The Express.
London, England, 1859-09-02 00:00:00

LORD CANNING ON MISSIONARY
PREACHING IN GAOLS.
--..--

We take the following important despatched Lord
Camas to the Punjaub Government from the Bombay
Standard of August 6
TU R. It. DAVIES, =Q., SECRETARY TO GOVEREUENT Or
TYL VENJACR AND ITs
Sir,—l am (greeted by the Governor-Gmeral in Coercel
to acknowledge the receipt of your letter, No. 174, dated the
25tb Fibres:7 last, submitting for an exreseion of the yews
of the government of India a correspondence relative to the
admission of missionaries to gaols.
2. It appears that in August, 1858, Mr. E. H. Stevenson,
on behalf of the American miesionerite at Seelkote,
of the deputy-commissioner there (Mr. Prinaep) "whether
there was any objection to their visiting the government
gaols for the purpose of talking with the prisoners and en-
tending among them the knowledge of Chteitiarey F " Mr.
Stevenson stated his belief that in the central gaol at
Lahore the gospel had in some traumas been conveyed to
the prisoners by oral teaching and by the aid of Christian
books and tract. and that the Bible had recently been pia el
within the ramie of the prisoners at Goojranwellab. He
saked, therefore, whether the missionaries might have scrams
at fixed hoar. to " the Ssalkote Gaol," and expressed their
readiness, tf rermitted, to embrace so " good an opm ea-
tunity of peeclaiming the gospel among men who free their
circumstances might be disposed to listen and profit by it:.
3. Mr. Stoves.= also asked whether the reimiomeies
could have permission either "to robe a thabooral (or m.t-
-' oonry platform) near the liutcherry, for the prawn of
preaching to the hundreds of idle men who are daily con-
gregated there," or "to preach within the government en-
close» without a platform.
4. On the Bth November Mr. Prineep forwarded Mr.
Stevenson'. letter to the commissioner (Mr. Cat) for orders,
' stating that he saw no objection in either case to give the
permission asked for; but the commissioner on the 16th
November promptly refused permission, =miring that the
practice of admitting missionaries to preach to the °envies
had been interdicted in the Labors Central Gaol and in other
parts of the Wore division.
5. On the 20th January, however, Mr. Cost saber 'toted the
oorrespoudence for the perusal of the jadicial commissioner,
observing that when employed as a district officer in the
North-West Previewed he (Mr. Coat) had been in the habit
of admitting missionaries to his gaol, but that, alter late
events, he now thought the practice one which could no looser
be permitted.
6. On the 26th January the Judicial Commissioner (Mr.
Thornton) submitted the papers to the Lieutenant-Governor.
observing that though be condemned the compulsory attend-
ance of a Mahomeden or Hindu convict at the preaching of a
Christian clergyman, yet he questioned the justice of entirely
excluding Magenta-Ws from the gaol, and so preventing the
convict from receiving religious advantage' which he might
be willing to accept. Mr. Thornton recommended that We-
'Mouth, should be allowed to visit the gaols end to preach
to such, and such only, of the convicts es might wish to
heir them.
T. The 'abject was then referred by the late Lieutenant-
Governor to the Financial Commissioner (Mr. Macleod), who
on the 21st Feb. reported that so far as other gentlemen are
allowed to enter the gaols aid convene with the pioneers,
miesionaries might be allowed to do so, but that under the
tenting order. of government, no special opportunities
could be afforded to roheionartes, as this would commit the
officers of government in their official character to a recog-
nition and facilitation of missionary efforts. Mr. Macleod,
however, expressed his opinion that In declining to afford a
mitsionery the opportunity of maninunicating religious ht-
atraction to a convict, especially a file convict, the govern-
ment is responsible for withholding the gospel from Lim,
and took the opportunity of preceeding to disrobe the ques-
tion whether neutrality in religious matures is a position which
a Christian government can maintain in India, or not,
and to declare his opinion that while eaxefolly
sbwia-
log from everything lilts force, constraint, or inducement by
way of reward, with a view to proselytism, the government
should avow and evince a preference for the Chritewn
religion.
8. In your letter under reply the late Lieutenant-Gover-
nor has expressed his opinion that the exclusion of missiona-
rya from gaols would no• be an act of neutrality, but ra her
the creation of a disability that missionaries ahortd be
allowed to visit gaols iike other persons, that peiners
should not be " exempted" any more than tree natives from
the liability to hear the gospel preached, and that the ees
which the natives entertain be not of missionary perenastos,
bat of forcible or fraudulent oonversien. His honour, there-
fore, proposes that missionaries should be allowed, as they
have been occasionally allowed heretofoee, free entry to the
gaols at certain hours and the free exercise of their tenet
function., subject to any precautionsry rules it may be ad-
visable to make.
9. The Lieutenant-Governor would not allow the mit-
sionaisa to erect Ripener= &rematching near the Kutcheree,
thinkieg it sufficient that they are at liberty there or e!et.-
where to preach to the people.
10. The Governor-General In Council cannot concur in
the view taken of this question by Sir J. Lsweetce and by
the Judicial and Financial Commissioners of the Panjeub.
11. The chief argument by which the admission of min
nominee to preach in gaols is supported teem to be—tirst,
that es all gentlemen see allowed to visit wile reissioeeeee
ought not to to, shut out. On this his Excellency in Council
observes that there is no right on the pert of any meager to
visit a gaol, and that although, in practice, all gentlemen are
let in, this le done, not In order that they may there exert!sa
their railing, whatever that ma) be, but that they may see
for theouelvee how the gaol is einducted. The gaol, too,
breath by each palette inspection. To the entrance of a
missionary upon this footing there is no objection; and ii it
be allowed to bee, no injustice will be done to him ma com-
pared with other..
12 It ls next contended that, as all natives, when free,
are lisble to hear the gospel preached, It le not fair to en ded.
them from this advantage bemire they are in gaol. On this
lam desired to remark that if a man Is free he hest. the
preacher only when it pleases him' and that if being in gaol
he should desire to do so, it would be quite right to admit a
preacher to him individually. Ile the case of a Mattel's'
prisoner this moult be dune, as a matter of course ureter
such rules as prise. discipline may prescribe ; end .ho'uld the
ease come of e prisoner who Is not a Chest an &sinter to
hold intracourso with a Christian teacher, hi. with should
not be refused. But this lea very different thing from riv-
ing to seiselemaries access to gees, and allowing thew to
preach to whemetever they chst.
13. In the opinion of the Governor-General in Council, It
is Idle to talk of prisoners as tree agents, even in the le ,'ter
of lietenine, std even though (Be i. conceded in your fetter
under reply) they are Dot to be collected weather by guards
to hear the preaching or to hove anent to the preecher's
doctrine forced upon them. An earnest whale:eery, whose
teal would deserve nolen,-; but praise and admira-
tion, it exercised upon Men as free as hie:weif meld trot be
trusted au to measure his action as to &beta's from foreleg
him., if upon those who might desire to nape from him,
bet wise would to unable to do so; and to watch his pro-
neseiegs through any officer of competent authority would be
impossible.
14. His Excellency In Council cannot eerily Imagine a step
more likely to be undo-Wood by natives as tallying our pries.-
races of neutrality in matter. of religion than then:twine:me
of the practice which Is here recommended. It would be
unposeible to deny that, in adoring tbat Terrence, we were
twiner the machinery of Janice and civil government to
religious purpose*. lt is still firmly relieve] that we have
made men soldiere, and have entered them to bite certridgee,
in order to convert them. It will not do to give a handle to
the supeosition that we sentence them to tuiprinonnent in
our caus fur the same purl ore, under the pretence of ad.
ministering justioe.
he 1 mu, therefore, directed to state, for the Information of
the Linuenuit-Governor sad for general guidance, that the
admeeion of a oriesionary to a gaol ter the peep° T of preath-
. leg Is not to be perieeted unless when a primmer makes •
' request ter the presence of one. lam to add that the pear-
-1 ties advocated in then peplos is nut in accordance with the
principle of neutrality in metiers of religion, which the go.
eernment will observe in .11 its measures, and which It will
require its servants to =neve in all their official acts,
16. The Governor-General in Connell approves of the
late Lento:Lent-Governor*" intention to prohibit the role-
sioneries from steering a platform for preaching in the Cnt-

alwrry premises.
17. lu comiusion I am &skid to annex a copy of a de-
spatch on this subject, addressed by We honourable Court
of Directors to the coverntnent of Madru, No. 6, dated the
2nd April, 1845, and to remark that the question relating to
the policy of government in wavers tionoected with religion
has beau very unnecessarily roixod in connexion with the
subject in hand, and that it is siogularly untwonat g In
otilivre in the position of some of the writers who
have token part in the e,rrespondeuce to advocate
sad maintain views on this important and delioaie
sut.ject so directly opposed to the strong and lately reiterated
' commands of bet ktojtsty's Government. The Govirnee-
Gatiend in Cot nail desires that the practice of originating
mucks and raising and prolongiog discussions on 'objects
of general policy, a practice which ban been of late Indulged
in by subordinate executive offices in some parts of !cats,
and which bas boa n too easily tolerated by tho local adiu!nts•
'ration, may to entirely diocouretred and repressed.--I have,
C. BEA DON, BECTEI•Ey to Government of India.
Fort William, 10th May, 1839.

Two nominations to compete for Government ap-
peintments haviog been recently pieced et the disposal
cf the Cooneil of the S, iety of Arts by Lori
Peltnerstse, the candidates nominated by the council
were Mr. George William Wicker, et the Watt insti-
tute, Porters, who distieguiehed himself at the Society's esti-
minetions last year; and Me. I,.ba Itekeb,np, of the me.
chasing' Institution, Olesgow, one of the primrose in the
0141011141i05e hell in May Ind. Beth these candidates have
been succeesful, baying obtained the third and MTh places
respectively. There were on the occasion Ave vacancies end
fifteen competitors.

The funeral of Surgeon Simpeon, of Hasler Hos-
pital, who died at that estsblishrarnt on the 29th Mt. of
brain foyer, took place yesterday with military honours in
the armada attached to the ho.pital. Dr. Simpson semi
lire years in the Arctic expedition in teach of Sir Join
Franklin in the Plover, weinmandrd by Lleent B. Maguire,
new catiamsmdiwg hr Majesey's ship Imperious.