The Press.
London, England, 1857-07-04 00:00:00

THE WEEK.

THE rapid and contagious spread of mutinies in the native Indian army,
after Mr. V. SMITH'S assurance a few weeks back that the " disaffection "
was "at an end," has taken the country by surprise. In the absence
of all official documents, it would be premature to discuss the
measures taken at Meerut for the suppression of the movement.
General HEwirr's position was very critical, and possibly he thought
it of more importance to hold Meerut than to risk pursuit into Delhi.
However, there is no longer any doubt that our position in India is,
at this moment, one of extreme peril. The native army has hitherto
been regarded as our main strength. It has, it is true, at different
periods exhibited symptoms of disaffection, but it has never before,
not even at Vellore, brought about so grave a crisis, nor exhibited such
desperate, such bloodthirsty animosity against its British officers. The
mutiny must be crushed. When that is accomplished, it will be time
to consider the best preventive for such a crisis in future; but mean-
while we protest against the policy of disbandment, which on all
sides is rather eagerly supported. If we disband every native regiment
that shows a tendency to revolt, the country will swarm with banditti,
the roads will become infested, a species of guerrilla warfare will
arise, the Bengal Presidency will be kept for months in a state of
feverish agitation, while among the natives a deep, resentful, and
perilous discontent will arise, and this, in the volcanic state
of India, is a consideration not to be lightly dismissed.
The next regular mail will not reach us for eight or ten
days, but it is probable that in the event of the mutiny spreading over
the other Presidencies, or irrepressibly breaking out in the north-west
provinces, a special steamer will be despatched to convey the in-
telligence. It is impossible, of course, to predict the limits of such a
movement. It appears to be confined entirely to the army ; and if
General ANSON has been enabled to move down in force upon Delhi,
by this time a terrible retribution has crushed out one of the most
alarming mutinies occurring since we held India, but one incon-
testably brought about by the moat abominable maladministration on
the part of the Indian authorities

Lord GRANVILLE'S reply to the questions put by the Duke of
NORTHUMBERLAND and the Marquis of SALISBURY on Thursday with
reference to the appointment of an Admiral of the Fleet, is not com-
plimentary to the flag officers of the navy. Lord GRANVILLE, with a
gaucherie he is sometimes guilty of, said that in the opinion of the
Government there was at present " no person particularly marked out
"to fill an office of the sort." The post is purely honorary. It has
always been the custom to appoint to it the senior flag officer, and it is
an ungracious distinction in the case of the present gallant officer at
the head of the list to keep open the commission. It is possible that
the " person" (I) so particularly "marked out to fill an office of the sort "
may not yet have arrived at that position on the flag list which would
be agreeable to himself and satisfactory to her Majesty's Government.

It is not hazarding too much to say that the decision of the Ware•
ham Election C ommittee has surprised—even Mr. CALCRAFr himself.
The glorious uncertainty of the law or of the turf may now fairly yield
preference to that of an election committee. Never, apparently, were
bribery and corruption so distinctly set forth. The Committee admit
it was " proved" that two electors, BAKER and lIALE3, were bribed and
intimidated by Mr. PIKE, a member of Mr. CALeaArr's Committee, to
vote in favour of Mr. CALCKAFF. The case was clear. Mr. CALeaArr's
counsel was in despair. And yet to all appearance, in the very teeth of
the evidence, the Committee decide that the acts of Mr.PIKE were wholly
unknown to Mr. CALcaArr, and return that gentleman as duly elected.
How is it possible to find any one guilty, if an active member of the
Committee of the candidate is to be held to do what he pleases, without
in any way implicating members ? Surely a candidate or his agents
should have sufficient control over the committee to prevent their
misconduct. Is it possible that in so small a constituency as Wareham
such flagrant bribery could have been perpetrated by a member of
Mr. Cateala-r's Committee, and yet be unknown to the candidate
o.t his agents? It is scarcely credible, and yet such is the result
of the Wareham Committee decision. Were it not that Parliamentary
Committees are always framed with the view to secure the strictest
impartiality of opinion, and to exclude all prejudiced persons, all per-
sonal friends of the petitioners, and especially those who might by
position or interest have been called upon to exercise their influence
at the election, we confess that we should regard this decision as
eminently unsatisfactory. As it is, upon the face of the evidence
printed, we can only accept it as au admirable illustration of a
non sequitur.

The letter published elsewhere of the Chevalier LuMLEY WOODYEAR
—an Englishman—and dated from Naples, must be received with
due caution. It is written by authority in the capital of one of the
Bourbon Princes, who has strongly expressed himself in favour of
Spanish Unlism. But the question is not one of Sovereigns, per-
sonally, but of Go% eminent and the form of Government. The
Nlontemolinists at pi esen :.leclare themselves against the right of the
Queen of SPAIN to the Throne, and affirm that she is a popular
monarch, elected by the pe,ple, in right of their caprice, mid in
iticfiance of the principle of hereditary legitimacy. Very especially do

k.