The Sun.
London, England, 1857-03-03 00:00:00

other ports as an interpreter ; his being engaged with
Sir J. Bowring, in effecting a treaty with Siam, which
he ix ought to this country, and on nis retina to China
was appointed consul. (Hear, hear.) Teat, he said,
was the treatment these gentlemen had met with at the
hand of those who ought to have sympathised with
them —(hear, hear)—and it was a specimen of the fair-
ness with which these attacks had been made. Ile re-
gretted to say that a desire to depreciate the character
of dose gentlemen had marked the tone of many gen-
tlemen who had addressed the house in support of the
hon. gentleman's motion. (Hear, hear.) With regard
to tb.-3 statements of the hon. gentleman with reference
to the British merchants, though he had a world-wide

reputation, he (Sir G. Grey) should not say anything,
because he believed them to pessess a character for
honesty and probity all over the wcrld, not likely to be
damaged by the portrait drawn of them by the lion.
gentleman. (Hear, and cheers.) He was much pamet
at the remarks that had been male against Sir J. Blew-
ring, though he was not astonished at it when he con-
sidered the quarner from whence they came—(hear)—
and as regarded Sir M. Seymour, he much regretted
that there should be but one exception to the spirit of
moderation and commendation that had been used to-
wards that gallant admiral. Teat exception was a gal-
lant admiral and a brother officer, who, above all, should
have been the first to have sympathised with a brother
officer when attacked in his absence—(cheers)—that was
the only person whom he (Sir G. Grey) bad heard sneer
at Admiral Seymour, and speak of him disparagingly as
a Batish officer. (Cheers.) lie was ales much pained
at the observation of the noble lord the member for Lon-
don, that Sir J. Bowring was a troublesome and meddle-
some officer—(cheers from the opposition)—which was
followed in the same strain by the right honourable
baronet the member for Carlisle, who said that Sir J.
Bow, ing had eat with most of them in that house
for a long period, which afforded a fair oppor-
tunity of their obtaining a just estimate of his character,
which his friends probably would not consider very fa-
vourable, and the right hon. baronet added, with great
deliberation, that the responsibility of selecting such a
person as Sir J. Bowring was a grave responsibil ty.
(Rees, and cheers from the Opposition.) On hearing
that he (Sir G. Grey) could not help -asking himself by
whom that responsiblity was incurred. (Hear.) His
right hon. friend, who had eat with Sir J. Bowring in
that house, who bad watched his conduct, who knew his
character, and who knew his faults, would, perhaps, feel
no more surprise nor plead more ignorance on the matter
than the noble lord the member for London. (Hear,
hear) Who was it that appointed Sir J. Bewring to
his present office? (Hear, hear.) He (Sr G. Grey)
would answer his right hon. friend the member fer Car-
lisle, who had in his lite speech directed his censure on
hos , who appointed him. He found that Sir J. Bowring
Was appointed consul at Canton on Jan. 10, 1844, when
the noble lord the member for the city of London,
was at the head of the Government. (Loud cheers.)
Sir J. Bowring held teat office for seine time, and he
(Sir et. Grey) supposed he must have discharged his
duties satisfactorily, for he found that on the 24th Dec.,
185 n, he was appointed plenipotentiary and chief super-
inteedent at Canton by the Government of which Lord
Aberdeen was the bead, and cf which both his right hon.
friend and his noble friend were members. (Cheers.)
His right hon. friend row know on when the response
lenity of Sir J. Bo wring's appointment rested, asd it was
not the first time in his right hon. frieed's pub'ic life that
he hal thought too late Of the responsibility he had in-
curred. (Loud cheers and laughter.) The Government
felt teat they had done their duty in giving their sup-
port to their officers, placed in mo it difficult circure-
stenese. (Hear, laser ) Every day communications were
being made to the Government from persons con-
nect d with the Caine trade and those who had visited
tne csuntry approving of the conduct of the authorities
at C-roton, and (ntting that no ojier c-iur:,:e was open to
the authorities there than that they bad adopted. Any
rely taioa of aothA`ity there vim,' I be taken as a defeat,
and in Canton life would not be safe, but murder and ra-
pine would be perpetrated there to a large extent. He
hoped the house would bear in mind the consequences
that would he likely to result if they decided this case on
legal technicalities, and he implore i them to decide it on
the broad principles and the vast magnitude of interests
at elake. (Chet re)
Mr. P. ROInEitTSON said ho ft lt hound on that oc-
casi )n to record Lis vote iu favour of the Government,
and against ihe great Conservative party of which he was
a hit mine mein her. (Cheers.) As a person who had resided
in China and kne w the Chinese character, he had no doubt
but that the proceeding in connection with the Arrow
wee meant as a determined insult. (Cheers ) A lorcha
wee, in fact, a foreign vessel, and the fact of her being in
Chi eese waters proved that she was admitted thereas such,
and it she had no flag flying, nor any name on her, there
could be no mistake that she was a foreign one.
The lion. member for the West Riding praised the Chinese
as inoffensive towards foreigners. Now, one of the first
this es which struck him when be visited the country in
18n1 wan, that the children, when Europeans passed,
ran after them them, " Paw wee," winch means,
" f.,reign devils," and making signs as if to cut off their
heads. The hon. member for the West Riding ,:aid it was
owing to our own conduct if we were ill-treated in China.
This was a mistake. When he was there, there were very
few foreigners in the country, and no such cominimica-
Con passed as would give encouragement to Chinese ill-
fe&ing. The children who had then acted were now grown
up to be men, and - a child would go on in the way in
which he was taught. He would show the Caine thing.
In 1845 a gentleman, a partner in his own house, was
batningewhen he was seized by Chinese boatmen, taken to
pri on, loaded with irons, and, by way of amusement,
trotted up and down a gutter, and threatened to have
his head cut off. Another most melancholy instance
happened on the sth Dec., 1847. Six gentlemen who
went out to take a walk in the neighbourhood of Canton
—where they certainly were allowed to go by the terms
of the treaty—were attacked and carried off by the rab-
ble. As they did not come home in the evening their
friends beeame alarmed. Our consul, Mr. Macgregor,
on the 6th made art application on their behalf to Kehir,
the governor of Canton. Kehir wrote back that before
the receipt of any letter he had received intelligence that
some foreigners had been seized, and he had sent orders
that they should be set at liberty. This was a very pro-
per letter, but what was the result In the morning
these men were most barbarously and coolly murdered
in cold blood, after having, been tortured. The Chinese
Gc vernment took no trouble about the matter, yet they
ha, t proved, by putting 70,000 men to death in six months
that they could show energy enough when it suited their
pu Tose. He hal received a letter this morning from Sin-
ge; ore. The letter was dated Jan, 23. The writer said
that numerous placards of an alarming nature had been
posted over the town, calling on the Chinese to destroy
Ur- inhabitants, and offering $2,000 to any one who
..w:..1 kill Governor Blu,,dell, our own governor. On the
28' :a there was to he an attempt, and his correspondent
did not at all like the appearance on the part of the Chi-
nese. It was not Pleasant to go to bed with revolvers
uraler their pillows. Ho hoped that the Government
would not give way on the, matter—not that he stood up
for Sir J Bowring, but a principle was at slake. The
me ter should not be looked upon as a party matter, for
it was no light thing to peril our position in China. He
said nothing about the 10 millions aenualiy of our trade;
bug as a matter of Lumanity we sherd I not stop short
now. If we were to fail back there would be peril to our
whole position in China, and on these grounds he should
su7esort tho Government.

Sir J. PAKINGTON said he had listened with atten-
tion to the speech of the right hon. gentleman the Sec-
retary of State for the Home Department, but he had
heard nothing in that speech to change his views on the
euelect. He was afraid that that speech, like that of the
Ps reign eieeretary, was a skilful one in evading the real
elevation ; the greater part had nothing to do with the
matter which they were called upon to decide. The right
hoe gentleman, he had no doubt, thought it right in
thet speech to defend a public official abroad and at a
di tepee ; but he (Sir J. Pakingtan) would say that
nothing was Reid against these pubic officials in China
tb et was not thrust upon them by their satire of justice.
Toe right hon. gentle Man was unenece:afel in his a!-
tempts to defend Sir J. Bnwring front the artacke ma le
against him, From the first moment he (Sir J. Pa-
kiegton) had rea I the despatches at they were published
in the newspapers, he had felt so deeply the extent to
which the country was compromised, that he could no;
consent to give a silent vote on the question The right
hon. gentleman bad deprecated party rpirit on the sub.
jest; and had complained that the speeches of bon, gen-
tlemen opposed to Government were dictated by party
feeling. His bon'. friend who had just addressed them
had adverted to the same subject. The imputation was
a most unjust one. There were speeches on both side.; of
the house in the course of the debate, which he
,(Sir J.
P. kington) had beard with great regret. The hon, mem-
ber for Devoneort bad stated that if the measure had pro-
o eded from that side of the house ho should not have
given it his support ; while the hon. member for West
sTrfolk had given directly opposite views. He had said
that be 'should be governed by views extraneous to the
Jeet, and that under the influence of such feelings he
shoals vote aeainst the motion.
that he a
Mr. BENTINCK explained that what he said wile,
gr 1 eet in the terms of the motion, but that he
ehould he guldetiNhcyjAher considerations.
Sir J. PAlki
N heard this with regret, and
thought that it loweredwho
character of that house; but
to Pay that all t‘ineeart 0 agreed to Rapport the vote
wore influenced buy e
047dousideretions, nothing could
b' more unjust.
on provei that his own opinion
a as formed previously,
first reading ,of the
p perSthen remarked tottow(}), friends of his, who
he believed were then present
him, that the
oafatoourse, the
acts of our official were atrocious—trart
arree.al the
G ) vernment, woul I repudiate those aegiie;:n
on,
coenvdern-
officials. This was the &pinion he had
a.i, a rea
chat
frig the despatches. He much regretted that the 16',-"a(1-
went had nnt taken the cell' se of repudieting the
of Sir J. Bowring. It had been given
tl ere was a necessity to uphold our distant racial in
C dna. If our officials deserved support, he would eilleit
that we ought to support them on every point ; hut, on
t'e other hand, to defend The conduct of an official at
a I risks was most dangerous to the interest of the ()len—
tY. It had been (*petal that the right bonnerall:
taronet the member for Carlif4e and the noble lord tho
r. ember for London were members of the Government
ix iiich Lad sent out Sir John Bowring. It was a
proof of the misfortune of the ' that in sending
out officiate, we did not eetteul
cha-
mber of yotevar:
consider so much their cha-
r cter ae the nu )-.
that bouts. They Were the
Atti ch'they had giyen. ion
h :en so much attended to, Suffering from this having
he wank! net enter into th.e
claim
oft the
eriiod of the
bd bat
in "red a British' Vessel, 'though the evideenrceehc_.,- to e :jun_
d subtle], nor whether the British flare -
1 hen there was the equesti: n as tt, ethie was
it, eta; fie ing or not.
ethr r she had the
to or not, thc;u;Z Rabe last
reht to carry then.,
mast say that wee-
b e ,
)10 answer toy that becau 0
question
t:.e licence had .ixpired at sea there was therefore an rx-
c'ee for it not ' aeiug renewed. Tice
;month in the t. vessel had been a
+Yee, and on itspassage there it must have
passed HOngi, ICorig, and he could
see 410 ATed3on why he
... . :