should be instantly sent back.  It was true that The Arrow had at the time of the seizure no right to fly the British flag, for her licence to trade under British colours had expired the year before; but he argued that since the Chinese could not have known this when they raided the vessel, they had deliberately insulted the flag in doing so, and afterwards infringed the extradition laws by refusing to restore the crew immediately.  Upon the British fleet proceeding to bombard the forts, the men were released, but the apology and indemnity demanded in addition were not forthcoming.  More forts were then bombarded and a number of junks were sunk.  The real motive of these aggressive proceedings lay in the fact that the English traders had not yet been able to get a free entrance into Canton, in spite of treaties permitting them to trade there.  Sir John Bowring made the refusal of apologies an excuse for forcing the Chinese to admit them.  Not unnaturally the Chinese retaliated by burning foreign factories and cutting foreign throats.  Meanwhile Palmerston at home characteristically supported Sir John Bowring through thick and thin, and the upshot was a long war with China.

Lord John detested aggressive and violent proceedings of this kind.  His speech on Cobden’s motion was one of his finest.  The following passage from it expresses the spirit in which later on he conducted the foreign policy of England himself: 

We have heard much of late—­a great deal too much, I think—­of the prestige of England.  We used to hear of the character, of the reputation, of the honour of England.  I trust, sir, that the character, the reputation, and the honour of this country are dear to us all; but if the prestige of England is to be separated from those qualities ... then I, for one, have no wish to maintain it.  To those who argue, as I have heard some argue, “It is true we have a bad case; it is true we were in the wrong; it is true that we have committed an injustice; but we must persevere in that wrong; we must continue to act unjustly, or the Chinese will think we are afraid,” I say, as has been said before, “Be just and fear not.”

Palmerston was defeated by sixteen votes, and went to the country on a “Civis Romanus” policy, or, as we should say now, with a “Jingo” cry, which was immensely popular.  Its popularity was so great that there seemed no chance that Lord John would retain his seat for the City.  Even Cobden and Bright were defeated in their constituencies, and the country returned Palmerston with a majority of seventy-nine.  Unpopular since his apparent change of front regarding the Vienna treaty, it would have been small wonder if Lord John had taken the advice of his committee and retired from the contest; but he was bent on taking his one-to-hundred chance, and, as it turned out, his courage won the seat.

    LONDON, March 7, 1857