The Press.
London, England, 1857-11-07 00:00:00

MR. AYRTON ON INDIA.

MR. AYRTON, NT., at a meeting of his constituents,
said, that although he had lived many years in
India, he felt the greatest difficult) in approaching
that subject. The Government seemed to think they
were not responsible, because there was a Court of
Directors; the Court of Directors threw the responsi-
bility on the Governor-General; and perhaps the
Governor-General would disclaim all responsibility
because he did not nominate persons to the great
offices in India :

Thus the calamity was ascribed to Providence instead of
being attributed to a want of capacity and energy on the

part or those in authority. He ventured to say that there
were many concurring causes of the insurrection, and he
thought great misapprehension had arisen from confound-
ing the immediate causes with the remote ones. The
first great cause wa the system of aggression pursued in
reference to surrounding States, commencing with the
fatal expedition to Cabul, and terminating with the Per-
sian expedition. The annexation of (Dude was an event of .
the utmost moral importance in reference to our position
in India. The King of Oude, indeed, went away quietly;
but he made an appeal to the Queen of England, and on
the failure of this appeal began that fermentation of opi-
nion which in the result was fatal to the allegiance of the
Bengal army, the greater portion of which came from Oude
and sympathised with its inhabitants. When the Persian
expedition left India it might naturally have been expected
that the Persians would endeavour to rouse the Mahome-
dans of India to resistance, to an attempt to throw off the
British yoke ; and it was at this time that the great maga-
zine of Delhi was left exclusively in the poi.session of
native troops. Another cause was the injury which had
been done to the religious feelings of the natives of India.
He acquitted the Government of any desire to convert the
people of that country ; but they were not the less criminal
in having given cause for apprehensions on the part of
the native population. It was now manifest to all that
this outbreak was not what the Government first styled it,
a mere military mutiny, but what Mr. Disraeli had termed
it—a revolution. It was a revolution attempted in the
only manner that was possible in India, namely, by the
native armed forces transferring their allegiance from the
East India Company to the Emperor of Delhi. That revolu-
tion, however, would fail, and this not only from the valour
of British troops, but because we had not completed oud
work of the destruction of the native princes of India, anr
because those whom we had yet spared had proved our
firmest bulwark. Whilst he entertained the strongest
feelings of horror and detestation at the atrocities which
had been perpetrated, he must express his great regret
that any person in this country should have recommended
a course of revenge end retaliation to our soldiers which
would disgrace our flag and dishonour our army. If it
were true, as he had seen stated in native papers, that an
officer having been fired upon in a village which he entered
alone, immediately ordered it to be burnt down and de-
stroyed some 300 men, women, and children, he (Mr .
Ayrtonj must say that he could not sympathise with the
feelings of such a man. He had been much pleased to see
the proclamation issued by Lord Canning on that subject,
although he confessed it seemed to him somewhat im-
practicable. It was to be hoped that our reconquest of
India would not be followed by what was recommended on
certain platforms, namely, a determined attempt to compel
the natives of India to adopt our religious system. Unless
the natives of India were allowed to follow their own
notions on religions subjects, we should find the posses-
sion of that empire a drag upon our prosperity and a
danger to our greatness.

foreign ad Colonial 'lntelligente.
FRANCE.

The telegraphic statement last week announcing
the death of General Cavaignac was confirmed on
Saturday evening, and by a further statement that
the body had been brought to Paris, and given
a public funeral that day. The streets were much
crowded, and upwards of 12,000 persons followed
the funeral. General Cavaignac died from an
aneurism in the heart. He had long suffered from
disease of the heart, and so late as the 17th of July
last, in writing to a friend, M. Seuard, he said that
he passed his life " between a sense of palpitation
and suffocation," and, making a calembourg upon his
malady, remarked, " I perceive that nothing in this
world is less grand than a grog cccur." On the decision
of the family an address was delivered over the
grave. Before the funeral was concluded, the Pre-
fect of Police was thanked by a member of the gene-
ral's family, on the ;Art of Madame Cavaignac, fr r
all the consideration which had been shown her and
her family.
The Moniteur de l'Artne announces that the
Minister of War has just called out 42,000 men of
the class of 1850. The Presse observes that this is
only about half of the contingent voted, and there-
fore infers from the fact a corroboration of the hopes
of a general disarmament which are now entertained
in many parts of Europe.
The Emperor and Court continue at Compeigne.
It is expected that the Bank of France will raise
its rate of discount.