142 EARL DE GREY'S ADDRESS. [May 28, 1860. 



proceeded a second time to China. He remained at Canton, with 

 some occasional visits to Europe, until the year 1817, having for 

 some time before his final return to England filled the office of 

 chief of the factory. His residence in China aiforded him the 

 opportunity of still farther advancing himself in a knowledge of the 

 Chinese language by means of native teachers. He was the first 

 member of the factory that had ever studied the language of the 

 country in which their duties required them to reside ; and thus he 

 became very useful by superseding the necessity of employing native 

 interpreters, in whom (principally from the fear which they had of 

 the local authorities) much confidence could not be placed. While 

 residing in China he made several translations from the Chinese, 

 the principal one of these, and that a work of great importance, 

 being the ' Ta Tsing-leu-lee,' or Chinese penal code. This last was 

 published in the year 1810. Other translations of much interest, 

 though of inferior importance to this, have been published since. 



In the year 1816 a second embassy was sent to China, the late 

 Lord Amherst, Sir Henry Ellis, and Sir George Staunton being 

 appointed joint Commissioners of Embassy. An account of the 

 proceedings of this embassy has been published by Sir Henry Ellis. 

 Sir George Staunton, however, printed his private journal, and dis- 

 tributed copies of it among his friends. 



After his return to England, Sir George Staunton purchased a 

 house and landed property in Hampshire, where he afterwards 

 resided during a part of every year. For some time he had the 

 honour of representing South Hants in Parliament. He afterwards 

 represented Portsmouth, and continued to do so until he resigned 

 the charge a few years before he died. 



After being finally re-established in England, he occupied him- 

 self but little with any of the pursuits of his early life ; though it 

 may be that his knowledge of botany had partly led him to the 

 laying out of an extensive garden, with numerous hothouses and 

 conservatories full of the rarest trees and plants. 



Although his life was prolonged until he had entered on his 79th 

 year, he was always of a delicate frame, and not capable of great 

 physical exertion. Others observed in him a peculiar shyness and 

 awkwardness of manner, of which his education affords an adequate 

 explanation. But with this he on various occasions displayed 

 great moral courage and determination. Many instances of this 

 might be quoted, but one will be sufficient. On the occasion of 

 the last embassy the Chinese Court refused to receive it unless the 



