The Express.
London, England, 1857-08-03 00:00:00

PUBLIC FEELING IN CALCUTTA.

The following is a private letter from &gentleman
holding a high position in Bengal, to a friend in
England :
CALCUTTA, JUN/. 19, 1857.

My dear —, Continued mutinies and murders all over
the country. More than one •third of the Bengal entry
(infantry) is in open revolt; and cavalry, regular sad irre-
gular, Sikh. end Ohoorkas, more ore.l false to us. This is
the 40th day since the Meerut massacre, and the 39th sines
Delhi was taken and not one syllable of news front the im-
perial trey. This will chow you how thoroughly the enemy
holds permeation of the entire country. Every day's Dak
being. intelligence of fresh atrocities, but not • sylla-
ble about retribution. What if this outbreak had
Runjeet Sings time, and he had sided against
t:P;Peti in
Why, with hio force we should have been marched
into the seat if not otherwise more expeditiously disposed of.
Whet °mad Nepeul had poured a few thousand troops into
our territory, instead of having tendered us their aid 'r With
all that has occurred, we still ought to be thankful, for it waa
quite on the cards that every European in India would be
murdered, and the country have to be conquered again from
the sea to the Himalayas; and we are not new sae. The
insereetion is spreading rapidly to the westward, and
I expect to hear of its breaking out in Medina
also. Thirty regiments sent through Egypt will do some-
thing to restore and maintain order, but nothing lees. Cal-
eatta has been in a state of frightful consternation, and last
Sunday the people were in groups about the city, rather
grouped in houses here and there, instinct of each family
being in its own, with gates barricaded, and tended arms in
every hand. The day broke with a report that the 2nd
Grenadiers and the 70th had risen at Berrackpore, and were
marching on Calcutta and that the Queen's 37th had
!Inout to meet them. The 37th did march at
.., in coasequence of alarming reports from Barrackpom
of the intentions of the sepoys there; they however, made
no mom, and to the evening were dimmed ,to • man. This
was performed only at Dum-Duet and Calcutta ; the militia
and body-guard excepted. This 70th is the gallant and loyal
regiment who desired to be sent to Delhi, and to thank whom
the Governor-General posted to Bsrraekpore the other day.
Sere them men were disarmed they have openly been selling
everything and deserting in parties. If ths government
had taken theme decided steps three weeks ago, there would
have been no panic in Calcutta; but after pooh-poohing all
offers of sasistance as politely as possible, and affirming no
danger, and its full and sufficient powers to put it down
at once if it should show itself—after all this to
call fur volunteers and to disarm every sepoy within reach
were quite sufficient to throw the public at large into a state
of consternation, particularly as the government had shown
Its own unmistakeable attain by bringing in and hurrying
through at one meeting. a bill for putting the entire press,
European and native, into the hands of the Governor-Gene-
ral in council. On this Sunday they had in the fort, in irons
• s
Ga.belionging , aosnaligtlciato
morningthe king ofd Oud
ore cet:isylligatr,:yd.at;
had his highnese, and five of his principal people seared and
lodged in Fort William. That the government will ever prove
any complicity on the king's part I utterly disbelieve,
though at is possible some about him may have
been using hie Immo ; this, however, is only sur-
mise. We have not been helped in this trial by the
unprincipled conduct of the authorities in the matter of the
Oude annexation. Throughout the entire country it has
been regarded as spoliation and rubbery justified by the most
audactom lying. It would be quite worthy those who =-
sexed and oounselkd annexation to take advantage of
the mead state of affairs, and " fix such a guard" on the
unfortunate victim as may render all claim to the preened
pension wholly out of the question. If the king has really
been concerned in this outbreak, who is to wonder at it? we
have certainly provoked him to do his worst. We shall pre-
bably hear by the time the next mail. goes out what the
evidence on this point really is. At present I
bear of nothing that might not have been done
by others, thinking his Majesty's name would be • tower of
strength. General Grant arrived here the day before yeater-
day, and has put forward another denial of our wish to in-
terfere with the religion of the Belays. A greet deal too
much of this already. I presume he will remain at Calcutta
to advise the Governor-Generd, unless things should ammo
even a worse appearance above. Whether we have a second
soldier in high command throughout India we shall probably
find out before long. Sr Henry Lawrence is one the next
has to be thrown up by the convulsions of this terrible crisis.
I am afraid to give even an approximate guess at
the murders that have been perpetrated within the
last six weeks, but they are sufficient to carry
mourning into many scores of families at home the
distressing thing is that they continue ; every day brings
additions to these bloody lista, but, as I have said before, not
a syllable of comfort in the way of bearing of retribution on
the murderers; it is impeesible there can have been the
energy and courage the oceatrou demanded at head quarters.
and I am very sure that if I lied been Clovernor-General I
would have had some communication from Delhi itself before
the 40th day of its lose. Everyone must have known that
the electric wiren would be cut wherever the insurgents were
in force, and the public have not heard of an attempt to keep
up a communicahon between the principal places on the line;
we just simply hear "the Dallis rice cut off," and ere
left to wait patiently till point peace shall open them again.
Buminess has neoewrily felt the present state of affairs; if
it lasts mach longer let blanehester look out. The whole of
the up country trade is at seam' still. But not Manchester
alone may tremble. If this eerie is trifled with much longer
the British power will be • thing of the past—it will be
gone • to be renewed, as • matter of course, but under
circumstances that will peralyee all progrem for a long time
to come, except the march of an avemong army. Perhaps
our rulers at home will now begin to think that the time has
come for annexing India and dispensing with the agency of
Lendenhall-street —whether military funds, pensions,
are an insuperable obstacle to the amalgamation of the two
armies. This has gone forth: never more shell ludia be
safely held without a preponderating force of British troops.
U the sword is foetal upon us wo meat accept It.

vi-

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THE mutiny in the army has so engrossed the
attention of all Europeans in India that no one
has thought it worth his while to send us word how
the native civil servants an deporting themselves at
the present crisis. It is not " Young Bengal" that
we are apprehensive of. The declaimers in that native
press whose ferocity has frightened the Legislative
Council of India into its silly, offensive, and useless
Pme Licensing Act, are a small knot of yomig
men in whom a half-European education
has excited a fantastical admiration of old
Indian usages, akin to the medieval follies
of English Puseyites and Scotch Celtic So-
cieties. They have no influence over the general
feeling of India. The great bulk of the natives
listen to them as Deese OlendinisiNg did to Sir Piercie
Shifter. Bat the native lawyers, and interpreters,
and taxicttheram, are every different—a more prac—
tical, influential, and unscrupulous clam of men.
Our object in these remarks is to point out how
all civil authority may be, and most likely
has been, paralysed by the military mutiny in
Bengal. To the perilous position in which.
British India is placed by the dissolution of its
defemive force we need scarcely advert. The
temptation offered by such a state of &Shire
to the ambition of native princes must be well-nigh
irresistible. The arrest of the King of OCDE may
be a mere measure of precaution, and the King of
Dexiii may be acting under compulsion; but it is
certain that the contingent of the Rajah of GWALIOR
(Scindiah) is in fall revolt, and that the Telegraphic
Wire has been cut in the neighbourhood of Indere—
the capital of Holkar.
All these things, however, ought only to stimulate
the Government and people of England to prompt
and energetic action. We may not have any great
generals among us at present, but we haw*
officers who have been trained in the
tions of discipline. Mk alone gives 111 111
immense advantage ewer the =dams Ai
who have had mom is dinmes.gspnlar dresitio
closely know that aid WO% *he bass aminisen
from the ranks, or who boss messk risen to beam-
commissioned officer,, a» tar mars easily lath&
dated by a military force than men who have
had no military experience at all. The pri-
vate soldier knows enough of the results el
discipline to be aware of the superior power sad
safety which it imparts, but not owns* to
be able to turn it to account. He therefore over-
rates its importance, and is more alarmed in front
of a regular fore* than tho ignorant civilian. Now,
in our Anglo-Indies army no native can rise &bores
merely subardinds rank. The coniscoesos is that
in the war near waging in Bengal all whatnot/haw
to torn &Wpm M asessat are arrayed on 41M•
side, sea all mho mos mash= or being little more
than the nose imoomsniti Mole of discipline, on the
elm

We have now before us the joint production of the
Treasury and Board of Trade, in the shape of the In-
surance Companies Act, as amended in Committee.
By some ingenious device, the Joint Stock Companies
Act of last session repealed the 7 and 8 Viet., cap.
110, substituting nothing in its place, and leaving
Insurance Companies, after a sort, without any legal
Motes. To remedy this oversight the present bill
was introduced, and it bears unquestionable marks
of the same ingenious mind which framed the illus-
trious clause of the Banking Act to which on former
occasions we bare directed attention. As a general
rule the Legislature it held it to be part of its
duty to protect as far us passible the morals and
pockets of the weak and unwary ; but Mr. Lowe
has started evidently se the apostle of a new sys-
tem. Ile utterly repudiates the idea of protecting
the public, except they be shareholders, for whom
his sympathies are wide. Ile evidently thinks that
by gis lug a biz field and no favour to the whole
tribe of ifentere Tigys and getters-up of Companies
he will sharpen the wits of the innocents who have
money to lose, awl render the next generation=
independent of all legislative care and
arias' time indefatigable gantry. As the mud*
wus a ray ismarahle ma for potting Life Assusisle
thenpries on a sea* hotiag, and discouraging Ile
neahroam schemes which, ander a pretence of 6SW
lilting the public by martition, merely put mew
iato the relate of needy speculators, it might hien
been expected that it would be eagerly seized ail,
the Government. Nothing of the kind has hem dime;
or to speak by the card, little has boss dm savor-
pared with what should have bees at llesteYsmgleL
The Act so unwittingly moist WI for podia
at least that the Insareass
their accounts. Of comma they did or did eats as
it pleased them, for it was no one's buslenin
to ace that the law was obeyed. The poilk
however, were shrewd enough to undenrtssi S
Company which neglected to do so bad very ea
reasons foe the omission, and naturally looked Hector
early appearance in the Master's Office. Theseinde
tote for this previolos in tie new Act is a stable.*
to be registered every five or seven years, drawfasnill
the assets and liabilities of the eanapanien, me*
the sum assured at vicious ages, the primilmis rs•
ceivable, and the special risks. What billimals
of any value this can convey to the public we mat
a loss to understand. From such a statement
an actuary may form a pretty shrewd gum
as to the liabilities of the Company, bet
we defy him to form any opinion as to
its means of meeting them ; and we do not for a moor

mcnt anticipate that the lansgers, &c., will War
the d& penalties for neglecting to lodge their ae-
counts, more especially as the ten different aorta of
returns will make a most imposing array of agates.
In fact, there will be five halcyon years ist store for
getters-up of Insurance Companies if this Bill pass,
and they will owe a heavy debt of gratitude to Mr.
Lowe for his sympathy with their honourable
avocation.

Insurance Companies complain bitterly of the hard-
ship of being ordered to publish periodical statements
of their affairs, and in many cases it has certainly
proved most inconvenient ; but the Legislature has—
wisely, as we think—considered Insurance Companies
as standing in a peculiar poaition as regards the public.
Every Policy contains a special contract,to the effect
that the holder has no claim on any assets beyond
the funds and capital of the company; the sheer
holder runs no risk beyond the amount of his share;
sad the deluded policy-holder, or his representative,
has no remedy if the meets are all consumed. The
necessity for keeping the public informed as to the
means these companies have for meeting their en-
gagements will be easily understood, if we repeat a
statement we published some months since. In
analysing certain insurance accounts, we found that
sixty Companies had received in premiums during a
given period, 1, 745,0®51.—a very gratifying evidence
of the spread of prudential habits among the
people. But at the same time it appeared
that these sixty Companies had expended
during that period the enormous amount of
1,016,0004 for management and salaries, leading us
to the conclusion that the bulk of the Offices were

merely founded for the sake of the emoltuseints to be
extracted from thoughtlaw insurers. In fact, no
small proportion of these very Offices have zinc*
wound up, moms under most disgraceful circum-
stances. AU this is notorious--the facts are chro.
nicled

in blue-books accessible to the Board of Trade
and Treasury and yet we find the lesson to be
homed from them utterly ignored, and the trifling
onfisguard formerly existing swept away. One would
Ala that the necessity for compelling Insurance
ONispanien to render at least annual accounts,
wed for securing, u far as possible, the under-
ling true accounts, was obvious. Nothing of the
Ott seems to have occurred to the framers of
the Bill now before us. The nature of the
contract and its terms, as between the policy-
holder and the shareholders, is apparently unknown
to them. Every care is taken that the former shall
be defrauded in the dark, should he fall into the
hands of schemers, while a most elaborate machinery
is provided to secure the shareholder, who runs no
risk beyond the amount of his share, so far ss liabi-
lities on policies is concerned, and who bee the
chance of receiving just so much of the pear
holder's cub. as the Directors and Managers may
think fit to divide with him. We thought that the
Banks with 3301. capital were a brilliant stroke of
genius on the part of Mr. Lowe., but we confess
that in this Insurance Bill he has been enabled, with
the aid of Mr. Wasole and Sir 0. C. LEWIS. to
remiss even hinuel4 as the inventor of new modes
of making seriallbc sob easy.