The Express.
London, England, 1857-09-03 00:00:00

TO TIN IDITOZ OT TII TIMM.

THE INDIAN CRISIS.

Bftt,—When upwards of two months ago intelli•
pace reached this country that the first shock of the
political and social earthquake which bee since oon-
vulsedlndishad been felt, and that tke pampered Janis-
series of the East India Company had given unmis-
takeable signs that through them the Lord was
about to rebuke the people of England, as slothful
servants, for their negligent performance of their
allotted mission in the East—warnings of the most
emphatic and solemn nature, as to what was impend-
ing, were reiterated to Government both in and out
of parliament, in personal conference, and through
the leading journals of the day. Refer back to the
speeches of the men upon whom devolved the great
duty of, if possible, averting the terrific calamities
which had cast their black shadows in advance, and
trace the measures which they have advocated and
adopted since, and you will agree with me in pro-
nouncing that they were guilty of a degree of
political shortsightedness almost unparalleled, and
that they have added to their incompetency
and culpable ignorance an obstinate disregard
of the premonitions and remonstrances of better man
than themselves, which entitles them to the contempt
and execration of every man, woman, and child in
this now dishonoured and deeply injured country.
The worst culprits in this matter are undoubtedly
Vernon Smith, Lord Panmure, and Lord Granville.
The representatives of the Court of Directors are
by no means free from blame, but military prescience,
ability , and energy can hardly be expected from
civilians of their stamp, and the real soldiers who
compose part of that governing body have had
little or no voice in the warlike preparations
which only at this present time amount to what
they ought to have been seventy days ago. If our
sagacious, cool, and determined Premier has not
risen to the occasion—if the vigorous action natural
to him has been checked in mid volley—if he has
been unduly anxious, with an eye to our continental
neighbours, to avoid the appearance of frightened
haste, and if he has trusted too implicitly to the
meagre information and baseless opinion of his col-
leagues I greatly mistake the man if his heaviest
punishment will not be self-reproach. However
that may be, it is by no means too late
to remedy one great blunder, viz., that of not
having sent out reinforcements overland. If Lord
Owning in his inexperience, and surrounded as he
was by wretchedly incompetent advisers forbore to
require the immediate transmission of troops by
Egypt, and to intimate that vessels of one sort or
another would be immediately despatched to Suez, to
receive and bring to India a certain number of
fighting men e fifteen days, even now at the
eleventh hour let Lard Palmerston throw Vernon
Smith, Lord Panmure,dc.,overboard, as Jonahs of the
worst description; let him believe that those who with
me advocate this all important measure really can ap-
preciate its necessity and probable results ; let him
practically confess the mistake into which he has
been led, and at once direct a fresh stream of rein-
forcements, even at the slow rate of a thousand men
per mensem, to be poured into India by the route of
the Red Sea. Faithful u the Madras and Bombay
armies have hitherto proved, painful apprehensions
as to their continuance in well-doing cannot be
reasonably dismissed from our minds, and I have
certain knowledge of the existence of an ex-
tensive and dangerous conspiracy against the
British government and all Christians, white
or black, among the Gunge Muhummedans
of the Deccan. Supposing that the Company's
troops, Hyderabad Contingent, dc., stand fast—
even then, if the fears of the Madras and Bombay
governments are verified, we shall require in the
west of India at least 15,000 Europeans, in addition
to 6030,000 said by the government to be now
slowly following each other in small detachments
round the Cape of Storms.
In the North-West Provinces, if events follow each
other according to their natural course, the pro-
gramme is simple enough. Havelock, after having
relieved Lucknow, retires upon Cawnpore, re-opens
communications in the direction of Allahabad, and
puts down rebellion in the proximate districts. It
is possible that Age may hold out ; but if Delhi
has not been already taken by a coup de main, the
concentration of 20,000 rebels there, in addition to
the 30,000 who still oppose a determined front to
our besieging army, combined with the advance of a
large and well-disciplined force, from what must now
be called the powerful and, de facto, independent
state of Gude, may compel General Reed, or him
sucomsor, to mile the siege and cut his way down
to Agra, if not to Cawnpore. The consequence of
such a triumph on the part of our Prtetorians would
be seen in the involuntary defection of many who
have hitherto been favourable to us—such as &indiii
and Holkar, and of others who have at least re-
mained neuter,among them the chiefs of Rajpootana.
Hopeless of our success, would Jung Bahadoor re-
main our fast friend, or would he improve the occa-
sion ? Disinterested virtue is an admirable thing to
contemplate—when it exists. Without following
out the train of probabilities—any possibilities—
which ries up in gloomy succession, and which
may, I pray and trust, be changed by Divine
intervention into a series of brilliant sucoesees
ending in the restoration of order, I say that it is
needful to look the dark vision full in the face, and
to avert the threatened catastrophe by hastening
measures to retrieve our position, as if the worst had
already occurred.
Permit me to call your attention, and that of your
readers, to an unusually wise and judicious letter in
the Times of yesterday's date, dated from Cal-
cutta, and signed "An Old Indian." It cannot be
too much praised for its sound views, sense, and
truthfulness.

Another letter, in the same paper, signed .‘ Anglo-
Indian," though plausible, and likely to make a false
impression upon men whose knowledge of India and
its military classes is superficial, is quite opposed to
the practical experience of *Beers whose lives have
been spent among Sepoys. Anglo-Indian" objects
to a force composed of Negroes principally on the
score of " their strange and uncouth visages and un-
known tongues, whose nominal Christianity would
be disgraced by ignorant collision with cherished
native habits.' As to the nominal Christianity,
and just glancing at ourselves, least said is
soonest mended ; and the feminine objection to
ugliness, and that of the unknown tongues, are
shared by all the Arab levies in the service of native
princes, and more or less by at least twenty different
classes who compose our own native armies, and who
nevertheless create neither panic nor disgust either
in their comrades or the population. Ten thousand
Negroes and as many Fingers and Hottentots would
be invaluable as trained soldiers in India, and the
only sensation they would cause in the native mind
would be that of unadulterated funk em, &e.,
Sept. 2. CAUBULEE.

THE METROPOLITAN AND PROVINCIAL LAW ABBO.
CIATIOX.—II has brat dettemthed that the Metropolitan
end l'rertacial Law Aseeekdka will bold their mr,l2U/4
meeting la Msartherter am Wedanday, the 7th cf October
nest. A large atteedswes .1 membees, sod of deputation/
Mot varier law seeds*. threegiteat the IMO., is ex-
pected: and we ere infortml OW the Manchester Law So-
ciety purpose entertaining their testreplitan and provincial
tram& to dinner on the Wednesday embur, and probably
to • riSlatarr, at the Exhibition, es the following day ; and
osher arrangements will be ot.aa by the boa society to add
to the enocem of the meant, as well as to the pleasure el
those Irbil may be preerat —Mancliester Grardiaa.
CAPS OP GOOD HOPE.—POOT-OFFICR NOTICE.—
The following notice was booed by the Postonaler-Ottiersl
yeetsoley, task :—The robtrictor for the Ceps of Good Hp,
Sc. mail serries has reported to the Admiralty that tithe
will not be • packet to carry the mails, which in due mune
should be drepetched hem Dartmouth oa the 6th imt. The
public me remennteaded, therefore, to address their haws
Mr the aped Goad Hopi by pints elf.