The Press.
London, England, 1854-11-11 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

CATALINI, and which has of late formed so dis-
tinctive a feature in the policy pursued by the
East India Company. In the present instance
the following out of the system wants even the
recommendation of any considerable amount
of income being saved by it. A few thou-
sand pounds annually is all the profit
which we derive from this breach of faith—a
large sum to the sufferers, but less to the
company than they lose by cheating and
peculation on the part of their own servants
every day. But, be the sum great or small,
the violation of principle involved in the
system is just the same. And against that
violation of principle we hold it our duty
most strenuously to protest, for we shall never
be convinced that the way to improve a
country is to confiscate the property of every
man of wealth within it. And if we had any
doubt of the correctness of our view we should
find a sufficient confirmation of it in the con-
stantly-increasing impoverishment of India,
except in those parts protected by the Crown
Courts at the Presidencies. _

At this point we would gladly stop, but
there is one feature in this case too remarkable
to be passed over, the more especially as it is
so indicative of the present conduct of the
East India Company. These Carnatic Stipen-
diaries, when they first became aware of the
confiscation system to which they were to be
subjected, presented a respectful memorial
against it to the local Government. To this
they received no reply, and they then pre-
sented another. The local authorities still
refusing to give any reply, the Stipendiaries
sent, through them, a memorial in due form
to the Directors of the East India Company.
To this also no answer was vouchsafed ; when
they sent an agent home to petition them,
and the only reply given to him was the
return of his petition, with an intimation that
they could receive no petition not forwarded
through the local Government, though the
petition so sent had been left unnoticed.
Such is the mode in which the Company now
meet claims made on them for redress. Such
is the contemptuous indifference with which
are treated the descendants of a Sovereign
who was but eighty years ago not deemed
unworthy to be conciliated by a personal
letter and personal presents from our own
King —a contemptuous indifference with
which no English Minister would dare to
treat the representation of the poorest and
humblest British-born subject of the Crown
of England.

THE DUKE OF NORTHUMBERLAND.
TO THE EDITOR OF " THE PRESS."
Sir,—The efficiency of the English navy
in the materiel and personnel of its estab-
lishment has been the theme of more than oue
article in the French journals. When it is
borne in mind that the present First Lord of
the Admiralty travelled out of his way despite-
fully to dishonour the present Emperor of the
French, it must be conceded that our gallant
allies are possessed of a generous and for-
giving disposition. But, unless vigilance be
on the alert to guard against ministerial as-
sumption and Coalition immolesty, an attempt
will be made to exalt Coalition ability and to
usurp the credit of perfecting the present
materiel of the English navy.
When the Duke of Northumberland was
appointed First Lord of the Admiralty in the
Ministry of the Earl of Derby, in 1852, he
found at Plymouth 7 ships-of-the-line,
mounting 180 guns, with 1,730 men. When
the duke retired from office, in 1853, there
were 10 ships, 622 guns, and 3,102 men.
Again, at Portsmouth in 1852 there appeared
9 ships, mounting 272 guns, with 2,959 men.
In 1853 these numbers were raised to 21 ships,
913 guns, and 7,623 men. These are sta-
tistics incapable of denial, and afford an
earnest of the administrative abilities of the
First Lord of the Admiralty in the Adminis-
tration of the Earl of Derby.
The Duke of Northumberland, during his
tenure of office, conferred greater benefit on
the navy than had been effected in ten times
that period under former Ministries. Squad-
rons were concentrated in each of the home
ports ; steamers were equipped ; screw line-of-
battle ships were hastened in their construc-
tion ; and a large addition of seamen and

Alf