The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-05-01 00:00:00

Ett stourbribge Obsertur.

SATURDAY, MAY 1, 1875.

ENGLAND AND INDIA.

It is nearly a hundred and twenty years ago I
'
that Lord Clive fought the Battle of Plassv. :
and made the conquest of India hi Great Britain '
practically complete. It was on the 23rd of
Jnne, 1757. that Clive, with a force of only 3,000
men defeated the Surajab Dowish will. his 50.000,
and the fame of the victory spread far and xvide
through those eastern lands. Military skill Llil
made the European a superior power, and the ,
administrative energy brought to bear had u ,
great effect upon the minis of an imiTeesionehle
people. -Y tea time y.eut on the klindeos, or
at all events a conai ierable section of thew,
Ip4.iii ailuot ugninet hop- that I'vf,sv rui,..,!
yet tie avetibed end they ticketed the centeinir.
4 tbc battle as tip: i:eriod for strikina a blow
for their iiiieratioa from Briieti rule. We have
not forgetteu the territee events of I.lev an::
Jece, 1857, the niutine, rs in the Bengt: army,
the vrocaiin tioti by the rebels of he Keg of
Deini as Emperor ot India, the siege of Luck.
now, the massacre of Cawupor, , the capture of
Delhi, and the terrible vengeance exacted by
the authorities for the atrocities of the Sepoys.
Since the suppression of the mutiny of 1857,
order has generally resigned in India, although
not unfrequently there have been mutterings
telling of stuouldt.ring resentment which wanted
only an oppoitunity to burst into flame.
A singular phase of Indian life has just been
presented to the view of the people of this coun-
try in the circumetences attending the trial of
the native ruler of Baroda. This functionary,
technically known as the Guicowar, wae. charged
with having attempted to poison Colonel Phavre,
theißeitieh Resident Commisinissioner in Baroad.
'The complaint of the gallant. officer was so
specific that the Viceroy had no alternative but
to place the Guicowar upon his trial on a charge
of attempted murder. We all know how that
investigation terminated. The accused native
chief engaged the servicee of Mr. Serjeaut
Ballantine as the leading conned for the defence;
and the learned Serjeaalt seems to have cross-
examined the witnesses for the prosecution with
such dexterity that the Government found it
impossible to secure a conviction: The Guicowar
was arraigned before a cornmisstoncomposed
ns.
partly of Europe* and partly of natives. The
European members of the Conimission, who are
accustomed to English methods of ascertaining
ttaiurinntgi,
the veracity of witnesses and sifting h
evidence, were convinced that the man was
guilty ; the Indian members of the Court. un-
used to such appeals as that of Serjeant
Ballautine, and unaccustomed to cross-exami-
nations such RA those in which he excels, took
the contrary opinion. Indeed it would be almos...
impossible to induce native princes to accept, or
at any rate to give its proper weight to, the
testimony of s, rvants as against a master, end
that master one of theeneelves. It is clear from
the reception accorded to Serjeant Ballantiue
s
that the people of Barod 1 reg'rti,ri the issne a
Viet of Ko,d--dunen acl'..iust vative ; and nattmlly
enough ; ey took the side of the ;attee.
''.., e P.:Dees, however, the issue ea,
even nears than tt.i .. It W4B that
4:;• ;he uative rule weainst tlee English Clovernui-
liener..l. No matter what the evidence might
be, the Hindoo chiefs could hardly dare to find
ef their own number guilty, and they were
much less likel.l to do Fo wilen the invesigation
took so th riaghly Europeal a form. Mean-
while the reports of the Commission left the 1
G•lvernoi-tieueral face to face with a serious
clitlicu:ty. True, the Commissioners could not ,
agree to find him guilty of toe alleged endea-
Tour to poison Colonel Phu- re, but neither could
they agree to acquit 'him. Clear proof of his
inuoe.ence was absolutely essential if he was to
co twee ruler ON er Buroda. That poof was not
fortncouieg, and the Viceroy has taken the only
step which wes really prac ;icable. He has
dethroned the Guicowar, and allowed the widow
of the former rule to adopt some member of the
I:oyal House to govern in his stead. That this
ruelesnre is justified by the revelations at tho
trial cannot be doubted. In fact the deposition
might well have been made twelve months ago.
Ai art free the charge ['eying attempted to corn-
tnit the crime of aseassination, there was
abundant (pieta= of misconduct aud incapacity
in his adiainiatratioq of tiw ;attire of Bared&
showing that he was incwopetcut to govern a
native people. beet year he had promised to
carry out various reforms, and an opportunity
wee given to him to mend his ways. But be.
allowed Ws chances to slip out of his hands, and
the Governor-General now removes him with his

day of grace uiTCO-1.4-l-eted.
The feeling manifested by the natives of India
over this unfortunate husint ss leads us to hope
that the visit of the Prince of Wales to that
splendid dependency may not be altogether
showy pageant. It ought to do good. The
presence Of the heir to the British Throne—the
ROD of the Eropress of Hiodoatan—in their
midst will tell the people of India that a great
deal of interest is felt in their welfare, even
though London be a long way from Calcutta.
There can he no dooibt that our policy in India
h•uz for many p-rs been based upod,jusice and
and .ilt. Woy in coda, Eoglan,,i ,atne
forward witit fl(i t 4, e of the Ore .tcrae,i
famine in Leuga., 5t.u144.2, ; , ,:„ re was rea,
desire to sympathise with to a.sist (Aix iel-
lovisubjeets at the time of their dialrea. But

in India as in other planes, there are agitators
who live by fomenting dissatisfaction, and who
lose no opportunity of poisoning the not too
well-informed minds of the natives against
British rule. Let us trust that the journey of
ihe Prince of Wales into a far country may fl et
benefit by destroying the influence of those
mischief-makers, and by showing the nativcs of
Hiud,,stan thatwhile wiz4ely;:cy, o.t Cl'entra,
cit interes!s ; !or a:,.ll‘);de.