The Express.
London, England, 1857-08-10 00:00:00

81R C. NAPIER AND TEE INDIAN ARMY.

This morning was published, u a return to par-
liament, the following extract from a letter from General Sir
C. J. Napier to the Duke of Wellington, dated Simla, 16th
Jose, 1850:

" 13. I must now come to the Bengal Native Arroy,whiok
is sold to have fallen off from what it was in former days.
Of this I am not ajudge; but I must say that it Is a very
noble army, and with very few defects. The greatest, u fax
u lam capable of judging, is a deficiency of discipline
among the European *Ricers, especially thou of the higher
tanks. I will give your grace an . instance
_ _

" 14. The important order bead by the Goma:tor-General
sod the Commander-in-Chief to prepare the Sop for • re-
. .

. .
doetion in their pay, I ordered to be reed and explained with
cue to every regiment, with the exception of thaw or four

commander; of regiments; none obeyed the order ; somo
pve it to pey sergeants to read, azd others altogether neg-
lected to do so, such is the slackness of discipline among offi-
cers of high nuik, and on an OCC46iollof such vest import,-

mos. This want of discipline arises from more than one
cause: m little sharpness with officer* who disobey orders
will mom correct much of this but much of it originates
in the great demand upon the troops for civil duties, which
so betake up whole regiments, that their commanding office's
lose that seal for the service which they ought to feel, and so
do the young eaters. The &mead also made for guard. is
promos These gum& are mat too br a is be welissed,,
mad mount for weeks, and more frequently for months; of
Conroe every men not on sentry goes to bed. I will not
lengthen this letter by entering more into such details, but
enclose as a sample a report made to me a short time ago by
Major Rowland lIW.

- -
" 15. Hia corps has lately been made over for civil duties,
and each, in its turn, of these regiments, so employed, and
so ruined, in sucuting duties for doing which I have every
reason to believe that there are from 300,000 to 400,000

• Chuprassee Burkindausee paid by government. However
whatever the exact number may Le, it is enormous, sad
under proper arrangement more than sufficient to execute all
the civil duties which are thrown upon and injure the
troop both in health and discipline. I cannot believe that
the discipline of the Bengal army will be restored till it is
relieved from civil duties, and those duties performed by
police battalions, se wasXntended by Lord Ellenborough.
.

"16. The neat evil which I see in the native army ;, that
so many of the senior officers of regiments are placed on the
gal or in civil situations, snd very old worn-out offieen
command regiments; these carry on their duties with the
adjutant and some favoured native officer. Not above one
or two captains are with the regiment, and the subalterns
being ell young, form a society among themselves, and neg-
lect the native officen altogether. Nothing is therefore
known as to what is pawing in a native regiment. It is
difficult to apply a remedy to this evil, but I think it can be
done.

" 17. With regard to drill, it is very far from good among
the majority of native regiments. This is the fault of the
officers who command divisions and brigades. lam doing
all In my power to correct this evil, and I have been well
aided by many of those commanders.
"18. The last and most important thing which I reckon
iejurions to the Indian army is the immense influence given
to ' caste ; instead of being discouraged, it has been en-
couraged in the Bengal army. In the Bombay army it is dis-
couraged, and that army is in better order than the Bengal
army. In this latter the Brahmins have been leaders in every
mutiny. In the last mutiny about pay, and which, I may
say, was general through the Bengal army, though it appeared
in six regiments only, all appeared to Le governed by the
Brahmins; and seeing the great danger which existed then,
with permission of the Governor-General, I disbanded the
66th Native Infantry. I seized the opportunity which
occident produced, and transferred a regiment of
Goorkas into the vacancy; had I not done this,
it would have been vain to disband the G6th
Regiment, for plenty more were prepared to revolt had
I not shown them that other troops were ready to take their
places. The mutineers had said openly, ' Wait till we all act
together ;' others had said, ' How can they replace us It
was a crisis of great peril, and I thought a strung measure
alone could meet it ; I therefore showed the Sepoys that we
could `replace them; and that if all ' acted together,' I had
the force to coerce them, for they dread the Guorkee. Lord
Dalhousie said that I ought to have consulted the Supreme
Council at Calcutta before I introduced the ()meta.. My lord
duke, when 40,000 men were in a state of smouldering mu-
tiny, and many in open mutiny, and 60,000 armed Sikh
soldiers ready to rise, bow could I lose flee weeks to consult
the Supreme Council at Calcutta? And what advice could
these gentlemen have given to me in a moment of so much
danger I' In all I did to quell that mutiny, I had no choice
but to act on the spur of the moment according to the best of
my judgment. I believe that the sudden and (by all) unex-
pected appearance of the Goodies at the fortress of Goethe!.
ghur put an end to the danger; but for that step some
twelve or twenty regiments would hove piled arms and de-
manded their diecharge. Had thin happened bloodshed must
hays ensued. I was succeedul—the army is now quiet—and
a good spirit reigns in it. But as at any time there may be
some change made in the pay or allowances, I cannot ray
that such may not reproduce disturbance.
"19. The greatest deficiency in the company's army, and
It daily becomes more important, is the want of a sufficient
number of engineer and artillery officers. It is notorious,
and must soon be remedied."

INDLdN DISCONTENT.

This morning was printed a return to an order of
the House of Commons " that the Appendix to the report
of the select committee on Indian territories. in session,
1863, p. 429, be re-printed." This appendix consists of a pe-
tition from the Hindu° inhabitants of Bengal, Behar, and
Orissa, setting forth at considerable length the grievances
which have arisen to the liindoos from an act of the legisla-
tive council of India passed In 1860, the object of which is to
extend throughout the provinces of the East India Com-
pany the principle of a regulation established in 1832
for Beng.d. This regulation so the petitioner. believe,
ass intended merely to protect from loss or forfeiture
of property persons who should conscientiously change
their religion, especially such natives of India as should
embrace the Christian religion. Objectionable as this
measure was to the petitioners the art in question
is still more so, insamuth as it extends to other objects
not contemplated by the regulation. By the Hind,* law all
property of Hindoos descends, in case of intestacy, from the
ancestor to the heirs, subject to the condition that the latter
shall, during their lives, perform certain rites and ceremonies,
upon the rehgioue and faithful fulfilment of which the Hin-
du° founds his hopes of happiness in • future state
of existence. Other laws which deprive of caste persons
guilty of various kinds of immorality and entitle • Hindu*
in certain mass to disinherit an only son, and to adopt
another, are abrogated by this act, which the petitioners con-
sider to be subversive of the interests of menthry and reli-
gion tae upheld in the social relations of the llinioos. They
also consider it to be • violation of their established rights.,
and of • long course of policy and legislation pursued in
good faith by the British crown, and conclude by praying this
house to repeal the act and regulation complained of.

MAJOR-GENERAL BEA7SON.—This morning was
published a return of the expenses of the court of inquiry in
the case of Major-General Beeson. The cost attending the
procuring of evidence and the travelling expenses of wit-
news amounts to 2,5951.85. 7d. ; and the employment of
government Mesmer@ to LEVY., making a total of 4,4231.64 7d.
Tits EUROPEANS IN INDIA.—PASTORAL OP THE
Steno? or BATH AND Wruo.—The Right Rev Viscount
Auckland, Bishop of Bath and Wells, has addressed •
pastoral letter told* clergy, inviting them to offer up earnest
prayers to Gad on behalf of our fellow-countrymen in India.
This act of his lordship cannot fail to he exceedingly grate-
ful to the laity of his diocese, for perhaps there is no district
in England which has greater reason to mourn the horrible
massacres that have taken place than that over which ha
spiritually presides. Scarcely an officer has yet fallen whore
loss has not bad to be mourned by connexions in Bath, or
some part of Bonsenstahire or Wiltshire. The pastoral is
brief and as follows The Palace, Wells, August 7, INST.
My reverend and dear brethren,—Our fallow-countrymen
residing in the East are at this time exposed to great and
unexpected dangers. Let me then beg of you when you pray
la the Litany that God would succour, help. and y
ou
all that are in danger, necessity, and tribulation," to add the
words, especially our countrymen in the East,' and to
Insert the isms words at the proper place when you offer
np
the prayer for all conditions of men.—l remain, reverend and
• dear brethren, yours very faithfully, AUcALAND, Bath and
Wells.