With the exception of negotiating commercial treaties for England between the Hawaiian court and various European States, the remainder of his life was spent quietly in the pursuit of literary pleasures.  Even in his old age he translated fugitive poetry, wrote essays on political, literary, and social questions of the hour, and frequently delivered lectures.  He died November 23d, 1872, in Exeter, within sight of his birthplace under the shadows of the massive cathedral.  “In my travels,” he said, “I have never been very ambitious of the society of my countrymen, but have always sought that of the natives; and there are few men, I believe, who can bear a stronger or a wider testimony to the general kindness and hospitality of the human family when the means of intercourse exist.  My experiences of foreign lands are everywhere connected with the most pleasing and the most grateful remembrances.”  In 1873 Lady Bowring published a ‘Memorial Volume of Sacred Poetry,’ containing many of his popular hymns; and in 1877 his ’Autobiographical Recollections’ were published, with a memoir by his son.

Sir John Bowring was a natural linguist of the first order.  He knew and spoke over a hundred languages, and affirmed that he often dreamed in foreign tongues.  His friend Tom Hood humorously referred to his gifts in the following verse:—­

     “To Bowring! man of many tongues,
       (All over tongues, like rumor)
     This tributary verse belongs
       To paint his learned humor. 
     All kinds of gab he knows, I wis,
       From Latin down to Scottish—­
     As fluent as a parrot is,
       But far more Polly-glottish. 
     No grammar too abstruse he meets,
       However dark and verby;
     He gossips Greek about the streets
      And often Russ—­in urbe. 
     Strange tongues—­whate’er you do them call;
       In short, the man is able
     To tell you what o’clock in all
       The dialects of Babel. 
     Take him on Change—­in Portuguese,
       The Moorish and the Spanish,
     Polish, Hungarian, Tyrolese,
       The Swedish and the Danish: 
     Try him with these, and fifty such,
       His skill will ne’er diminish;
     Although you should begin in Dutch,
       And end (like me) in Finnish.”

Bowring was a member of many learned societies, and had honors and decorations without stint, including the Order of the White Elephant, the Swedish Order of the Northern Star, and the Order of Kamehameha I. His publications are a ‘Russian Anthology,’ ‘Matins and Vespers,’ ‘Batavian Anthology,’ ‘Ancient Poetry and Romances of Spain,’ ’Peter Schlemihl,’ ‘Servian Popular Poetry,’ ‘Specimens of the Polish Poets,’ ‘Sketch of the Language and Literature of Holland,’ ’Poetry of the Magyars,’ ‘Cheskian Anthology,’ ‘Minor Morals,’ ’Observations on Oriental Plague and Quarantines,’ Manuscript of the Queen’s Court:  a Collection of Old Bohemian Lyrico-Epic Songs,’ ’Kingdom