The Press. — London, England, 1857-11-14 00:00:00

THE PRESS, NOVEMBER 14,1857. as one of the leading powers amongst the nations would be threatened with decline. The unanimous voice of the country has, therefore, supported the Government in their efforts for the recovery of our government in India. The only fault with them is that they have not done enough ; they have been too slow in their movements ; they have not sent out sufficient force. Our first duty is to support and encourage the Government in the most efficient measures for putting down the revolt, for subduing and disarming the rebel force, and for inflicting stern justice on the ringleaders and perpetrators of those diabolical atrocities that make the blood run cold. Let justice, stern justice, be the word, Int let there be no blind indiscrimi nate vengeance, and let us not disgrace the British name by imitating the miscreants in the slaughterof women and children. Our dominion once restored in India, then will come the equally important duty of inquiring into the revolt, and preventing its recurrence by settling the government of India upon a safer basis. The great ques tion will be, whether the anomaly of a double Government in India should be continued. Ido not wish to disparage the East India Company, or to adopt the language of censure against them which is heard on many sides. I say, therefore, let Parliament deal with the East India Company with candour, firmness, and justice ; and it they are called upon to lay down the sceptre they have so long wielded over India, let it be done on the score of a great national policy, and without insult or injury to the greatest commercial company that ever existed on the face of the globe. Let them have ample compensation for their vested tights and interests, such as a generous and wealthy nation can afford to give. With respect to the East India Company, let there be no sufferers, and as to the directors and auditors of the Company at home and lin India, let them have fair compensation for whatever they may have to relinquish. Now, with regard to the Reform Bill. I can only say, if any statesman be prepared to bring in a measure of Reform adequate to the necessities of the times; if some scheme could be br3ught forward that would sufficiently meet the wants of this country, I would do my utmost to procure the passing of that measure into law ; but should a Reform Bill be produced for the purpose of excluding Beverley, or of taking from Beverley one of its represen tatives, I would oppose it with all my power. There are many things no doubt connected with the borough of Beverley which I would wish see altered, and if you will give me intimation of what you wish to be amended, I will give my best attention to all such representations. I would mention one thing in which I think nn improve • ment might be effected. For your venerable .minster you have a revenue—an enormous revenue—applicable solely to the keeping of the fabric in repair ; but you have a very poor stipend belonging to the clergyman upon whom the chief duty falls. Therefore, I would wish to reduce the revenues that are applicable solely to the fabric, and I would like to see a better division of them ; if, therefore, you will send up a bill that I can put to Parliament, I will do it with the greatest pleasure in the world. (Loud and long-continued cheering.) After the cheering had subsided, Major Edwards cnnzliided his address by giving as a toast, " The Health of the Electors of Beverley." Mr. NV. S. WREGHITT responded. Several other toasts were drunk, and the meeting separated. MR. DEEDES, M.P., ON THE MILITIA AND ON INDIA. AT the dinner of the Nonington and Wingham Agri cultural Association last week, in Kent, Sir Brook BrAges, M.l'., presided, and amongst the company were Earl Cowper and Mr. W. Deedes. The last named gentleman, who is colonel of the Kent Rifles, alluded in his speech to the importance of a militia force, observing : One of the first acts of my public life—l am afraid to say how many years ago, but 1 know more than forty — was to connect myself with this constitutional force of the kingdom. I believed at the time I did so. and I have thought ever since in continuing my position, that I was adopting a course in strict accordance with the Constitu tion of the country ; and I was desirous of keeping up all the institutions of the country which are worth pre serving. In so long a period of time I have seen the ups and downs of a military life as far as the yeomanry is concerned ; I have known it in the highest state of pro sperity and in a state of depression. I am quite aware that I stand on delicate ground in alluding to this matter in this neighbourhood ; but this much I can say without fear of' offending the feelings of any man connected with the corps, that the loss of one of the best of the officers,, and the almost entire loss of one of the hest of my troops was the source of the greatest unhappiness to me in con nection with the subject that I ever felt. Now, with re gard to the future. At this moment the regular force of the kingdom is required in a manner almost unprece dented to be sent out of the country upon foreign and important service ; the militia has theretore been called out, and rightly so, that it may stand in the room of that regular force. In a country like England, with such immense dependencies and colonies, there must always be the fear of a sudden outbreak among some of them ; and it would be the worst of policy and wisdom for the land to be left without proper defence when any emer gency arises. Well, then, if the regular force has pro perly been sent out of the country, and if the militia has properly been called upon to supply their place, I say, and I have the authority of the majority of my brother officers' agreement with me, the yeomanry ought not to be behind hand—all should come forward for the purpose of hearing a part in the force. I know that lam speaking the sen timents of my brother officers, of the noncommissioned General for the manner in which he and his troop had overcome " the most formidable opposition." In the following September we find him appointed to the command of a brigade composed of her Majesty's 53rd Foot, the Nusseree Battalion, and two howitzers. At Chillianwallah, where he was engaged as a brigadier, he had another opportunity of distinguish ing himself; for though his brigade was held in reserve, he was enabled to support the advance of Sir W. R. Gilbert, and to carry a village which was the key of the enemy's position by " a most spirited attack executed in a brilliant style." It should be added that Sir W. Gilbert, in his despatch, drew attention to Brigadier Penny's services on this occasion. Brigadier Penny received the medal for Aliwal and Sobraon, and was gazetted a C.B. in the following June. He wits also made an honorary aide-de-camp to the Governor-General. Colonel Penny also accompanied the late estimable Sir. Walter Gilbert in the pursuit of Sikhs and Affglians as far as Peshawur. On the services of Colonel Penny being made known in this country her Majesty was pleased to appoint him to be one of her aides-de-camp. In 1855 he was nominated to the command at Sealkote, and his services there gave such batisfaction to his superiors, that on the break ing out of the mutiny his was one of the first appoint ments to command, superseding General Hewitt in the command at Meerut. We entertatin no doubt that he will full sustain, and, should opportunity oiler, add to, his high reputation. NORWAY UPON THE INDIAN MUTINIES. (From the Morgentlad of October 30.) " We are informed that a subscription has been opened at the British Consulate-General in this city in order to afford those Englishmen who reside in Norway an opportunity of contributing towards the fund now being raised for the relief of the sufferers by the Indian mutiny. " Referring to this we make bold to call upon the British Consul-General to afford the Norwegians also an opportunity of contributing towards the fund. We are well aware that the addition it will thus receive will be comparatively small, and also that the general scarcity of money will force many to diminish their contrilution ; but we know also that there exists in this country great and universal sympathy for those poor persons upon whom the Indian mutiny has in flicted such fearful sufferings. We are certain that the great mass here, far from rejoicing over the misfortunes of England, and inventing all sorts of accusations against her Government of India, admit, on the contrary, that no European power has ever treated a conquered and semi barbarous race so humanely, and that England's cause in India is that of humanity and Christianity. Lastly, we are all penetrated with the conviction that the greatness and power which our energetic kinsmen in the British isles have won for themselves is one of the best guarantees for the freedom and independence of our State and of other small States. We do not there fore hesitate to declare that every blow which unfor tunately might strike British power would he con sidered in Norway as a misfortune only second in importance to any adversity that might befall the united kingdoms. " If we give the English a proof of our sympathy no one can deny that it is a true expression of our sentiments and chivalrous feelings, and, judging from the manner in which the English press has received similar proofs from other smaller States of their acknowledgment of the justice of England's cause, we are perhaps justified in believing that a , like proof of sympathy on the part of the Norwegians would not remain unappreciated." MAJOR EDWARDS, M.P., ON INDIAN AFFAIRS. TIIE Beverley constituents of Major Edwards invited that hon. gentleman to a public dinner, which was held on Tuesday evening in the Assembly-rooms, Norwood, where nearly 400 gentlemen sat down, under the presidency of William Bainton, Esq. After the usual loyal toasts, the toast of the evening was proposed and unanimously received. Major EDWARDS, in reply, adverted to the Indian question:— The jealous monopolising spirit of the East India Com. pany has, during a whole century, almost excluded the settlement of British subjects in the country, except their own employes ; otherwise we should have had a numerous British population to fall back upon in this insurrection. The Governor of Ceylon, in a letter, recently told Sir John Pakington that India had been most providentially saved by the premature outbreak at Meerut. In another fort night, had not that outbreak taken place, there would have been a simultaneous massacre of Europeans in India — none would have been left to tell the tale. And to our selves, what would have been the consequence? Our vital energies as a nation would have been laid prostrate, and our commerce irreparably injured; the brightest jewel of the British crown would have been rent away, the glory of our name would have departed, and our position 1103 officers, and privates, when I say that we should hail the completion of the ranks to the proper strength with the greatest delight ; and we are only waiting to put the shil ling into the hsnd of any willing man. Thus much for the yeomanry. With regard to India and the atrocities perpetrated by the mutineers, Mr. Deedes said : I do not ask—God forbid I should—for indiscriminate vengeance, or vengeance at all. That is a word that should never come from the mouth of a Christian ; but I do ask for retributive justice—l do ask that no consident tion shall be shown to men who, by their cruelties, have placed themselves beyond the pale of mercy. They have no right to expect it after what they have done. They have cast the die and must abide the consequences. lam sure the noble address of General Wilson to the soldiers before Delhi would come home to them all ; and let me say that I have a deep interest in the matter, for a son of mine has been serving there for four months. I well know the interest with which he would read that address; but I do not believe that a thought ever entered the heart of any of them to take vengeance upon helpless women and children because those fiends in human shape had wreaked their vengeance in catch a manner. These are not the sentiments that actuate the heart of a British soldier; and 1 am confident that, when full details arrive of the assault at Delhi, it will ne found that nothing has been committed of which we need be ashamed, except that which can never be avoided when we take into considera tion the weakness of human nature under certain circum stances. I have heard with deep regret—though Ido not believe it—that a civil servant has been sent to supersede one of the military officers engaged in active warfare ; and it is further stated that he has ordered the release of a number of prisoners. I do not believe it ; but if it is so, then the sooner such a state of things is put an end to the better. Nothing can possibly prosper if, at such a crisis as the present, there is to be a conflict between the civil and military powers. Ar the Ashford Agricultural Society's meeting, a day or two afterwards, Sir Norton Knatchbull pre sided. Mr. Deedes and Mr. Hugessen, M.P., were among the company. The chairman, in proposing " The Army and Navy," said that three years ago, when he filled that seat, we were at war with Russia. We issued from that war, if not with glory, yet, with the help of our brave allies, with victory. Not long after the restoration of peace, there came from the East. sounds of wailing and woe—cries of men mur dered, of women ruthlessly violated, of children tor tured, with horrors too terrible to relate : Gentlemen, such doings as these demand a stern reta liation. By this Ido not mean vengeance. My friend on the left ( Mr. Deedes) has a child in India; I have a child in India ; you, if you are men, if you ere Englishmen, if you are Christian men, yon all have children in India. We desire to execute justice upon the guilty. The Apostle says, " Vengeance is mine ; I will repay, saith the Lord ;" but in what may be called the same chapter he goes on to say that man has the right to wield the sword of justice. Let, then, no man presume to step between the British soldier and that justice in the name of which he will strike home to avenge an insulted country. THE INDIA RELIEF FUND. AMONG the recent contributions to this fund is one from his Majesty the King of Greece, who has for warded through his Minister at the British Court a cheque for 4001., with an intimation that he had directed that lists of subscriptions to the fund should be opened by the prefects throughout his kingdom. His Majesty the King of Sardinia has also contri buted a donation of ten thousand francs, and several members of his Majesty's Government have libe rally subscribed in aid of the fund. Information has been received from Constantinople that the contribu tions made there already exceed 1,1001., and are ex pected to be considerably increased. A donation of 2501. has also been received from his Highness the Maharajah Duteep Singh, with expressions of spe cial interest in the case of native Christians Rh o may have been reduced to a state of distress in conse quence of the mutinies. MR. NEWDEGATE, M.P., ON 1 NDIA.—LI3III Cal thorpe, Mr. C. B. Adderley, M.P., Mr. B. Spooner, M.P., and Mr. C. N. Newdegate, ➢I.P., were present on Monday evening at a dinner which was given to the Mayor of Birmingham. In the course of his speech Mr. Newdegate adverted to the mutiny in India. He h►►d not raised his voice in unison with that cry for vengeance which had justly risen from the people. He hoped, however, that the mutiny would be put down with an iron hand, and that the murderers of women and children, the enemies of England and of the human race, would find that severe retributive justice would visit them, which their horrid deeds called for from the laws of God and man. He had warned the Government of this country that the contest would not be light, and that they must not expect a speedy return of the troops they had sent out, and that therefore those troops ought to be replaced by others for the defence of England itself. He hoped that warning would be taken, for while we are restoring the stability of our empire in India we must not forget the safety of our own land. Mr. Spooner endorsed the sentiments which Mr. Newdegate had uttered.