Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-04-23 00:00:00

THE NORTHERN TIMES, SATURDAY, APRIL 23 185,8

THE SENTENCE

ON THE
NAIVAII OF FURRUCKA.BAD.

We have already announced in our summary of
intelligence by. the Bombay mail, that the Nawab of
Furruckabad had been found guilty of the crimes
laid to his charge. On the day the sentence was
delivered an anxious crowd of natives, deeply excited,
occupied every approach. Very many of the civil
and military officials, and other residents of the
station, were also present in court. The president,
having ordered the prisoner to be placed at the bar,
proceeded, amidst profound silence, to pass sentence
upon him in the following terms : •
Prisoner at the bar—Your trial has lasted one month, and
the fullest investigation that was possible has been male as
to your guilt or innocence. You have been defended by an
able English gentleman, who, relying on your own state-
ments, has taken the greatest pains to
.prove you innocent
of the heinous crimes with the commission of which you
were charged, and he has also endeavoured to procure your
release by every argument of a' legal and technical nature
which he thought would ,assist your cause. Nevertheless,
we three judges, sitting calmly and deliberately to hear the
case for and against you, have unanirnously decided that you
are guilty. In arriving at this judgment do not "for an
instant believe that we have given implicit belief to, every
word uttered by every witness for the prosecution, 'or that
we have not allowed all the weight that it was-worth to the
evidence for the defence.

You yourself have never attempted to deny the facts, i.e.
the occurrence .of those dreadful crimes which have conferred
an historical infamy on Fnttygurh and Furruckabad, and
which have led to your being brought to the bar of justice.
And now, prisoner at the bar, consider what are the crimes
with the commission of which we, your judges, have con-
victed you. For what crimes, I repeat, is it, that, as far as
we are concerned; we have condemned you to suffer death ?
Her -Majesty the Queen's gracious. amnesty has saved
you from that extreme punishment ' for the crime of being
a principal leader and instigator in treason and rebellion
which you so ungratefully committed. But if you had
committed only that offence, you would have to pass the
remainder of your life in a miserable exile. But you
stand at that bar convicted first of being accessory after
the fact to a wholesale massacre of English gentlemen,
ladies and chiliren, with most of whom you had been
living on terms of intimacy—that is, in the language of
the law, you received, comforted, and assisted the perpe-
trators of this massacre, and not only that,. but honoured
and rewarded some amongst them
Secondly, you stand convicted of being both accessory
before and after the fact, to the cold-blooded slaughter
of twenty-two Christians, including amongst them women
and children, who were killed for.no other cause than that
they were Christians—that is, you not only received, com-
forted, and assisted the perpetrators of this crime, but you
preViously procured, counselled, commanded, and abetted
those who took away those unhappy victims from your
own door. And, as if this were not enough, you have
been convicted of this same double crime in regard to
threapoor natives (andthere is reason to believe that others
perished in a similar manner), whose only faiilt was that one
was faithful to his salt, and that the others were carrying
Enzlish letters.
And what is your excuse for all these crimes ? what ?
hut that you were afraid of losing your wretched life (which
after all has been forfeited), at the hands of the mutinous
soldiery, and that-you were a puppet-in the . hands of their
leaders, some of whom were of your own kith and lineage.
Even if it were true that you occupied this position, what a

degraded one it was, how much Of cowardice it showed in
the deicendant and representative of-a family and race,
hitherto-well known in Hindoostan for courage and manly
qualities! But it is quite impossible to believe that this
plea of duress is true, even if there had not been produced
ample and trustworthy evidence to refute it.
You were able to save the lives of christians, and you
twice did save such once to appease the anger of Heaven,
when you were sick and thought yourself dying-, and once
to gratify your own feelings and inclinations. You were
not a close prisoner, and you did exercise all the
you corn-
a ruler in this territory, andillatvVenumerated. If for
witted the awful ciirse rserying to us from this river and
r
the innocentnot sentence you to suffer death—which is
igtkeir itself to the cruel death inflicted under your sanction
on so many victims-- we should fail in our duty both to
God and man.
It is for the Government; which is our master and your
master, tp, decide finally on your fate. You may rely on the
whole of your, pleas of defence being submitted to that
authority. In the meanwhile I implore you 'to repent of
youV crimes, and to make your peace with that God whose
laws you haVe so ruthlessly. violated.
Tolottravb " was
notable able wholly to maintain his unconcernedd s
demea-
nour: nour. Just as the enumeration of tile rearrui crimes
of which the sentence of the court convicted him
approached to a close, a change passed over his
countenance, and his looks became downcast. Soon
he controlled his features, and recovered the usual
expression of his face, ‘except that he continued to
cast down his eyes. The sentence of death by
hanging did not produce any further outward and
visible sign. We need not add that no emotions of
remorse were manifested. The prisoner has been
placed, for severer custody, under a European guard
in Pert Futtygtirh."

PRAYER FOR THE RESTORATION

TRANQUILITY IN INDIA.

The following is the Form of Prayer and Thanks-
giving to be used in Churches on Sunday the Ist
day of May, 1859, for the success granted to our arms
in suppressing the rebellion and restoring tranquility
in her Majesty's Indian dominions :
"0 Almighty God, who by Thy Providence orderest all
thing's both in Heaven and earth ; we desire to approach
Thee this day with the voice of praise and thanksgiving.
Thou hast graciously hearkened to the supplications of Thy
people, who bumbled themselves before Thee, and turned to
Thee for succour in the hour of danger. Thou hast heard
our prayer ; Thou hast maintained our cause ; Thou
hast frustrated the treacherous designs which were formed
against our Sovereign and her rule, and threatened British
India with.wasting and destruction. It bath pleased Thee
to scatter our enemies, and to give victory to our arms, and
to show that there is no restraint with. Thee to save by
many or by few. We desire to confess that it is through
Thy mercy that the hearts of our countrymen have re-
mained undaunted in peril, and patient in suffering : Thou
hast guided the counsels of our rulers, and strengthened the
hands of our soldiers ; Thou hast comforted the widows
and the „fatherless, and through Thy PrOvidence their afflic-
tion has been relieved. Grant, we beseech Thee, • that
every renewal of Thy loving kindness towards our country
may lead us to an unfeigned' thankfulness, and dispose us
to walk more humbly and obediently before Thee.
" And now, 0 Lord, when through Thy goodness
tranquility has been restored to our rich and fruitful
tearitory. in the East, direct, we pray Thee, the minds
of its inhabitants to the Author of our strength, and
Source of our power, even to Thee, the only true God,
and ;Jesus Christ whom Thou has sent. Let the light of
the everlasting Gospel disperse the darkness of idolatry
and superstition - which has encouraged their murderous
rebellion. Teach them to prize the benefits which they•
have long enjoyed through the supremacy of this
Christian nation, and so dispose the hearts of all who
sojourn there, that they may set forth, both by word and
good example, the blessings of Thy holy religion, : co
shall the calamities from which we have been mercifully
relieved, be overruled by the proniotion of Thy glory,
and the advancement of the kingdom of Thy blessed
Son, our only Lord • and Saviour : To whom with Thee
and the Holy Ghost, be all honour and glory, far eTer and
ever. Amen."