st
China was one of the most infamous and cowardly of the century, and
made British Christianity more hateful even than its opium to the
rulers of the Celestial Empire. L4,375,000 was extorted from the
Chinese emperor for the expenses of the war ($20,000,000), and
L1,250,000 ($5,000,000) for the opium which, with perfect justice, he
had confiscated from the smugglers. The mob of London cheered the
wagons which brought the ill-gotten treasure through the streets; and
the mob in Parliament thanked the officers who had murdered the
helpless and unoffending Chinese, while the parsons congratulated the
people on the opening of China to British commerce, British
civilization, and British religion.

The brutalizing influence of this method of carrying on the foreign
trade of England was shown by a later altogether unnecessary war with
China about the Lorcha "Arrow." This was a Chinese pirate vessel,
which had obtained, by false pretences, the temporary possession of
the British flag. On Oct. 8, 1856, the Chinese police boarded it in
the Canton River, and took off twelve Chinamen on a charge of piracy.
This they had a perfect right to do; but the British consul, Mr.
Parkes, instead of thanking them, demanded the instant restoration of
men who had been flying a British flag under false pretences. He
applied to Sir John Bowring, the British plenipotentiary at Hong Kong,
for assistance. Sir John was an able and experienced man. He had been
editor of the _Westminster Review_, had a bowing, if not a speaking
acquaintance with a dozen languages, had been one of the leaders of
the free trade party, and had a thorough acquaintance with the Chinese
trade. For many years he had been secretary of the Peace Society.

He was the author of several hymns. In fact, an American hymn-book
contains not less than seventeen from his pen. One of them, found in
most modern hymn-books, was that commencing,--

"In the cross of Christ I glory";

and its author proceeded to glory in the cross of the Prince of Peace
by making war on the Chinese, although the governor, Yeh, had sent
back all the men whose return was demanded by Mr. Parkes.

Mr. Justin McCarthy, in his "History of our own Times," says, "During
the whole business Sir John Bowring contrived to keep himself almost
invariably in the wrong; and, even where his claim happened to be in
itself good, he managed to assert it in a manner at once untimely,
imprudent, and indecent."

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