Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-10-03 00:00:00

DR. CAHILL IN INDIA.

Dr. Cahill delivered on Tuesday evening, in the,
Mechanics Institution, Dublin, the last of a series of lec •
turn cn India He prefaced the lecture by saying, that
in the observations which he would offer on British rule in
India, he would speak merely as the cold and disinterested
historian, and that he would not allow his own feelings en
the subject to interfere. He then referred in detail to the
various matters of comparatively recent history in connec-
tion with India up to the lime when England obtained
possession of the greater portion of the country.—Millions
of money, he said, had been expended in taking possession
of it, and the question wal had we deriied advantages
commensurate with the outlay ? The best statesmen said
no. History stated that the • crueliies and extortions
practised upon the natives exceeded credibility, but with
this the Indian government, and not the English govern-
ment, was chargeable ; but why, it would naturally be
asked, did the latter permit the former to sleep and grow
lazy in luxury.—The East India Compaey took into their
service 270,000 Sepoys, saying that they would assist
them in carrying out their rule, and he had no doubt but
that the Sepoys would, but it could not be denied that
they had been treated badly to a great extent. The very
reverend lecturer referred to the work of Captain Harvey,
of the Indian set vice in India, in which it was stated that
the pay of a Sepoy soldier was Us per month, and that
their food was not fit for a dog, and that it was the habit
of the young officers to insult the Sepoys on parade in every
'way, and yet, he observe!, these were the men who had
very lately been described as receiving the treatment of
children. Nobody, he said, could conceive the extortions
that had boon practiced on the natives in the system of
collecting the revenues of the country until it was reformed
by the British government, and even yet there 'was no
doubt but that the people had just grounds for complaint.
We had done things, not as bad as they had done, but, at
the same time, we had committed atrocities (perhaps
justified by circumetsnces) which must have left a las ing
impression of vengeance upon the universal heart of the
naives of the country.. They might have many reasons to
complain of our possession of their country for 100 y ears ;
we had mulcted them of millions of money at the pint of
the bayonet; therefore it would be judicious in the g vern-
ment of India not to add to those exactions insult to their
religious and national feelings ; but when both were being
daily insulted, was it, to be wondered that the whole mind
of the nation had been brought to a state of the wildest
excitement ? The present revolt in India was not the first
that took place there. There was no doubt but that we
would beat them on the present occasion, after they had
committed attrocities unheard of, which we put upon the
the Indian government more than upon the Sepoys, for it
was the line of conduct that had been pursued for years
that led to the perpetration of cruelties that had no parallel
in ancient or modern history. But, if we beat them now,
they would beat us yet (he said .13 in the b tterness of
regret, for he would be sorry that Euglatd should lose
Ind a) unless we extended kindness to them—respected
their caste and character and prejudice?, and conciliated
them by favourable measures. At the conclusion of the
lecture a warm vote of thanks was passed to the very rev.
lecturer, who briefly expressed his thanks, and retired amid
loud applause. • '