The Sun.
London, England, 1857-02-27 00:00:00

must DON go on and finish our work thoroughly. TLe
violence of the people of Canton was the pretext for
keeping. us out of the city—this violence was kept up by
_ .

the Tartar cum tnissionPrs.

We bai submitted to the

fear of this violence until the people despised us for it.
The noble lord then gave a few illustrat'ons of Chinese
insolence and English submission, and dilating on the
proposal to send a resident ambassador to Pekin, depre•

. _
cated the sttempt, enforcing his arguments by Ex-
amples and records of the various insul•s, even up to
assassination, inflicted on ambassadors, English anti
foreign, at Pekin. His lordship concluded by express-
ing his intention to oppose the resolutions of Lord

Derby.
The Earl of ELLENBOROUGH felt great interest in
this war. He had conducted a war with China before,

when the Wh►gs who began it did not know how to
carry it on, or how to stop it. But the Government was
changed—(a lsugh) —and peace followed. He hoped
that peace would have been more lasting. What were
we at war about! The Chinese had never meant to in-

suit the British flag --of that be was convinced. But
even if so, had not full vengeance been taken ? Fire and
bloodshed did they not suffice ? Dr. B y.vring had done
nothing to keep the peace, much to prevent such a re-
sult. But the worst point of the whole was the differ-
ence of the language batween Dr. Bowring and Consul
Parkes, and Dr. Bowring and the Chinese. What
paltry falsehood was ..there shown ! Yet this man still
remained in office. Such a man was ❑u longer worth y
to represent the honour and dignity of the Sove-
reign, the truth and manliness of England. Dr.
Bowring knew the importance of the Chinese
trade—how great a ink that nine millions formed
in the commerce of nations. It was a rule of policy

never to go into two wars at the same time. Not such
the wisdom of the present Government. But scarcely
had they brought to an end a great European war than
they involved themselves in two wars in Asial China
was opening to us. The power of the Emperor
been declining greatly i❑ the last 12 years, Christianity
was finding its way through the land, when Sir J. Bow•
ring cast shame on our nation, and discredit on our re-
ligion, by his conduct. The war was fooli-1 and
criminal—let it be stopped at once.
Earl GRANVILLE thought it was very unworthy of
the eminent leader of the last Chinese war to use all his

eloquence, and even descend to indignities both in
words and gesticulations in preventing a public ser-
vant obtaining that serious consideration of his con•
duct to which his position as the representative of
her Majesty was entitled. (Hear.) He hoped by a
short, simple, and unimpassioned narrative to show
that Sir John Bowring, Mr. Consul Parkes, and Sir
M. Seymour were perjectly justified in all they did.
The real question was this, was the British flag flying
on board the vessel that had been attacked, and had
that flag been treated with disrespect. It had been said
by a noble lord (indicating Earl Grey) that the flag was
not ying—
Earl GREY objected to an expression being imputed
to him that he had not used. What be said was, that it
was a matter involved in very great doubt.
Earl GR A.NVILLE—What was the evidence on this
point! Commissioner Yeh said it was usual to have a
flag lowered when a vessel was in port, and as this was
not done, it was inferred that there was no flan on board.
Now it was in evidence that this vessel was being an-
chored, and the blue peter was hoisted, so that the appa-
rent anomalies on that point were at once disposed of.
They had on that point the evidence of two of our fellow
countrymen, and on the other hand they had the evi-
dence of Commissioner Yeh—who had been held up as
such a pattern to that house—but who, it should be re-
membered had boasted that he had put to death
70,000 of his fellow-countrymen. (Hear, hear.) Now,
shoul 1 evidence of that sort be received in a civilised
country like this 1 The whole course of this man disen•
titled him to the smallest credit. His Excellency Peter
Parker, the American minister to China, it appeared
from a Hong Kong newspaper which had been just re-
ceived. condemned the treachery of this man in most
unqualified terms ; and with regard to truth telling. he
had no hesitation in saying that the commissioner was
entirely destitute of that virtue. (Hear, hear.) Until
therefore the testimony of our fellow-countryman was
shown to be untrue, he thought himself justified in
accepting it. The next point he would allude to was,
whether or not the Arrow had a right to hoist the
British flag. He would not weaken the argument of
the noble baron (Wensleydale), but he maintained
the conclusion to which that noble and learned lord
came, that no ordinance or act had weakened the
treaty which subsisted between this country and China.
(Cheers.) There was no doubt on these points of in-
ternational law, that even amongst the most civilised
nations of the West they had come to no agree-
ment upon the point, and he thought they were strain-
ing the point too far when they attempted to apply these
noble principles of international law to a nation which
denied even the applicability of the system of commer-
cial relationships. Now, what was the position of Sir
John Bowring, Sir Michael Seymour, and Mr. Parkes
for no doubt they were, one and all, responsible if any
error had been committed 1 Sir J. Bowring having sent
his papers borne they were submitted to the there law
officers of the Crown. Having received their opinion,
Lord Clarendon announced to Sir John Bowring that he
fully approved of his conduct. He admitted that Sir
John Bowring bad done wrong with regard to these lor-
lena
h ash, ifl it
letter showntheantthael
thadrea actedtreaty.
(a
,
hear.)with-
in t
not warranted by the supplemental treaty, he would
have been guilty of a grave dereliction of duty, and
eet couldr of the a supplemental
they would have been heard from noble lords opposite
that this Radical disciple of the Manchester School
had sacrificed the henour of England to the paltry
interests of commerce, and that he had disgraced that
lag which was respected throughout the world—a flag
which represented a country which had never known
shame, defeat, dishonour, or submission. That would
have been the sort of language which would have been
used by the Opposition if Sir John Bowring had not
acted as he had done, and had not vindicated the honour
of his country. It appeared to him that Sir John Bow-
ring was justified in acting upon the assumption that the
Arrow was entitled to the Igritish flag; indeed, that he
had no other course under the circumstances to pur-us.
He thought, moreover, that the demands which were
made by Mr. Consul Parkes were moderate and tem-
perate, terms which he aas perfectly right in urging
upon the commissioner —that the men who bad been
arrested should have been sent back in that public manner
which would have woo respect from a country where
so much punctilio was observed. He thought in
discussing these questions they ought not to forget
the bearing they would have upon the people
of England. No one more earn, stly deprecated
than himself the horrors of war, but he thought their
lordships should pause before they had placed an in-
delible mark of disgrace upon those public servants who
had done their beet to discharge their public duty. Great
stress had been laid oil the fact that the residence of