The Express.
London, England, 1857-11-17 00:00:00

TO Tlfl IDKPOZ OP ill 121141111.

MR. MASSEY AT SALFORD.

Stu —To suppose that t e innT and ob-
leectionable proposals for Christianising India, which
ave within the last few weeks been made public in
this country, can fail to excite the utmost alarm and
hatred throughout India, is to suppose that the
natives of India either remain profoundly ignorant
of everything emanating from the English Preen, or
else set it down as meaningless, worthless, and power-
ing. They do, however, neither of these things.
How keenly alive they are to statements made in
the public prints has been strongly impressed upon
the Home authorities by the government of India
in their despatch explaining the ground. upon
which interference with the Indian Press was lately
deonsed usteseary. " The quarter of a century (say
tie gevarameat of India) which hu paned since
the Pram Law of 1836 was enacted, has made a
remerkable change, in respect not only of the num-
ber of native newspapers published, but also
in the effect, direct and indirect, upon natives
of matter published in the English papers. When
the subject interests their passions thej make little
or no distinction between sentiments affecting them
published by independent Englishmen in English
papers, and the sentiments of the English ream=
of their country. When their fears are excited or
their feelings offended by such publication, the hatred
thereby excited turns upon the English govern-
men."

On the subjeet of Christianity in India the
Tines has, since the commencement of the Indian
. . .

outbreak, Published much which must have had the
wont effect upon the natives of that country. But
the mischief, as might have been expected, bu not
ceased here. The outcry has continued to increase,
has spread, and has at length actually found crime.
ion in the person of one of her Majesty's Under-
Secretaries of State. On the 11th inst. a letter
signed "8.0.0." appeared in the Times containing the
following remarkable " The Christian mind
of England declares t e religion of Christ shall be
developed in all its entirety, no matter the millions
whose prejudices it may shock; no heed is to be
given to the storms which will rarely beat about that
great eastern mission." The effect of such writing
es
this upon the native mind remains to develop
keel!. But the Times, and the nmes correspondent
equally give way to the government official, Mr.
Massey, whose speech to his constituents, at Sal-
ford, has been reported in the Times of the 14th
instant. Mr. Mussy Warned his audience that "be
was going to make a proposition which would per-
haps startle them," and well indeed it might, though
were they the only pwsoos likely to be startled,
little more need be said. But it is otherwise. A
month hence the speech will startle the natives of
India, and will leave upon their minds impressions
which fifty government proclamations will neither
efface nor weaken. They have pow to learn that a high
officer of the English government has emphatically
warned Englishmen not to "abuse that precious
word toleration by applying. it or admitting it to
he applicable to the religion or the religious
liberties" of Inds; has proclaimed his belief that
toleration can and should be extended only to "all
meets and denominations of Christiana who believe

in the one mediation ." and has denounced the tolera•
ties heretofore practised and pledged solemnly and
repeatedly by the Governments of India and of
Great Bntain, as having "had the effect of retarding
the ascendancy of the British name."
The Minister of State for India, through the Court
et Directors, on the Bth July last, thus instructed the
Indian goreeemeat : " It is peculiarly our duty to take
the lnEopportunity of adopting as our own both the
P 75
and the tone of your proclamation of May le,
re 4, in a manner calculated to impress even the
I most prejudiced, she imputation, so completely at
variance with the whole tenor of our past adnunis•
tration of British India, that the British government
entertains hostile designs against the religious
feelings or practices of the people. We cannot bat
anticipate the most salutary effect from this procla-
mation, and from the terms in which it was made."
It now remains for her Majesty's government to
consider in how far their acts and intentions can be
other than compromised and nullified by language
such as that of Mr. Massey, and whether the
mischief which the whole of the Indian press has
been supposed capable of effecting can be equalled
by that inevitably arising from the dissemination of
sentiments each as [hoes which the next mail will
convey to friends as well as to foes in India.