The Express.
London, England, 1857-11-02 00:00:00

LORD MBLOU!ID O!( INDIA.

A dinner was given to Lord MOlgund, M.P. for
the count= of Clack an and Kinross, at Kinross, on
Pride evening, by the electors of the counties, to the num-
bs alai.= 100. In the absence of the Loot Advocate, Mr.
Apes, of Blairadam, prodded. In his reply to the tout of
the evening,
Lard Mxto tee alluded to his recent election, and to sus
domestic events of milbsequent occurrence' and then proceeded
tack of India. Having remarked that it was • re-
le instance of human want of sagacity and foresight
that such an event should have taken place, and that it should
have been so little foreseen, Lord Melgund mid—There is at
all events this subject of congratulation in what has taken
plata—that we know that the heart and oore of our country-
man is sound, and that whenever any great difficulty arises,
they will act as men, and be equal to the occasion.. (Ap-
plause.) Gentlemen, I am not entitled to five an
opinion of my own—at lout, no opinion of mine
eau be of much weight—regarding the policy which
to ought be in relation to our Indian
empire. I think there is a eery great disposition justnow and • very natural one, no doubt, to attach blame to the
But India Company; and I am certainly very far from say-
' leg that they have acted with wisdom throughout their pto-
. but, at the same time I think we ought to bee
1.11 mina -that one of the most wonderfull instances of a rapid
conquest, and, to • certain degree, of • permanent conquest,
that the world has ever seen; has been exemplified by the
policy and through the agency of the East In= Company
for It is now only about 100 years ago that the battle of
Plessey was fought and won by Clive, and since that time
up to the present moment we have constantly—whether
for good or bad, whither we have • done it rightly
or wrongly, I do not say whether we have always
sided • moral part, whether we have not In many instances
bun neeskrak sad taken rather a worldly view of our
intweets,- A(DA most ese that if conquest and spread of
Arnie= is en object which a nation ought to keep in
view; the Best India Company has spread end added to
the power of Omit Britain in • most marvellous manner.
and therefore it is scarcely fair, when some great difficulty
arises, to say at once, " Look what an inefficient body the
East India Company is, bow ill they have understood the
government of the country," when each evidence of power
and of talent is before us as that which is shown by the con-
quest of that great peninsula of India. The East India
Company is now upon its trial, and there is no doubt that
meat c
he
shall IsiegreUftr got.; ge dm". made is
ma
alnoffn gindiws ph
ich
India
dos, 1 think, in many quarters at once to bring the govern-
ment of India under the influence of the British govern-
, reenre-to bring it to a much greater extent than it now
is ender the immediate ageney of the British govern-
ment. I must say that I think there is great danger in
following up this principle too far. (Cheers) We
know wonderfully little about the character and nature,
about the weaknesses end the foibles of the Indian people.
Representative government is very good in many respects;
It is admirable sa a mean of eliciting the opinion of the
people about their own again ; representative homes of par-
liament know pretty well what the interests and feelings and
vial= of the people whom they represent may be ; but a
house of representatives knows uncommonly little beyond
that; and when yon step out from domestic interest,when the
House of Commons lends its attention to matters of foreign
peaky re to matters regarding the government of India or
OP the eeknies, I must say I think we are very apt to ens
I such lase wisdom characterising their acts than is the case
whin they deal with matters of domestic interest. I
theeleon fie one should be very sorry to see the
t of India brought too much under the
Miespmmeeiof the Home Government. (Cheers.) I have
heard It said by pawns who have known India pretty well,
that the =OWL telegraph will lose India. The meaning
of this is that the government will think that they know
great deal better how to govern India then the petraewetr
have bees brought up to do so, end who know the
and prejudices of the people, and that by too much inter-
ference with the government of the country they will disgust
than, Ise undoubtedly we ought to govern, ea far as possible,
according to their wishes. This is a question which will no
doubt occupy the attention of parliament at all events neat
year, and probably for some years to come, and I have there-
fore those:lt it right that I should say thus mock on • ra-
j= which is exciting so much interest in the minds of us
all. (Chem)

A Sm'conouxo Anviteruitz.—The apparently
half-traitorous acts of the English smugglers during the
last French war, in carrying mom the Channel French pri-
amen who had escaped from our prisons, were in a degree
occurrenom, and connived at in individual instances
by the British government, whenever intelligence of tumor-
time was required, for the purpose of misleading the French
authorities at the seaports into a belief that the English
sm glen were traitors to their own country. This secret
Ile could only be obtained through three snufflers
who had their confidential spies in pay, and the smugglers,
on their return with contraband ventures, bad not oWy the
value returned to them in case of mimeo, but their enormous
charges paid out of the secret service money. The.. par-
ticulars were gratuitously related by a smuggler, formerly
engaged in that nefarious yet roaring smuggling trade,
where every guinea doubled itself ; but, who had, in 1826,
" laid his oars up in a hut on Duogenees beach, to rough
through the world on his shiners, just enough to 'phi out
life, bald a men, toll the bell, and pose
the grave gger,"
as he recklessly
_expressed himself "'came you me, A
sir,
darter is married to an English naval Mike, " la reply to
the question, How did the smugglers succeed in obtaining
this secret intelligence without speaking or understanding
French? he explained that the spies' end the merchants oil
whom they purchased their valuable good., and the parties
who negotiated for the escape of French prisoners, all spoke
English; but that the profits miring from taking over occa-
timidly a French prisoner were greater, from the conse-
quences of lulling the suspicion of the gendarmes, than the
sums received, scarcely ever above 401., end a stray French-
man was often taken ever free to serve their concealed pm-
pow. He also related that be was the prieelpel party in a
singular transaction, in which he ran the greatest risk of
detection. The P—o It—t was very desirous of costum-
ing some striking likenesses of the French marshals, when
Wellington was slashing them up, which Mr. J. W. C—
promised His Royal Highness. The smuggler was sent for
in London, and it was arranged to take over three or four
French primmer', common soldiers or mikes, in two trips,
the first trip to put matters in progress for the likenesses,
the second to bring them to England ; the remuneration was
to be doable their cost at the time of shipping, and the value
of the coninhand ventures in a six-oared galley was to be
paid if seised. "Over we went, and the poor
,Frenehmen
shivered with fright all across the channel. the' we shoved
the rum bottle to their rewiles pretty often. Well, when
we landed at we was marched off to the military
governor of the garrison, for him to pump the French
for English news; but that wee all sham,
prise for
that there governor himself was my paid rpy,
and he could speak English like a trump, the' devil
a word of old, or new or broken English would he let out be-
fore any one. Well, as I opened the subject about the pic-
tures of the French generals, 1 thought he would have swal-
lowed me up when he opened his month with all Rorie
dames twisted out of French and Euglish. yea he von
got dam same villin per giv de portraits of dem 1 eaves
de beeves de French general. pm 'S. illinglon to make de tar-
gets of his comrades by do resemblance Yid do pictures.' But
when I told him that Mr. J. W. C— was going to give
them to the Regent, to be hung up in Windsor Castle, it was
all 'Bon, bon, Mn, and much of de guineas, and much of
de bottles of de rum Jamaica per him,' for be was to ham
gold and presents too. The text trip; the same blind tom-
foolery was acted over again with a couple more of half-
maned French prisoners, and I paid the governor in hard
guineas foe the pictures, on his word of honour that they
wore the best that mild be got in Paris. Mumma was
touched off in coloured eh
loured beautiful he looked ae
horseback My gin-tub, but that was a picture! After that
bargain was finished. he was levelled low to liberty and
equality, bloomed the Regent and cursed the Emperor. And
did not the Heed
smuggler and the French governor keep
it up with grilled sausages and small tumblers of raw brandy
and sugar? The pictures were packed up, and shipped with
the bales of silk, gloves, and lace, from the merchants' ware-
home, and we got ell safe ashore at Foil:stone and up I
stetted by coach to Lamm with the pictures 'directed to
J. W. C—, BK., and he Trade me sign a regular stamp
receipt for the' cash. When I listed the rhino, I armed Mr.
C. a handsome ailk shawl and gownpiece for his lady or
sweetheart, to clinch the bargain. My era, if be did not
steer a straight mune for the poker, to kmek my d—d head
off I 'Do you take me for an execrable spy. sirrah, to be
bribed by gold and silk?', I ax your admirality's right
honourable pardon, but if yen won't have 'em as a gift, will
you bye 'em, for there aiat any lady's gear like that in all
Lamm? No, he would have no business with me only for
his king and country. So you en, air, I found out by that
ere French general's picture concern, that an English Ad-
miralty Secretary was • gentleman and a patriot and a
French governor a rogue and a traitor."—tiried Senriecifa-
gem's*, for November.
AePtN~cALL —Ma tin ChUstleteies Eden trans-
ferred to the tropics. The only people who seem really to
enjoy themselves are the mimeo ; they swarm in the Gal-
conies of the high two-story houses, grinning, chattering,
quarrelling, or coring towardsinning they become drunk
and uproarious. Negresses, very dloolleti, and whose light
te, like nightgowns, are so Flom that it is a miracle
COTTnbey maintain their position at all collect in groups, 'ad
disposing their fat persons in attitudes more natural than
, show their white teeth, and grin applaudingly at
Zittexigand wenn who cut fantastic capers tas the
streets for their edification, or expand their capacious lunge
In song. Sounds of merriment, proceeding from this sable
race, extend far Into the night, and do not tend to lull to
sleep the unfortunate victim who has more than sufficient
music in the bur. of myriads of mosquiteee, which floc la
through his ragged curtains, combined with the croaking' of
gigantic .s in the neighbouring mangrove mamp, and
who is vaiMy mating for the air which the rank vegetation
choking up Ida window effectually eacludev.—Biarkwoods
Nargilif, for November.