The Express.
London, England, 1857-10-05 00:00:00

A MISSIONARY'S OPINIONS ON INDIA.
••--4.-

On Tuesday morning, a public breakfast of the
Mends of the Bspthe Missionary Society took tie
.11 the
New Hall, Lericester, when there was a very attend-
sore, including beeldee • great number of ladieser-
gymen of the aetabliehed church.
After breakfmt had ended and • hymn had been sung,
Revs. J. Davis end J. M. It time each spoke, the
fernier respecting Ceylon, end the latter upon JI/USUAL
The Rev. J. Snail (who has recently returnd from
Northern India, and who was received with loud applause)
mid he must my ha felt under • considerable amount of die-
appointment. Since the receipt of the last mail from India
his own mind had been eapecielly directed to Lucknow.
Ile had thought, and still did think, that it was LI
point of danger. He had no fear whatever es
Agra, which was capable of holding out not merely sin but
twelve month,. (Applause.) He had however, meek fear
in regard to Lucknow. He had hoped
i the mail would have
brought us information of the rel of our European end
Asiatic brethren cooped up in the reitidtney at Lucknow.
It appeared from the telegraphic anticipation of the mail loot
received that the brave General Havelock with his
little bend—(appleure)—had Mailed on the 4th of Augusta
second time to the relief of Lucknow, end it was evident that
he had proceeded a considerable distance whew his progress
Ina stopped by the mutineers, who, doubt's.% e=
that neighbourhood in overwhelming nominee,
not only of the insurgent &goys from the veriona staler,
but of the inhabiteata. He could not think, without deep
feelings of emotion of that noble little bend, as they mus
thave been cutting their way literally step by step, and be mill
trusted that the find of Battle., would vouchsafe to the brave
General and his little band sumer in their effort. to miters
their suffering friend.. (Applause.) He tveld not tall
them how many dear intimate friend, he had among those
who had suffered or were old' puttering the most cruel
barbarities and death. It was • mysterious Providence who
had permitted such things to overtake tut, and he doubt.
leee would overrule it to the accompliehment of hie own
great purposes. He would not in this speech merely repeat
hearsay tales. Foe Moran, year. he had lived stump'
the nailer.; night after night be had sat round their On.;
he knew their actual thought., and their minds hod bum
opened to him time after time ail they seldom were I. Roe.
peens. He had seen them hundreds of times when one of
OUT frOUSIUIS, Of Indere, or magistrates had come a
them. They had come forward, and bowed before hr et
had been laughing him to morn directly hi. back' was
turned. Such was their cheracter that individuafti 4-la-
nceted with government would never be likely to get from
them what really wen their opinions. He had. of mune,
been in their bezears, end had met 'eery clam of people in
conflict and argument. The Mthometans had ever mani-
fested thorough humility is every seam of the word to the
British government and people, because we bad dispessemed
them of Hindoetan, and had freed the Modem hem their
tyranny and nppree.ion. (Hear, hear.) Meerut was a large
military station in the north west of India, about 40 mike
mnth of Delhi. Here we bed a very large and Arcing body
of European troop.. although there was no arsenal. It
It
never appeared to him to be reasonable that ouch should he
the men, while Delhi, a large city, well fortified, with a well.
Mocked arsenal and abundance of gone, should have Men In.
treated completely to native soldiery. That had ever aps
peered to him a great and grave error. If he were disposed
to say anything against government, he shoedd my that thou.
✓eds of native families in Delhi, who had ever been firmly
and etrongly attached to the British government, and who
had actually (-riffled their hornet thalami the rebele—there
were thousands of native families (besides our own country-
men who heel been abject to such cruelties an God only
knew) it Delhi, who had doubtlem lost their all, and who
hod nothing but sorrow and draftees for their portion now.
He held that the government were responsible for that. Had
that government done it, duty —had there been only 200
Foramen soldiers in Delhi—the insurgents could not have
taken It. There It was, left entirely end completely
in the heads of the worth)... native soldiery.
There were. number of generals in India jut fit to take the
command of • Bath chair. (Cheere.) If government would
just send them out a number of Bath choir., and let them
marshal them about and enjoy the fresh air in the vicinity of
Calcutte, they would b. admirably fitted for their teatime..
(Loud laughter.) He knew every etre tie Delhi, and most
of the shops. Delhi was seven mile. in eireuntferenee, with
• ;erring fort, and pomeseing • great many gone. Ile was
quite rateried that we did not at once venture to take the
pram. We could at ,0110 r have done so, but had not a suffi-
ciently large force to stand the fighting which would take
place in the street. and to meet the overerb elming numbere of
fumigants. Our army could have at once gone into Delhi.
Ilut it ham 160,000 inhabitant., and half these were
Mohammedans. It woe the site of the entreat MM.]
empire, the head quarters of the old Mord king, and if
any king had superstition attached to him it ICY he.
AU the natives hraked to him as the only living repre-
sentative of the ancient polity. In addition to them 00,000
me 90,000 Mohammedan resident., there were now insurgent
troops from all the stations of Northern India, amounting.
perhaps, to not WWII lONI than 40,000 MIL If our army of
5,000. r 0,000 teen bad got into the city, they would have
had to proceed along mime., the bowies on each aide ~f*
which are nsfroofed, and would have been covered with
11,.urgents tiring untie our toddler., almost every men of
whom must be destroyed. Our mew-rule at Delhi, hecmei-
-1 bail acted with • considerable amount of wisdom.
Wrale thee bad been bmiegieg Delhi, the insurgents had I
been tbs king there from all part., end it had acted a. •
thou to the country. Hail it not been for that, they would
hair had such comes at most of the stations ea had been I
realised at Cawnpore and Futteygbur. Ills opinion
was that two DUO. mails would bring a. sewn
of the fall of Delhi. Caraidenthle reinforcements were

miming down from the Punjenb, and hires levies of breve
Mks, who hated the Mohammedan.. Gemmel Nkboleon,
Van Curtlendt, and several other officers of corieidsrable
ability, were also hastening thither. General Havelock,
too, wee entioeutrating hu fora., and he hed would sr-
rive there in about three weeks. He believed Delhi world
fill within one week after his arrival., and that the mail after
seat would bring us news of the downfall of Delhi. Ile had
sot the slightest fear, and felt confidant that they had bat
je.t to remain quite patient • little longer. They might
depend upon it all would be right. They had hitherto tom
holding India by a wrong tenure, costing the Iliad
tampering with mud paying their prieete. Nov they would
govern it se • right. (Applause.) A different enures would
emu be adopted—a manly, straightforward, Eoglirh mune.
(Applauati.) He would pees on from Delhi to Mutters,
which was sot far from the grand trunk road leading from
Calcutta to Peahawnr. Here some troops had been sent
from Arta to bring in the treasure, end atter they had got
it they roes in uteurreciion. They west straight to the
mission, where Brother Evans had Just arrived. There was
* **Live tombs?, a *muted Brahmin, *ad a very efliciat