The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1858-03-02 00:00:00

INDIA.

INJUSTICE NOT EIPEDIENT.—It will be admitted
that such policy is not over-creditable to the English re-
putation among Asiatic princes, while it is cruel in the
extreme to their aubjects. We ought to make tyranny
as rare as treason, and do our best to secure the perpe-
tuity of native dynasty by making bad government on
their part impossible. The oLange would hardly inter-
rupt for • day the natural process of absorption, and
we need hardly say how much it would conduce to the
happiness of millions who have no protectors save hea-
ven and the honourable oompany.--11(ead' a Sepoy Revolt,
RELIGIOUS PREJUDICES OVERRATED.—The Mussul-
man Khitmutgar, who performs his daily devotions be-
fore the shrine of the prophet, will bring the flesh of
the unclean beast from the kitchen, where it has been
boiled by the Kahomedan cook, and place it on the
table before the infidel, his master; the punka-wallah
will fan the flies away from the joint of the beef; the
bearer will throw away dirty water, though each of them
in doing so commits an offence against the prejudices of
cute. A prospect of good pay on the one hand,
and a life of hardship on the other, has sufficient weight
with thew to overcome religious scruples, and if succes-
sive governments had been as firm with the Bengal
sepoy as necessity has obliged us to be with our domes-
tics, we should have heard nothing of greased cartridges
at the present moment, or of the thousand insolent re-
quirements of caste in times past. Those who are ac-
quainted with the inner life of the Brahinins know that
the bonds which they would fain persuade Europeans
are harder than adamant, and dearer to them than life
itself, are in reality feeble strands, which they break
and reunite at will. We have tried to ignore the dif-
ference of nature's creating; we have made a law of
kindness which is only observed by ourselves, and pinned
the dark-skinned mercenary to the top of his bent,
whilst soldiers of our own kith and kin have been left
to end a refuge for their heads, or food for their fami-
lies, as they best might. As usual we have forgotten
that charity properly begins at home, and, as usual,
have had our reward. —lbid. . . .

A letter from a private of the 94th, received at Ply-
mouth dates that the regiment left the Bound on the
18th of November and arrived at Madras on the 26th of
December. They landed at Alexandria at 5 o'clock on
the evening of the 2nd of December and proceeded by
train to Cairo, where they breakfasted on the banks of
the Nile, at 1 o'clock on the morning of the 3rd, and at
10 the same day dined irt the desert. They went in vans
'to Buss and waited four days for the mail. From Sues
for 20 days the men were exposed on the weather-deck
to the wind and rain; the sea was, however, calm is a
river. The writer says all was peaceful as Madras;
the aepoys are sorry they ever turned out; and many are
, dying of hunger and want. The 94th were daily expect
I ins the rout to Rangoon.
THE EAST INDIA COMPANY'S BALANCE Baser.—
The latest parliamentary returns show an average
annual excess of expenditure, as compared with income,
for the last three years, of £1,574,158; and the estimate
for 1856-7 provides for an expected deficiency of nearly
two millions. Out of thetotal land revenues, £4,753,125
is contributed by the north-west provinces, of which we
hold at this moment as much ground only as is covered
by the guns of our European troops. Vegetation after
the rains Is rcarcely more rapid than the growth of
prosperity under favourable circumstances in the East;
but it will take some years to fill up the gaps in the
population, to rebuild the factories, replace the capital
destroyed, and efface the marks of the present war and
the 'mining famine. When we take into account the
wide area of ravage and the ruthleu character of the
contest, the universal unsettling of men's minds and the
blocking up of so nany channels of trade, it will be con-
ceded that we take • very moderate utlinatsi of the
damage to the pecuniary interests of government when
we set down the loss of revenue from present sources,
for some years to conic, at four millions sterling. Here.
then, is a deficit of six millions sterling, in relation to
the ordinary scale of expenditure, it being taken for
granted that opium will continue to furnish sixteen per
cent of the gross inootne. —Mead's Sepoy Revolt.
WHT HAVE NOT THE NATIVES GENERALLY Re-
BILLSOT—If the princes of India have not made com-
mon cause against us, the fact is in no degree owing to
the kindness of the treatment which they receive from
the hands of the government. A species of surveillance
Is exercised over them, compounded of the watchfulness
exercised with regard to a lunatic and to a dangerous
state prisoner. No European can visit them without
permission of the company's agents. We have known a
medical man denied somas to the Nabob of the Caniatic,
who, it was said, expressed a wish to see him upon un.
important matters. None of them dare correspond
openly with England, and they take especial care to do
nothing that can possibly offend their keepers. The
pupils of Dotheboys Hall would willingly tell the story
of their wrongs when away from school, but the poor
souls whom we dignify with the titles of " Maharajah, '
and "Highness," scarce dare utter their complaints,
even in the recesses of their senanu. The Rajah of
Mysore sent an agent to the editor of a Madras news-
paper, about four years since, with an earnest request
that some articles should be inserted, with a view to
procure the removal of an English officer attached to the
presidency. The agent was reminded that the rajah had
the power of refusing to receive the gentleman in ques-
tion. "Oh, be dare not do that," was the reply. "Well,
but," rejoined the editor, " will the rajah, if he is re-
ferred to on the subject of the charges, support and
justify them?" "Why, no," said the ambassador. "You
see, the rajah will be obliged to say they are all lies if
the resident asks him ; and that is the reason why he
wants the paper to take up his cam." In theory, the
Rajah of Mysore is at least master of his court; in
practice, he is scarcely on a level with his humblest
retainer. The rights of sovereignty and the rights of
manhood have both departed from