The Press.
London, England, 1857-08-22 00:00:00

the ruling class abstains from violating the
rights of property in the vanquished, and
from everything like outrages on the female
sex. The East India Directors, however,
appear not to value ntentAVELLI, for their whole
system has been oue continued breach of the
law which he thus lays down. The extent to
which the rights of property have been vio-
lated was explained very lucidly in the Con-
servative Leader's late speech, and the extent
to which outrages on women have been tole-
rated the accounts of the outbreak in Cabal,
the letter of the late Sir CHARLES NAPIER, and
the tales one hears in Indian society disclose.
Nor is it only the poorer class of women that
have been the sufferers. At Cabul the ladies
seduced were nearly all women of family, and
in one of the instances quoted by us the
victim of the judge was a woman of consider-
able social rank. In the case of the Nagpore
princesses, also, though their virtue remained
untouched, the insults heaped upon them
were so dishonouring as to arouse the feelings
of the most coldblooded to vengeance. One
of them, we have been informed, was so heart-
broken by the treatment received at the hands
of our officials that she has since sunk into the
grave.
When such has been the nature of the rule
to which, as disclosed in its naked deformity,
we have subjected the people of India, it
is not very surprising that the advisers of
Lord CANNING shoull have prevailed upon him
to try and stifle all inquiry into the causes of
this rebellion by putting a gag upon the Indian
press. These causes, however, no one can
have the least difficulty in discovering who
has perused the accounts from India that have
come from independent sources ; and more
especially that admirable picture which was
presented in the late petition of the mis-
sionaries of Bengal. But, happily, the mea.
sures which these shortsighted councillors
are taking to stifle all discussion are precisely
those which will intensify it in a tenfold
degree. Already do we see that the suppres-
sion of the right of publication in India is
likely to be productive of much more effective
appeals to public opinion at home. However
much, therefore, we may reprobate the restric-
tions which have been placed on the loyal
European press in India, we can hardly regret
them, because they will transfer the contro-
versy from India here. And, after all, the
battle of Indian wrongs and Indian remedies
must be fought out here, and not at Calcutta ;
for here alone are to be found the men and the
machinery adequate to so vast a reform.
But though we are not surprised at the
Government and its agents endeavouring to
cut off all knowledge of what has been going
on in India by stifling discussion at its source
there, we were certainly not prepared fur so
reckless a display of power as is involved in the
refusal to grant compensation to the sufferers
by the rebellion which their own misgovern-
ment has evoked. On every principle of law
and equity, whether English or Indian, the
district is liable to make good the damage
which has been caused by such outrages. But
the landlords of the revolted districts are the
East India Company, and they are bound,
unless determined to repudiate their engage-
ments, to make good the loss. Indeed, if it be,
as they aver, merely a sepoy mutiny, they are
doubly bound to compensate the sufferers for
the damage done. For in that case the injury
has been inflicted by their own hired servants,
whom it was their business to take proper

in the shape of the compensation which it is
the business of the East India Company to
afford. Barbarous as have been the proceed-
ings of the mutineers, we shall scarcely fall
short of them in barbarity if we hesitate to
compel the Company to do its duty to those
who have lost everything through its miscon-
duct, and only escaped perhaps with their
lives. But without compulsion nothing will
be done ;of that we are quite convinced. The
Government which has left millions to die of
famine periodically without holding , out a
hand to help them, will not, it will he seen,
show much greater charity to its ruined sub•
jects of our own colour and blood. Its own
servants it may compensate, for they are the
relatives and proteges of the Directors them-
selves. 'Blit it is not for these alone, but fAr
all the sufferers by the outbreak, that the
Conservative Leader in the House of Commons
has raised his voice, and it remains for Os
independent and honest portion of the press
and of the public to give effect to his efforts
in their behalf.

THE DIVORCE BILL AND THE
CORONATION OATH.
IT is with much pain that we recall to our readers'
minds a series of articles which we considered it
our duty to lay before them in the autumn of
last year. We then pointed out to the clergy of
the Established Church that whatever special
objection any of them might entertain to the
party of Lord DERBY, or whatever partialities
they might feel for individual statesmen of a
different connection, they would find in the
long run that it was upon the Conservative
party alone that the Church must eventually

rely. We addressed these observations equally
to all classes of Churchmen ; and had they at
the last general election exerted themselves in
conformity with the warning therein contained,
they would not have now to deplore the most
audacious attack upon the privileges and
independence of the Church since the days of
CROMWELL.

The concession of the `Attorney•Generai
upon Tuesday night appeared to have left the
question of *"
Divorce Bill

footing. The
to marry those
them to unit
broad and

think, the

but leaving .
with all other

This much
declare she

be more illogical

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ill upon a settled and satisfactory
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matter might have r. •
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the Church upon te.. 'nli ...iiii"`'.a. :/.%
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logical than to grant