Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-09-05 00:00:00

THE CUTLERS' FEAST,

MR. WILSON ON INDIAN AFFAIRS,

.ne physical impossibility of c.
end to distinction ; and by that means wu
course of time, to overcome this difficulty; which T
to be the great impediment to •
I will only conclude by saying that in t
to India which I have accepted, it sb
. I shall'feel it my interest, to, study
Is that country in its industrial resor
Fri in doing SD I shall best,discharg'
ine, entrusted to me, and that I

stinction is putting

civilisation of the cas

This annual celebration was 'meld at Sheffiela
Thursday evening, under the presidency of RAM
Jackson, Esq., who has been re-elected Master Cutler.
Among the guests present were Lord Minton, the Hon.
H. Fitzwilliam, the Right Hon. James Wilson, Sir
J. W. Ramsden, M.P., T. Bazley," Esq., M.P. Mr.
Hadfield, M.P., &e. Mr. Roebuck was not present.
After the loyal toasts, the Master Cutler proposed
" The Army ana Navy," enforcing the duty of making
oLrselves secure in our national defences.
The loniths of the noblemen residing in the neigh-
bourhood were drunk. -

Mr. Alderman Matthews prOposed the health of the
Right Hon. James Wilson.

_... .
Mr. Wilson, after returning thanks. for the cordial
manner in which his health had bee.ndrunk, referred at.
length to his Indian appointment. Ile said: At the
moment I made up my mind to accept that ,responsible
duty, the first thing I determined upon was to make
myself personally acquainted with the 'trade and com-
mercial intercourse of India with England. (Mar, hear.)
Gentlemen, finance is not mere ariththetic ; finance is a
great policy; it lies at the bottom, at the root 'of 'the
government of every country. : Without sound finance
no sound government is possible ; without sound:govern-
. ment no sound finance is possible c- and therefore the first
conclusion at which I arrived was. that I should use
every day which I had to spend in England in personally
knowing and understanding the commercial .relation-
e ship between England and India. (Hear, hear.) I
have long held the opinion, and that opinion is not
strange to this company or to England, that in the
commercial and fiscal policy of a 'nation lie the founda-
tion, the happiness, the prosperity, and :the -welfare, not
only of the working classes, but of 'the'capitalists also.
(Cheers.) I have never been able to distinguish be-
Iween the interests of the one and the interests of the
other. I hare never been enabled to, distinguish how
in any capacity city lahaur and capital canhe separated.
I have never been enabled to distinguish how in any
way the workman and his emple-er, or those whoure in-
debted to the employer for the profitable occunation of their
capital, could in the slightest degree be distinguished, for in
the prosperity of the one, rely noon it, depends the
prosperity of all. (Hear, hear.). It has been- upon these
broad principles that I have for many years 'advoCated
those principles of free trade which have at last for-
tunately become the ackowledged policy of ' the
country, not only I may say by•the universal assent
of , all parties, but even those who .were strenuously
opposed to those opinions a few years ago. I know
of no principle which is good in.Englancl which, is not
good all over the world. , (Hear?hear.)- There may, ,
indeed, be striking distinctions of race 'and nationality,
or a variety of reasons why the same prineiples shOuld
be carried into operation in different ways ;' - but
at least this I will - say, • that n sound principle
here is a sound principle every Where, .and! . that I
believe that those principles by' which the prosperity of
this country has been developed are the only principles
by which - the prosperity of any people, in any part
of the world, can be secured. (Loud cheering.)
It has been well observed by. ,sir John Lawrence and
others that the instant the late mutiny broke out—the
instant the power of the English 'people was withdraWn
—that instant you bad anarchy. Old fends and old
passions, which had been latent for many years, had
then an opportunity of exhibiting them Selves. And
that proves to yon what it would be if your ruling hand
were withdrawn, if you were to slacken that power
which you have exerted, and I hope successfully exerted,
over the whole empire. Seeing that we have that duty
to perform, it is for us to take the most enlightened
view with which we can accomplish ,our object: One
great point of discussion is the interference of govern-
ment with the religion of India. I believe that the
great bulk of right-minded and moderate men are of
opinion that while it is our bounden' duty to give free
and unlimited opportunity for.the-spread of the Chri§-
tian religion, yet it would not be either wise or prudent
for us as a government, to' interfern'with the religion of
the natives; (Cheers.) •I am one:of those who believe
that if you have a great duty to' perform in a country
like India, it will be best performed by example, by
showing that your system of religion is of a higher and
better quality than theirs, by impressing theM with the
justice of your laws, by the liberality of your actions
towards them, and by that intercourse, which is, perhaps,
though it may be called a low motive, I believe prac-
tically to be one of the best—by that intercourse which
is promoted by the exchange of mutual interests, of
*commerce, and inchistry. '(Hear.) What we have to
look to is the development of 'the resources of India.
No doubt we have enormous cliculties to encounter.
We have the difficulty of caste, and I will ask any Man
who knows this country to consider how impossible the
progress of society would have been if every class of
Men had been fixed in one position, incapable of rising
above that point, or altering themselves. In India you
see the people tied down by caste, and whatever
their talents or exertions may be, they cannot rise ;
so you may well conceive the enormous impediment
which exists in the progress of that country. Knowing
that these difficulties exist, it is our duty to consider .
how we can best contend against them. It is the
character of the English people, knowing difficulties,
not to attempt to shirk them, but to meet and
overcome them. Now, difficult as the task may be,
of contending with that feeling of caste in the east,
I have hopes that with the introduction of railways,
with free commercial intercourse between man and
man, with a fair and open communication, and,
above all, by the' justice which is :administered in the
European courts in India, to the lowest as well as the
highest, you July in course of time , even conquer
that difficulty. (Cheers.) The railways which have
been already opened have done' much to that end, for
you find people of different castes travelling in the same