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

SIR CEIA.ILES NAPIER ON INIDA.

At a Reform dinner given to Mr. R. N. Philips,
M.P., for Bury, -at that place, on Wednesday
evening, in reply to the toast of the " Army and.
Navy,"
Sir Charles Napier said—The unfortunate rebellion now
going on in India calls more for military tha❑ for naval
operations; but I trust every exertion this great country
can make will be made in order to put down the mutiny,
and to avenge, and severely !avenge, the injuries and
cruelties that have bee❑ iracted on our eountrymen in
the East. (Hear, hear.) I don't wish to blame any Go-
vernment at all, but I think Governments for many years
past have been very much to blame respecting India.
They were warned, and often warned, by officers who
knew the condition of the Indian army and of our Govern-
ment of India; and they were more particularly warned
by a gal:ant relative of mine, now no more. (Hear, hear.)
He said to them, " Take care of India, take care of our
army there, rule it better, and officer it better, or the day
will came, and it is not tar distant, when there will be a
mutiny and a rebellion in that country." All that he said
was neglected or despised, and he was himself pulled
down and ill-treated by the Government whom he recom-
mended to be more careful in their conduct. But I will
not blame one Government more than another. Those
warnings wire given to all,Governments, whether Whig
or Tory, and they ware neglected and despised. The
thing for us to do now is, not to recriminate, but to do all
we possibly can to repair the mischief. Let by-gones be
by-gones, and let us all, of every denomination, whether
Whig, Tory, or Radical, put our shoulders to the wheel,
and endeavour to send reinforcements to that country,
and save our fellow-countrymen, and particularly the
women and children. (Cheers.) In the first instance,
we were not sufficiently active in sending troops to India.
It appears by a paper I have here that our fist troops
sailed only on the Ist of July, while the news of the
mutiny arrived on the 28th of May. I think there was
great blame, but the blame was not to the Government,
but to yourselves. You cried out and insisted upon the
GovernmEnt doing away with the Income-tax, and the
Government was obliged, in consequence, to make great
reductions in our army and navy. They were taken by
surprise in India when the mutiny took place, and we had
not ships in England of any description to send our troops
cut in. I can say, for myself, I used all my exertions to
convince the House of Commons of the absolute necessity
of this great country kseping up estabiishments for all
contingencies ; but we were tired of the income-tax,
and I dare say we had reason to be so. (Hear, hear.)
Nevertheless, this country ought never to be left without
a proper defence both naval and military. What have we
gained ? You got rid of the 91, and I believe you wi'l
have Is to pay in future. (Laughter.) Don't you lay the
fl ittering unction to your souls that this rebellion is to be
put down so easily. I have not the slightest doubt but it
will be put down, but you must pay for doing it. (Hear.)
It is all very well to say the East India Company must
pay ; but I tell you the E tat India Company is England
in this case, and if the East India Company cannot pay
the bill J.,hn Bull must pay it. (Hear, hear.) It was the
people of England, and you here as much as'anybody else,
who were to blame, and I am not afraid to yell you so.
(" Hear, hear," and laughter.) You insisted on reduc-
tions. I went myself to Lord Palmerston and said, My
Lord, if you will stand up in this Ho•ase, and say you will
not be responsible for this country unless a proper army
and navy are kept up, you may depend upon it you will
receive the cheers of the country from one end to the
other," and I am sure that would have been the
case ; but Lord Palmerston, like other Ministers,
was afraid of losing h s position. (Laughter.) I dare
say other Ministers have done the same, but I am sorry
the reduction took place. I remember, in 1827, when Spain
marched an army into Portugal during the Administration
of Mr. Canning, whe❑ we kept up a navy in England of
so many sail of the line; Mr. Canning came down to the
House of Commons and said :—" We received the news
the day before yesterday of Spain invading Portugal. A
Cabinet Council was held that day; the Prince Regent's
opinion was taken on the following day, and at the time I
am addressing you we have 10,000 men in full march to
Portugal." (Hear, hear.) Now, if you had not insisted
on the army and navy being reduced, I have no hesitation
in saying that in 48 hours you would have been able to
send 10,000 or 15,000 men out to India. Just reflect on
what horrors that would have saved. You would have
prevented the horrible massacre at Cawrapore, and the
threatening of Lucknow at the present moment, where
there are 1,000 English, men, women, and children,
locked up, short of provisions, with few to defend them,
and an army of barbarous rebels besieging them• I wish
to God I could take all this assembly here to Lucknow,
with even only blulgeons on their shoulders, and we
would save all those unfortunate creatures from being
murdered. (Cheers.) Massacred they will be, unless
indeed the officer in commend there has decision and
determination sufficient. He is in an awful position.
Those women and children have only the choice of being
violated and murdered, and treated in the most barbarous
, manner in the event of the rebels sueceeding in taking the
place ; and the Governor has absolutely nothing to do to
save them from this ignominy and cruelty but to destroy
the whole of Lucknow. That, Ladies, may appear to you
a horrible thing—but what can be done? We have seen
what has been done at Cawnpore, and when we reed on