The Press. — London, England, 1854-11-04 00:00:00

NOVEMBriI 4, 1854. Its professions, as manifested in its des patches, and the explanations of its organs in the House of Commons, breathe the purest benevolence towards all, and especially the most fatherly love and care for the native race. On this ground it rests its justification of the wholesale spoliation of native princes and landlords now in progress, in defiance of the most solemn treaties and engagements. It admits that there may be to a certain degree a breach of faith in the proceeding, but it asserts that the greatest happiness of the greatest number is a consideration paramount to all others; and that this, in India, is only to be found under the liberal and enlightened government of the Company. It does so happen, to be sure, that the doctrine is a very convenient one, as these successive additions to our exchequer serve to replace in some measure the dilapidations in our revenue which mismanagement has caused; while, as every increase to our territory brings a vast increase of patronage to the Governor-General, the President of the India Board, and the directors, in the shape of numberless new appointments, varying in value from six thou sand pounds per annum downwards, the en couragement of the doctrine affords an un limited field for the provision of relatives and friends. But, of course, any sordid considera tion of this sort is loudly repudiated by those who benefit by the proceeding, and the purest regard for the welfare of the natives of India is alleged as the only reason that actuates the Government in following such a course A late Madras paper supplies a more than usually flagrant instance of the Company's disregard of its professions in relation to the land revenue settlement of Bellary, a portion of what are called the ceded districts, which have been in the possession of the Company for half a century. Throughout this period these philanthropic rulers have had the power of dealing with the land and the cultivators of the ceded districts as they pleased, and the following is the plan which they have pursued. For wet land, that is, for land possessing the means of irrigation, the only land in India on which a crop is certain, they charge twenty nine shillings rent the higah per annum, which is about three times as much as was taken by the most extortionate native Govern ment that has existed in India in our times, that of the Scinde Ameers, and six times as ranch as the late Sir CHARLES NAPIER fixed as thehi ghest rent to be charged for similar land in Scinde. The result of this extortion is just . what might have been expected. Cultivation has diminished daily instead of increasing, • and, though the population of the district had • increased in the fifty years in which it has been in our possession by a million and a half of souls, there is much less land cultivated in it now than there was then. This our readers will probably think bad enough, but far worse remains behind. At the time that we obtained possession of Bellary half of the lands of the district were possessed by a native aristocracy holding under grants of preceding sovereigns which we engaged to respect ; and the following is the manner in which our Government has dealt with them. These rent-freeholders, seeing that to demand the exorbitant rate of rent levied by the Company would only entail ruin both on their tenantry and themselves, and not having, like the Company, a public ti ea sury to fall back upon in case their tents failed, fixed a moderate assessment on their lands of similar quality, charging seven shillings and threepence a begah only, which they thought was as much as the land could pay. The result of their moderation was, that their estates flourished, while the lands of the Company did not. This was not to be tole rated by the Company, and they enacted a law that any person renting the lands on pri vate estates should for every one acre so rented be charged the rent of ten acres of the Com pany's lands at the Company's rates, whether they cultivated it or no—such assessments to be enforced by sale of goods and imprison ment, just as if the man had agreed to take the land for which he was made to pay ! The tenants of the native landowners were thus at once reduced to .the same state of beggary as the Company's tenants, and their lands to the same state of waste and desolation. The law _ _~ THE PRESS. then enacted is still in force, and such at this present hour is the manlier in which the Indian Government, which is perpetually annexing new lands on the ground of its superior mode of discharging the duties of a landlord, deals with the territory which has been subject to it for half a century. The Manchester school support the existing administration on the ground of their free trade principles. We shall be glad to learn what they think of this mode of applying those principles to the cotton fields of India by Sir CHARLES WOOD. OFFICIAL NEGLECT. THE statement of Sir CHARLES SHAW, that in the course of last spring he brought " the sack tents" of the French army under the special notice of the authorities, is of importance. He says, positively, that, after having himself witnessed the efficacy of these newlyinvented tents, he took steps for directing notice to them, but that no attention was paid to his communication! If our soldiers had been furnished with such covering, they would not have been exposed to the horrors of the night of September the 14th, when it rained torrents. The miseries of such a night fearfully swelled the casualties from cholera ; and it is mortify ing to reflect that the French army were all covered, while our men were left without de fence. . Addressing himself to the economical pre judices of some of our rulers, Sir CHARLES makes it a question of L.S.D., after having first detailed the sufferings of our soldiers : I shall not now speak of the sufferings of the men, but of the pecuniary loss to the nation from this unpardonable neglect. The sack tents can be made for each soldier at 2s. 61. (a French soldier would rather part with his blanket than his sack tent). Each soldier, as he landed in the Crimea, cost 1501.; 27,000 landed, so the cost of putting them under cover would have been 3,5001. After the night's soaking, 1,5110 were sent to the Kangaroo, so that we might easily calculate that 2,000 were rendered unfit for duty--a temporary loss of 2,000 men at 1501., say 350,00 W. But of the 2,000. at least 000 of these either died or were ever after useless as soldiers : that is, there was a total loss of 90,0001., which might have been saved by an outlay for tents for these 600 at 2s. od.—that is, 00/. ( Sack tents, with muskets, could serve well for stretchers.) We are curious to learn what reply will be offered to this statement of Sir CHARLES SHAW. What comes from his pen is of some impor tance, as he was one of the first to direct at tention to the new French rifles. On the organisation of the staff of nurses, Sir CHARLES SHAW expresses his fears that the plan adopted is rather too theoretical, and that its practicability is not equal to its phi lanthropy of design. The blunder of sending worn-out Chelsea Pensioners in the ambulance corps was a notable one ; and Sir CHARLES fears that some of the nurses recently sent out will be merely " Chelsea Pensioners in petticoats," requiring assistance for them selves. Unquestionably, professional aid is always better than the efforts of enthusiasm, and the hospitals of the kingdom could supply experienced nurses for the occasion, with a proper system of rewards. The neglect of providing beforehand for the wounded has been " unpardonable," and redounds much to the discredit of our War Department. DR. RAE'S ARCTIC DISCOVERIES. FURTHER discussion on the fate of FRANKLIN fails to bring any new circumstances to light. Dr. RAE has been attacked, we think most unjustly, for re turning at once with the tidings he had gathered. The blot in his narrative is the mention of can nibalism, which it is most improbable that the party ever resorted to. Two land expeditions are to be organised,—one to descend Fish River, the other Mackensie River. We have a strong suspicion that these expeditions alone may fail to clear up the FRANKLIN tragedy, or to gain tidings of Commisom. We strongly recommend that a maritime expedition be sent forth as well, under a skilful commander like M'Currorx, with directions to rendevous at some point between Cape Walker and Melville Island. We think it most likely that FRANKLIN'S ships will still be found somewhere between Om money Bay and the American continent. At all '-----, 1035 events, if parties from the ships met the land parties, the whole region might probably be explored. With out such co-operation, it is doubtful whether the land parties would be able to leave the continent, from the sea being often choked by gloating ice, and though some bodies might be found, no clue what. ever might be afforded to the proceedings of the expedition between the summer of 1840 and the spring of 1850. CHAPLAINS FOR THE ARMY IN THE &tn.—The Rev. E. G. Parker, the Rev. G. B. Eade, and the Rev. Robert Freeman, have been appointed assistant officiating chaplains to the army in the East under the auspices of the Society for Propagating tho Gospel, and are under orders to embark on Wednes day next on board the Ottawa at Portsmouth. The Rev. Hugh Irwin has been appointed officiating chaplain to the army in the East, vice the Rev. Geo. Mockler, deceased, and will embark on Wednesday at Cork on board the Cleopatra. The Rev. Edward Owen and the Rev. C. E. Hadow sailed in the Queen of the South for Scutari, being the first clergyman sent out by the Gospel Propagation Society. The Rev. Sidney Clarke has been appointed officiating chaplain to the forces at Corfu, vice the Rev. J. St. Leger, invalided, and is under orders to embark on board the Edwin Fox in the course of the ensuing week. ARMY CLOTHING.—We have reason to believe that an additional suit of clothing is to be given to every soldier now serving in the East, and that 120 tons out of the 400 tons which will have to be transported to the seat of war are to be conveyed by the Ottawa. The additional expenses of the new uniform, since the clothing has been under the control of the Government., will be something like 160,0001. per annum. THE EXTENSION OF THE PARIS AND LYONS RAILWAY is so far advanced that there is official information that it may be opened for the State by next February, and that this direct route to the Mediterranean, and there fore to the East, will be available for the military purposes which are to be renewed at the spring of next year with increased vigour. The number of workmen have been raised from 5,000 to 10,0(X); the works are everywhere progressed with between Lyons and Valence, which is the only part unfinished. CENTRAL SCHOOLS FOR THE MINING DISTRICTS OF CORNWALL are to be established at Truro under the control of the Department of Science and Art. There will be three teachers—one for mineralogy and che mistry, another for mathematics and mechanics, and a third for practical mining. Sir Henry de la Beche proposes that the teachers, on their appointment, shall attend the Geological School in Jertnyn.street previously to their tour through the mining districts of Cornwall and Devon. Exhibitions at this depart ment are suggested, and it is believed that the Prince of Wales, as Duke of Cornwall, through his royal father, will aid in their establishment. THE complaint respecting the COAL Surrrx FOR THE BALTIC FLEET discloses another of the blunders of our astute Admiralty. The screw-steamers could not obtain fuel at Kiel, which was their appointed ran dezvous, because the store-ships lay at Elsinore, where some of the coals have actually been ware housed. Thus a large fleet was detained because the supply was deposited at a place where it has never been required ; and there was incurred, not only the cost of pay and provisions for 10,04:X) or 15,000 men for a fortnight or more, with the demurrage and other charges, but the increased risk to these large and costly vessels at an unfavourable season which is far advanced. ONE of the most eminent engineers in Manchester has offered to the Admiralty to build a steamer for the WAR-DEST%TCH SERVICE Which shall be gua ranteed to accomplish twenty-four miles an hour, a speed exceeding even that promised by Mr. Scott Russell's leviathan steam ship being built at Milwall. A Wonwie MAN'S COLLEGE has been established in Red Lion-square, and was opened on Tuesday last. The Rev. F. D. Maurice, Chaplain of Lincoln's inn, delivered an inaugural lecture on the subject at St. Martin's-ball on the previous evening before a numerous audience, a large proportion of whom were working men. The object of the promoters of the college, as developed in the programme, appears to be to provide a regular course of studies on topics of a scientific, historical, and social nature, calculated to elevate the taste and enlighten the minds of the working classes, each subject to be illustrated by lectures or lessons, delivered on successive eveninrs, by a number of gentlemen who have con• t Mad themselves a " council of teachers." The Rev. Mr. Maurice is the principal of this institution. MllMilr3 ,--- _ 1