The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1858-01-26 00:00:00

Elorsetsbire.

INDIAN REFORM.

On Thursday evening Edmund Fry, Esq., deli-
vered a lecture at the TownhaU, on "The Acquisi-
tion of India by the Sword." There was a full
and respectable attendance. The Rev. J. Miller
occupied the chair, and briefly introduced the
lecturer, alluding to the great responsibility '
resting on this country in reference to the future
government of India, a matter involving the interests
of so many millions of human beings in the East.
The LECTURER, who was received with applause,
remarked that he was to address the audience upon
that country which has been the theatre of England's
greatest conquests, but which was now, alas, the scene
of our saddest sorrows- and probably no word in the
English language was at this moment so powerful to
touch the hearts and thrill the sympathies of the
English people as the one word " It was
of the deepest importance the use the people of this
country made of the great lesson Providence was now
reading to us in India, for those great, tragic, and
startling events in the East were not chance but a
lesson to us and to the world by an Allwise Provi-
dence, touching the mistaken theory of conquest and
annexation by which England had added the vast
territories of India to her empire. The lecturer
avowed himself a member and representative of the
Peace Society, urging the importance of adhering to
the Christian rule. Defending the Peace Society
from the charge of being the friends and apologista of
the murderous Servs, he said he could regard with
as deep a loathing, and express in as strong terms of
abhorrence as any one, his hatred of those crimes and
cruelties which had not only disgraced the Sepoy
army but which defiled the very name of our common
humanity. Great danger, however, would result
from looking upon those proceedings through the
light of passion; it was matter to be regarded by
reason's calm ray, to be looked at by us not simply
as politicians but as Christians, bearing in mind the
huge responsibility of our conduct. There was much
truth in the old English motto that that which is
morally wrong can never be politically right; and,
believing that there was much very wrong in the
means by which we had acquired our eastern empire
and the spirit of our government there, he conceived
it to be of far more consequence to the souls of mil-
lions in India that our attention should be directed
to the crimes and wrongs of those who had misrepre-
sented us in India rather than even to the cruelties
and tortures of those who had worked such bitter
ruin upon persons near and dear to us. The mutiny
showed the utter insecurity as means of defence or
personal safety of relying upon arms. Who were
the mutineers? The soldiery of India, that great
Sepoy army of which we had been accustomed to
boast as, par excellence the " faithful" Sepoy army.
Much of what had been done by the British legis-
lature relative to India had been accomplished under
great ignorance of the real state of the ease, and
there was such a store of honest political sentiment
among the English people that an acquaintance with
Indian affairs would not have allowed them to
tolerate such proceedings. About 200 years since a
little company of merchants was formed in London
for the purpose of trading to the East Indies. The
Dutch and Portuguese had preceded us by a century;
and not until the courage of Sir Francis Drake broke
through the spell that seemed to surround that
portion of the world did the first British keel plough
Vie Indian waters, early in the 16th century. For a
hundred years nearly did the English company act
in that country by courtesy merely. When Clive
entered into the struggle with the great princes was
the commencement of that career of conquest
and annexation which has resulted in adding to
British supremacy one of the largest and most mag-
nificent empires in the world. There could be no
question about the genius of Clive and his successors,
their courage and marvellous resources in policy, nor
was there a question about the foul conduct by which
those possessions had been gained. The lecturer
traced portions of the life of Clive, quoting Macaulay,
which noble historian said that, when a boy Clive
was distinguished by an intense love of fighting ; and
he laid the foundation of British power in the
East. The lecturer also briefly referred to Warren
Hastings, to whom England owed more than to any
one her large increase of domain. It might be
asked what good was there in calling up old stories
of former rapacity and cruelties on the part of our
ancestors in India ; it must be admitted that great
improvement had taken place id our rule in
India, yet almost up to the latest period a policy not
very markedly different from that of old charac-
terized the policy pursued by the British in the East.
The lecturer then touched upon the history of the
East India Company in reference to the seizure and
annexation of Oude by Lord Dalhousie early last
year, to which step was referred in large part the
origin of the mutiny. The princes of Oude had been
the greatest friends of the company ; remaining so
throughout the Sikh war, to whose exchequer,
indeed, the company went for means to carry on
that war. What was Lord Dalhousie's plea for his
fatal conduct? The only one offered, said the
lecturer, was the personal character of the King of
Onde and his court, the King being a debauchee and
his Court described as corrupt and rapacious. Such
was the sole plea why the blessings" of our rule
should be extended to that vast territory. The step
would have been right had the population asked us
to interfere; but throughout the whole of this great
struggle there was no single indication of the Oude
people being tired of their native rulers, and not one
inhabitant had fled to British provinces which, it
was to be assumed, were so much more safe and de-
sirable. it was a mere plea, and the beat and only
one Lord Dalhousie could discover. But it was like
the story that served to rouse British indignation at
the time of the Russian war, the story about the Czar
of Russia saying that the " sick man" Turkey might
be removed for the benefit of the other European
states. If such a plea were admitted and so acted
upon, our own country in bygone days would have

siood in some jeopardy, though now we could point
to our English throne as the purest in the world.
• Yet there was a time when it would not have done
to lift the veil of the English court too highly. No;
the wonder was that for so long a series of years
those vast Eastern populations had not rejected the
misrule of the British. Oude, too, was the last
hlahommedan country. Our Sepoy army formed of
Hindoos and Mahommedans, though numbering
about one Mahommedan only to five Hindoos, yet
comprised in that small number of Mahommedans the
stronger portion intellectually and physically, in
spite, however, of all the warnings of Col. Sleeman,
backed by the authorities in the East, Lord Dal-
housie seized and annexed Oude, and from that mo-
ment we lost the loyalty of every Mahommedan, who
finding from their small numbers it would be vain to
revolt until the Hindoo portion of the Sepoys should
be also aroused bided their time. An event presently
occurred. The distribution of greased cartridges to
the troops, trifling though it seemed to us, gave the
smouldering animosities of the Mahommedans oppor-
tunity to draw the Hindoo Sepoys under their sway.
None were so superstitious as the Hindoos, espe-
cially in their reverence for horned animals. An
anecdote illustrative of this veneration and of the

potency of caste and religious superstition was given
by the lecturer. The Mahommedans then spread
the report eagerly—that the distribution of the
Teased cartridges, causing the Sepoy to touch the
t of venerated beasts, was a device for debasing
Hindoo caste and so forcing a change of religion.
Hence the whole Sepoy army only waited the
moment. That moment occurred on the 7th of May
leat at Meerut; and on rolled the fearful wave of re-
volution, devastating almost the whole of the Presi-
dency of Bengal from one end to the other; com-
pelling us to witness, said the lecturer, the natural
and inevitable result of our policy. He could not
deny that much good had been done by Britain to
that vast territory, but he felt sure that the com-
pany's policy there and the demeanour of many Eng-
lish residents had counteracted to a fearful extent the
benefit of connection with civilized England, and that
the condition of the people was little better than it
was 200 years ago. It had been said India had been
given to us. Why, we had won it by superior arms,
skill, and cunning. He held conquest to be but ano-
ther word for robbery, and annexation a term
akin to that which makes Us give to ourselves
that which belongs to others: as well might it be
allowed that Robson and Redpath had been given the
funds of the Crystal Palace. If ever Britain contem-
plated Christianizing India it must be by the English
living lives of Christianity in that land, and not by
mere missionary preaching. A young man in a
carriage on the Eastern Railway suggested to the
lecturer that the missionaries were at the bottom of
this mutiny, because the missionaries went among the
people there and preached a religion which made the
people believe that the holders of such views ought
to be saints, whereas they found that the British said
their officers were anything but saints; and he (the
lecturer) thought much truth was in the remark. It
was of more consequence to have men living instead
of dying for their country; and it was far more
arduous and honourable for a mall to live than to die
for his country. The contrast of the doings of Dr.
Livingstone for 17 years in Africa, and the deeds of
the bravest of our brave men in India, after all left,
the lecturer thought, Dr. Livingstone the hero of the
age. After paying a warm tribute to the lamented
Havelock, the lecturer said he considered that the
meetings at Exeter Hall for the pilrycee of forming
special missionary agencies for Inaia would be una-
vailing until more verisimilitude were found
between the theory and practice of the British in the
East. Well, what could be done by the pmple of
this country towards remedying the evi.." which
exist in India' The most practical form in which
aid could be rendered was in reforming the system of
land tenure in use under the regime of the East India
Company. Nothing was so mischievous as the
present system. In all our colonies most of the land
was crown land, and from time to time the govern-
ment brought portions into the market and any
person was at liberty to buy a quantity ofland, such
land becoming as free as any in this country.
Not so, however, in India. The East India
Company had most jealously guarded against
the introduction of the colonial system into
any Part of the broad territory absolutely held
by them in India. They sold none. The
whole of the Bengal Presiden i
cy, for nstMice, was
divided into districts, the revenues from which were
drawn through zemindars, who sub-let the districts

•
to ryots or peasants. Every rupee the zemindar
extracted from the ryot above the revenue to the
company went into the zenaindar's pocket; in many
cases, it had been carefully calculated, 75 per cent.
of the entire produce was wrung out of the poor
peasants by the rapacious zemindars. Under this
arrangement a most horrible system of torturing had
sprung up among the natives. So little was known
of India that Parliament some time ago declared its
unbelief that torturing prevailed; but, on a commis-
sion being sent out, no less than 1,700 native wit-
nesses were produced, testifying to the fact of the
most cruel torture being resorted to by zemindars
in order to extract revenue. The lecturer quoted a
fearful illustration of the practice. This India ques-
tion was truly a working man's question. Though
the company's system had enabled penniless adven-
turers to return to this country surrounded by im-
mense wealth, the system ground down millions of
natives to the dust. Instead of those vast popula-
tions being customers for British goods and manu-
factures their earnings allowed them only a sash
twisted around their waist, the great majority only
getting about a penny a day for a family of five.
the policy for a country like ours in dealing with
India or China should be, in the first place, to im-
prove the condition of the people, for by keeping
the millions of India poor England starved her own
trade. Surely, if we wanted a reform bill the work-
ing people of India needed a reform bill too, Espe-
cially in the matter of the tenure of land. A
petition of recent date from the united missionaries
of India to the British legislature ;:raying a search-
ing investigation into the condition of the rural
population of India was partly read by the lecturer,
who described the petition as the calm, deliberate
record of some of the wisest and best men in India,
the statements being supported by Dr. Marshman
and others. This document declared that the social
condition of the people of Bengal was deplorable in
the extreme ; and that they (the petitioners) believe
that measures of relief can with safety be delayed no
longer, as from the information they have acquired
they fear that the discontent of the rural population
is daily increasing, and that a bitter feeling of
hatred towards their rulers is being engendered in
their minds." This was written before the mutiny.
And was this not a strong claim for sympathy and
co-operation on the part of working men
The great mass of those patient sufferers had
had no more to do with the present revolution than
the audience. Throw India fairly open to the capital
of the world, let all have free access, abolish the
abominable system of land tenure, and instead of
being the hungry dependants on the slave states of
America for cotton, our own possessions in India
would grow enough to feed every loom in Great
Britain, whilst every million now wrung from the
wretched poor would, by fair commerce, give a hun-
dred millions. Should, then, the present revolution
serve as an incentive to new exertions in a just
course, or should it serve only to harden us in Crime
The lecturer hoped England would read the lesson
aright, and might wisdom and strength be given not
simply to establish the authority so nearly wrested
from us, but to lay the foundation of our new supre-
macy broad and deep in mercy, justice, and right-
eousness: so should India yet have cause to hail
and bless the name of Britain, future administrators
aiming to spread the spirit of true Christianity.
(Loud cheers.)
The CHAIRMAN announced that the lecturer was
ready to answer any question put to him; but no one
venturing a remark, a vote of thanks was unani-
mously given to the lecturer and to the chair-
man, both of whom acknowledged the compliment,
and the assembly separated.

SLANDFORD. - Working Men's Club.—We are
glad to find that this club maintains its position,
after being established four years; the rooms are
frequented every evening by very many of the
working classes. The following gentlemen have
kindly presented to the library valuable and in-
structive works, viz. : F. T. Johns, Esq., solicitor,
of Blandford, 20 volumes, bound in calf, of Encyclo-
pcedia Britannica of Arts and Sciences; Sir J. H.
D'Oyle, Bart., of Shepton House, 37 parts of the
Quarterly Review; John C. Mansel, Esq., of Long
Thorns, Livingstone's Missionary Travels and Re-
searches in South Africa.
THE EARL OF SHAFTESBURY AND A PROVINCLAL
POET. —The Halifax Courier says:-.-" A short time
ago, Mr. William Heaton, of Halifax, the author of
a volume entitled The Wandering Lover,' and
other poems, forwarded a copy to the Earl of
Shaftesbury. On December 26, a communication
was received by Mr. Heaton from his lordship, con-
sisting of an autograph letter, which contained a
very genial appreciation of our townsman's poetical
efforts, and also many kind expressions of sympathy
and regard. Along with this letter likewise came
two volumes, one The Pilgrim's Progress,' and the
other The Holy War,' both handsomely bound and
beautifully illustrated."

BUCIELAND NEWTON.—Caution to k,eepere of
Dogs. —On Monday night week, a dog or dogs en-
tered a fold of sheep belonging to Mr. Foot, of
Bewley Wood, and cause them to break the fold with
much injury. Next morning five of them were
found dead in a river below, and twelve others
were much bitten about the head and face.

BEAMINSTER.—On Friday week, Benjamin Davy,
George Davy, and Stephen Staples, all of Stoke
Abbott, labourers, were brought before S. Cox, Esq.,
charged with stealing a live fence, the property of
Mr. Tucker, of Stoke. The fence had been planted
ten years. The prisoners were sentenced to three
months' hard labour each. —On the same day John
Hawker, of Thorncombe, was brought before Col.
Bragge, charged with criminally assaulting Eliza
Powell, of Winsham. He was committed for trial at
the assizes.

BerroPeß.T.—ChrifitraaB Tree—Three splendid
Christmas trees were exhibited in the Bull Inn
Assembly-rooms, on Tuesday week. The trees, quite
a fairy scene, were each surmounted by a cross, illu-
minated with lamps of various kinds and hues.
Round the centre of the largest tree was a group
which consisted of small wax figures representing a
bishop in his episcopal robes, preaching the gospel
to a heathen congregation. The blossoms that
hung on the boughs were of a most varied descrip-
tion, combining the useful with the ornamental.
There were in addition side-stalls in the room, pre-
sided over by Miss Gundry, Mrs. and Mal Loggin,
and Miss Nantes. The receipts amounted to
£5B Os. 7€1., which, after the expenses are paid, will
be divided between the Societies for the propagation
of the Gospel in foreign parts, and the Church Mis-
sionary, in aid of the Indian missions._

_
NEW POLICE. .Our town is now under the protec-
tion of the new county police. On Saturday our
late Superintendent, Mr. Champ, finished his official
duties. He had been for 29 years connected with
the Bridport Constabulary, 22 of which he has
been Superintendent. Brooks has been an officer
under him for many years, and Moulton though not
so long, has, we believe, been over ten years in the
service. Whatever advantage may be gained by
the introduction of the new police, we hope the ser-
vices of old and tried officers will not be forgotten.
The new force consists of one sergeant and four con-
stables.

LYME. —The British school-rooms in this town are
spacious and convenient, but owing to a series of
unfavourable circumstances some three years since
were closed. Two or three spirited individuals
could bear this aspect of affairs no longer, and a
public meeting was called for Monday week, the at-
tendance of W. R. Baxter, Req., Inspector of
British Schools, secured; and a very interesting
meeting resulted. After tea, which was well at-
tended, Mr. Eli Fowler was called to the chair.
After a few practical remarks, the Chairman called
upon Mr. W. R. Baxter, who made a very telling
speech. The hints thrown out by him were evi-
dently the remit of long experience, which, whilst
they had reference to the question before the meet-
ing, had at the same time a bearing on every day
life, and must have benefitted, as they certainly
deeply interested, the whole of the audience. On
his resuming his seat amidst loud cheering, two or
three questions were put to him, their tenor being
whether he thought the friends of the schools were
justified under existing circumstances in re-opening.
His reply being favourable, it was moved by the Rev.
—Allen . (Wesleyan Minister), and seconded by the
Rev. S. Wayland, "That the British Schools in this
town be re-opened, and unanimously supported."
Before the meeting closed, Mr. Knight (Western
College, Plymouth, and a native of the town), ex-
pressed his sympathy with the movement„ suggested
a few principles of operation, and proposed also a
vote of thanks to Mr. Mitchall, for kindly granting
the use of the Assembly-room free of cost. The pro-
ceedings of the evening were concluded by the sing-
ing of the doxology.
SUERBORNIL—There is an immediate prospect of
the improvement at Blackford Hill being carried out.
A sum of nearly £l5O has been raised for its im-
provement. It will diminish the price of coal in a
krge district, and lessen the sufferings of the animals
engaged in the traffic. Subscriptions are received at
the National Provincial Bank here.

_
CHURCH CHOIR.—The annual supper of the Slier.
borne church choir assumed this year some public
importance, and drew together about 50 of the in-
habitants, who sat down to supper with the choir in
the Townhall, under the presidency of the vicar.
WATER SUPPLY. —A special meeting of the Board
of Health was held on Tuesday morning, to take
into consideration the present low state of the water
supply, and to devise means for increasing the same.
After discussion, Mr. Parsons moved and Mr. Ensor
seconded a resolution, to the effect that the plan for
wing the conduit water be adopted, subject to the
co-operation of the Governors of the King's School
and Mr. Draymond's approval. This resolution was
unanimously carried.
POLICE INTELLIGINCI, Thursday.—Mr. Dent, of the
firm of Beard and Dent, lead merchants, Newcastle-
street, London, charged James Macdonald with stealing
3 cwt. 61b. of mill lead, their property. Mr. Dent
stated that the prisoner had heels employed by them in
executing the plumbing department of the roof of • new
rectory at Chinon Centel°, Somerset. He had given
him the power to order the quantity of lead required
for the execution of the work, from Messrs. Williams,
of Bristol, who immediately sent an invoice to the firm.
Prisoner had no authority to dispose of any lead that
was not wanted for the work. Mr. J. Benda, plumber,
of Sherborne, deposed that on Saturday afternoon last
the prisoner called at his shop, and offered some lead

for male. Witness not being at home, the lead was left
in the shop. The prisoner called again after a lapse of
two hours, during which thee he (witness) had counnu-
ideated the circumstance to Superintendent Blake, who
advised !din to retain possession of the lead unless the
man could give a satisfactory account of his possession
of it ; Mr. Blake also sent P.C. Bennett, who was dis-
guised, to watch outside the shop. When questioned
by witness, the prisoner made a rambling statement to
the effect that he had taken a contract for work at the
church of Queen Camel, of a Mr. Higgins, and had come
down with some men to execute it. Witness then
called Bennett in and requested him to go with the pri-
soner to the Swan Inn, to see the name that was on a
cart there. On their return he told prisoner that lie
should not purchase the lead, and upon Bennett pulling
off his overcoat and displaying his uniform vritness gave
him in custody, and detained the property. Prisoner
then acknowledged that he had been urged to commit
the theft by a labourer who worked under him Mr.
Dent gave him an excellent character; and the pri-
soner— who pleaded guilty, and appeared acutely to feel
his position—was sentenced to two months' imprison-
ment with hard labour. The Bench highly complimented
Mr. Rendell for the promptitude and energy he had dis-
played in the matter, which had been the means of de-
tecting the theft—William Banbury, a man in the
employ of Mr. Willis, was summoned by P.C. Bennett
for leaving his curt in Cheap-street a longer time than
was necessary for him to doss, on the 19th of December
last. Defendant pleaded that he took the horse out of
the cart for the purpose of having it shoed ; but he was
kept waiting a long time before he could get the shoe
put on. Not having been summoned before, defendant
was fined 6d.. and 6s. 6d. costa—A labourer named
Abbott, was charged wtth assaulting Philip Barrett at
Clifton, on Tuesday, the sth. instant. Complainant
and defendant were gathering furze, when complainant
took some furze which Abbott said belonged to him.
Words ensued and ultimately blows. The Bench con.
sidering that all the parties were equally in fault, dis-
missed the case.—Thomas Pitman was charged by
P.C. Bennett with profane swearing. Mr. Gordon said
he hoped the police would summon gentlemen also for
the offence as soon as they had an opportunity to do so,
in order to show to the public that a man'', circum-
stances in life were not to be taken into consideration.
Pitman was fined Is. and expenses, mitigated to Is.

STURMINSTER PETTY SESSIONS, Monday.—Before
the Rev. IL F. Yeatman (Chairman,) the Rev. John
Bastard, H. IL Seymer, Esq., M.P., H. S. Yeatman,
Esq., the Rev. H. Boucher, and M. Williams, Esq.—
Thomas Bryant, of Leigh-upon-Mendip, was brought up
in the custody of P.C. Batty, charged with cruelly ill-
treating a horse, the property of the said defendant, at
Stalbridge, on Saturday, the 16th inst. The constable
stated that he saw the prisoner's horse and cart stand-
ing in front of the Red Lion Inn, about six o'clock in
the evening, and on examining the animal he found one
of its shoulders completely raw; there were also two
large wounds on its back under the saddle; and blood
running from them. Superintendent Hammond in-
formed the Bench that he had that morning been to
Stalbridge, and examined the horse, and found it in the
same frightful state as the witness had described. The
prisoner when called upon for his defence pleaded
poverty, and the Bench after a severe reprimand from
the Chairman, convicted him in the penalty of El and
coats, and in default of payment the prisoner was at ones
committed for one calendar month's hard labour.—
Richard Shepherd and Henry Shepherd, of Child Oke-
ford, sawyers, were charged with stealing sundry pieces
of timber, the property of Mr. James Ingram, of Shroton,
value 3s. Mr. Gongs prosecuted, and Mr. Dashwood
defended the prisoners, who oonsented to be tried by the
Bench. The case occupied the time of the magistrates
for nearly three hours, and resulted in the conviction of
the prisoners, who were sentenced, the former, to two
calendar month's hard labour, and the latter, to one
calendar months' hard labour.—Emma Thorne (aged 15,)
of Stoke Wake, was charged with steeling one common
brooch and other small articles, from the house of
Charles Yeatmen of Haselbury Bryan, on the Bth inst.
Mr. Gongs prosecuted, and Mr. Dashwood defended the
prisoner, who was tried under the Juvenile Offenders
Act. The Bench after hearing the whole of the evidence
convicted the prisoner, and sentenced her to one month's
imprisonment, and two years in a Reformatory School.
—Mr. William Belbin, a farmer, of Bagber, was sum-
moned by Superintendent Hammond, on a two-fold
charge of drunkenness. Mr. Genge defended, and the
Bench after hearing the evidence, convicted the defen-
dant in the penalty of Is. and costs for each offence.—
Charles Green, of Lydlinch, was summoned by the
police for being drunk. The defendant pleaded guilty,
and was fined Is. and costs.—,John Pope of Sturnunster,
v. Charles Moore, of Hinton St. Mary, for an assault.
Fined Is. 6c1., and costs.—Christiana Lyne, of Holwell,
v. Robert English, of the same place, for an assault.
Fined 65., aosts remitted.