ~., . , 180,
_•
er _ ..........
04-1
. s, it?
atixrioz
18thrt.
k'&4'1,4,1:: 1859
zajoli, for
eZ.1,00?
Dit,',,eq„uor 144421,001101161
!Ijitilt,;ll4s°:orP,,,ltElGFX FUNDS AT ONE O'CLOCK.
1021
41,, 4,e Cent. 185
96
ita !kn a ' r `-'ent• 1858' 96k
221
/Plan, Itr,Ceat.
fli,,nto 41 -, t St, 5 per dent —
-itiih• 4 Per
kw :•11:tri, 6 cent ..........
IVIPA 3' S cent.
0 N-,,,,,re,,n0t.
,inctl,,lph G ,_
Cent. 3 per Cent. 331
ITinolyer Cent. ..... .... .. .. .
AZ,Lnan
t_zecia,.°,;lllt
bit to Ap7o9 per Cent
decedent
bate
zei,11(18 on the above payable in Londe*.
ag; 12 Gull. 21 per Cent 6S.
TWO O'CLOCK.
console ,
_.
MOnnY ...... • ..... • • • mg
for Account, December..

94
___ l`pi,
......
''otis;,‘'lvrv.tyt
.Accusilr (
)N
TILE
LONDfONa ANDvery
14,41anaii;VtaTEax RAILIVA.Y—An accident o
414'44 PeZl.Prackr, and which might have been
ed luesday
Ivraidti,
~1 sacrifice of hunin life,
eeeurrdonand South-
aotnternded by
epac.'torri" i;', Ile Pleetpond station of the Lon
-14 left ti..'""`waY. It appears that the 11 m
a.
'and pro-
,.',borl ';',o Waterloo terminus at the'fixod time,
t the fog
"Rich 'wth safety, notwithstanding the densiy o. express
114k't, 111)tevailed, until Within a few miles of its firstFslrept.".
llolla -aingstoke, where it was due at 12.15. h
hivinqatiea is a very snlall place,. and the offiTciaelts there
°Nor koods train- in charge proceeded to shunentita,a7
p' ;"'eidc,i°t'lleW the express train to pass. To e
the . the usual signals were displayed at the station and
Z''t or °""(15 train, bat it would appear that, owing to the
vtialisd
..:071:e:tthiaer
.use, the driverthe
kaki
,4
t,_ Om
,nor wore .
nolfentheat
14,4,. 0,40 approach of that train, for without any
extphreessstatraitiona
of the
D. ''ott''st he xtrain rushed through
.past the
'6'4s -'
4 l'aPid rate and crushed the back portiond
it
is
4ti:r;htiti• The Collision was most fearful,
gi to
tioilla-Tvoeri, °I a miracle that the liveslootfivaeltregloaannnunmgber
ki'ill'Zl)Oi9'2)terainet s:evrierrly m'agnTlificlrn(tmengine,. wtlerithenudpe;
livoretrl,to).--0.f.,,t3.150
earlmproesstsbtrroallnenwteorepi ,
also destroyed,o as
44,14. 'Rise a number of the trucks belongangoanthSil
wasoas
IL vat ~e.Bslitrielcs of' the passengers awful,N.veresooi
ver as
howe , ,
I,`Z_ IN
shat hat several Were kil!ed ~ as
was Lade, and it
4,ri.fotti:nri,tx was over an investigation
11, 1;1111 0 sha,l.lat, although the passengers
less bruised, yet
Ito ;("fig of ii....1.1';g, and several were more orhad. received a
matter of surprise.
ii,t_ tit, acumnad occurred. It may be
ihi.4lll). ena,i(ferel: Said stoker of the tra!ndestroyed.
escapedbut we are
ttie.,, 'nod th44.,,,,g that the engine was ,
a with their
Jr". *etc i„.',l,nese two men, seeing the imminent danger
in-
t 4) .y._ jtio,,atlyew themselves down, and thus escaped
(14'\-‘, Air, 4.1 e tion of the catastrophe was at. once forwarded
,t,lOO sintl.Vadham Young, the superintendent of. the
e;4 patched tnloa, and a numbey of men were immediately
i4l. tho ii, I:ender what assistane_e.n they could, and to
hot `,..! thcii,'2_lTt,fortunately, the 4c ,1 had been cleared
6,llPed,ci."rn, at, so that the U. W on the railway was
kit% \'l‘llr, r,,,„
he ensuing ses.
the ~°1 the r,_`'''tilllN.AT COURT.
ti, 48% in ,t.enptral 91111111 ml Court,-;0-Thniec.h commences on
In addition. to
I,4l4l(l°:.l(iloihCrYB ceal ni)ll.7lBaetBiot°„ b:fa heavy
m between one session
14),
„t c attention :
iitittiQ ernp°lliitiithere are. three cases attracting a considerable..o.
piiii p ek.lane u
p in.. her from the
(lititily)._
ttettlilioat), sadt,leslzvk bsytosouds
The cruel case. of Hint, a
°P-oli„ghes, th",', ur. Smethurst or,
r.,
f bi.iimy; and the trial
art suspending
rdfrom the last
trial
The latter is likely .
here'Y a c_ Peankrupt solicitor.
tiB es havo'rerable time, as
we
the
hc,,,,,1er. IM)11 sUinmoned to give evidence ag
C and Mr.
we understandle over fifty wi t-
-I::ile;ant paiilBunioured that Mr. Bovill, Q. •'
t the pro-
'ke
-° . -arale ha e beck retained to conduc .
q.'esti,,,ll:tt.a addition tovAlr.Poland, who
ibeiro,,°7lB before the magistrate. The prlsorille Lord
ttioct anglebe cleefended by Mr. Hawkins, appoiaredrinwitte,
atilrqa for ed 9.! pglanil. Sir Alexander Cockburn
f the t session,
nex .
14 it i,
„. Ispoanig of the business o , , tried be-
te hill; e4Dected that tliis important case will be Q.C.
is on