The Sun.
London, England, 1852-10-12 00:00:00

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LONDON, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1852.

A remarkable and, in many respects, masterly
paper on the subject of the East Indian Company's
Charter, appears in the current number of the New
Quarterly.* The extraordinary importance of the
question involved in this subject commands for it, at
once, the attention to which it must at all times have
been acknowledged to be entitled, but which at the pre-
sent juncture has become absolutely imperative with
every humane and patriotic Englishman. Under any
circumstance we should have welcomed an argument
in favour of the obvious and inalienable rights of our
Asiatic dependents, but now, when the intrinsic value,
or rather the actual existence, of those rights is about
to be brought under the consideration of the Imperial
Legislature, we are anxious to further with all pos-
sible earnestness the statements here appositely put
forward by our esteemed contemporary. It must be
remembered, in the first instance, that the
matter is one of no ordinary nature, but
affecting in an intimate manner the destinies of
no less than 150,000,000 of GOD'S creatures I Upon
the decision about to be arrived at by the Parlia-
ment of Great Britain will depend the happiness or
the misery of that astonishing number of our fellow-
beings—their happiness or misery, recollect, for
twenty years to come—as CHEIT SING intimated
years and years ago, their wealth or want, their cul-
ture or rain, their life or death, under the still
problematic influence of a good or an evil Govern-
ment. A grand, nay, more—a very solemn and very
awful reflection I A reflection which should weigh
upon the conscience of every thinking man in the
United Kingdom with the sense of a supreme and
fearful responsibility. It reminds us in an astounding
manner of the vastness of the administrative labour
which has devolved within the last century upon
the nucleus of the Anglo-Saxon race, namely, upon
those members of the great family of mankind who
happen to be denizens of this little cluster of islands
—the inhabitants of what may be called the British
Archipelago.

What we are required at this juncture to decide is,
simply the relation in which, during the next twenty
years, the Hindoo slave shall stand in regard to
his conqueror and so-called protector, the Trader
Sovereign. We are bound to consider within the
next few months whether or not, during the con-
siderable interval of time before specified, we shall
hand over again " one hundred and fifty millions of
human beings" to the almost irresponsible authority
of a "corporation of capitalists." Hitherto we have
postponed the settlement of this gigantic political
difficulty with a negligence in the highest degree
culpable, and indicative of a very shameless and flagrant
indifference. England has allowed her attention to be
diverted again and yet again from the solemnity of
the question therein submitted to her scrutiny and
judgment by occurrences inferior in themselves, but
more closely affecting her own fortunes, and some-
times, it must be admitted, her own stability. Pre-
cisely as the time has come round in which the re-
newal of the powers entrusted to the Court of Direc-
tors in Leadenhall-street devolved upon the Central
Government, the interests of the nation have been
almost exclusively concentrated upon some question
more immediately influencing the fortunes of the
British multitude. It was thus, in 1782, when the
people thought more of themselves than of their
Asiatic fellow- creatures in the presence of the Northern
Confederacy, of the war with France, and of
American independence. It was thus twenty years
afterwards, when Europe was involved in the
struggle consequent upon the French Revolution.
Twenty years again elapsed, and we were still battling
fiercely with our gold and our arms, with military
tactics and political intrigues, against the veteran
soldiers of the Emperor NAPOLEON. Another twenty
years, and the nation having but just accomplished the
labour of Catholic Emancipation, was involved in
the absorbing agitation excited by the projected re-
forms about to be carried out in the general organi-
zation of the Commons
another twenty years hailveotiesleapsoefd,Paanrldi a mEenngtia
England

• See pp. 343-352 in the October number (iv.) of
6, The New Quarterly Review and Digest of Current Li-
terature," a periodical characterised by delightful fresh-
ness and distinguished ability, although published at less
than half the price of its other quarterly contemporaries.
Hookhan3 and Eons, 15, Old Bond- street.

summoned once more to the task of deciding impar-
tially, deliberately, and—let it never be forgotten—
most responsibly in what manner the affairs of Hin-
dostan are henceforth to be regulated, in what form
one hundred and fifty millions of our " fellow-sub-
jects" in that quarter of the globe are to witness the
permanent stabilitation of their government.
Happily a comparative lull has at this juncture de-
scended upon the Supreme Councils of the United
Kingdom. The Northern Confederacy has been
broken up. The war with France has terminated.
The American Independence has been arranged and
recognised. The French Revolution has passed
through very many phases of its development, through
agony and through glory, until it has assumed at least
an aspect bearing somewhat the semblance of consoli-
' dation. The Great NAPOLEON has been dead more
than thirty years from the present time, his ashes
have been reposing more than ten years under the
gorgeous dome of the Invalides, the heir
of his fortunes and the representative of his
family has been presiding for nearly four years over
the administration of the French Republican Govern-
ment. Catholic Emancipation has been acceded to as
incorporated among the statute-laws of the realm
even by the most earnest supporters of the English
Church Establishment. Parliamentary Reform, so
far from being considered impracticable even by the
most prejudiced minority, is allowed on almost all
hands to be a question necessitating the toils of a
progressive and properly graduated development.
The Free-Trade System has been at length accepted
as an unavoidable necessity, even by the more in-
fatuated sticklers for the dogmas of Protection. The
Revolutionary turbulence of 1848 and 1849 has sub-
sided into a complete and universal tranquillity.
Ireland itself, relieved from the presence of its
disloyal and infuriated agitators, has subsided into a
state of quietude long unknown amongst her in-
poverished and unfortunate population. It is under
these propitious circumstances, it is at this pacific
juncture, it is in the midst of such wide-spread pros-
perity, that England finds herself again summoned
to the task of deliberating upon the often-deferred
problem of her Oriental Government. GOD grant
that the Parliament of Great Britain may acquit
itself of the solemn responsibility now devolving
upon it in a manner becoming the legislators of
those vast and scattered realms which alike own al-
legiance to the gentle sceptre weilded by the hand of
the English SOVEREIGN ! GOD grant that the result
of our approaching deliberation may not prove by the
lapse of time that the Anglo-Saxon rule in the
East has continued to be a curse instead cf
a blessing to 150,000,000 of souls, created like
ourselves, redeemed like ourselves, and entrusted by
PROVIDENCE to the care and the conscience of oar
Government ! GOD grant that England may in all
respects regard the sacred rights of Hindoatan, and
that the Oriental races may have no longer reason to
abhor the supremacy of their trading conquerors!
The Indian question will now very speedily have
to be sifted in Commission, the result of that examina-
tion will have to be debated in the Legislature, and

:he decision arrived at in consequence will then have

to be sanctioned by the Crown and enforced by the
Government. Our legislators and administrators
will consequently have to consider within the limit of
next year's Parliamentary session whether the powers
entrusted hitherto to the Court of Directors shall be
renewed, whether one hundred and fifty millions of men
shall be subjected again for another quarter of a cen-
tury to the rule of a " corporation of capitalists," or
whether England shall assume to herself the enor-
mous and responsible privilege of thoroughly and
radically re-organizing the whole system of the Bri-
tish Oriental Government. In order to solve this
difficulty, it must no longer be said, " the question
will be taken up in haste, decided in haste, and we
shall crowd the discussions into a few weeks, and
postpone all discussion until the eve of the decision,"
as was formerly remarked with painful accuracy of
prediction by Sir JAMES MACKINTOSH. It must no
longer be said to the national Representatives, as was
indignantly done by Mr. MACAULAY when he occu-
pied the position of Secretary to the Board of
Control —" A broken head in Coldbath-fields
excites more attention in this House than
three pitched battles in Hindostan !" Party spirit,
moreover, must at length give way in a matter over
which it has hitherto exercised a disgraceful and
alarming predominauce. We must no longer wit-
ness such odious tergiversation as was witnessed in
1784, when Fox advocated and DUNDAS successfully
opposed an East India Bill identical in character
with the measure which only two years before,
namely, in 1782, Fox had opposed and DUNDAS ad-
vocated ! Proceedings very different from these
must now, we believe in our hearts, illustrate the
deliberations of the British Legislature. For the
anxious observation of the country must at last be
directed to the decision arrived at in regard to the
future conduct of the affairs of Hindostan. The
difficulty can be no more blinked. The country
can no longer be hoodwinked in refe-
rence to the conduct which has been
pursued by the Court of Directors. Already the
people of England have heard from the lips of an
authoritative witness that most extraordinary con-
fession, that " the larger the territory the greater the
debt," under the hitherto tolerated system of con-
fused and blundering administration. Yet more the
inhabitants of these islands have found, even now, that
that lamentable acknowledgment has been most de-
plorably verified ! For while it has been seen that
the recently conquered territories of the Siekhs, the
Mahrattas, and the Beloochees, have secured by the
annexation of Sande, the Punjaub and the Sutlej,
an addition to the actual revenue of our eastern pro-
vinces of 5,000,0001., a permanent additional outlay
of more than 6,000,0001. has thereby been incurred
showing that there has been actually added
to the general deficit by these means, a new
deterioration of 1,472,0021. sterling I Altogether
it proves, on inquiry into the official statistics of 1852,
that the Indian revenue amounts to only 20,221,9521.,
while the Indian debt (exclusive of what is termed
the " home debt") amounts to 44,204,0801.1 For a
detailed exposition of these and other melancholy
truths of a similar character we would here, there-
fore, for the cogent reasons already enumerated,
direct the most earnest attention of the English
public to the arguments advanced upon the subject
by the New Quarterly. Humanity not less than
patriotism imperatively demand at this juncture that
the condition of the Hincloo multitude should be
weighed in the balance of judgment by every generous
and conscientious Englishman.

Extraordinary decisions sometimes are given in the
Metropolitan Police Courts. One of these was
given, last Wednesday, in Worship-street, by Mr.
D'EYNCOURT, the magistrate. We shall state the
facts as reported, give the magistrate's judgment
and remarks, and leave the public to judge between
the delinquent and the magistrate, the offence and
the punishment.

A. man, named CHARLES JONES, described as
"an athletic, resolute-looking fellow," was brought
up at Worship-street, before Mr. DTYNCOURT, on
Wednesday, charged with the committal of a series
of scandalous outrages. It was proved, in evidence,
that a small lad, aged thirteen years, named HENRY
MORGAN, was in the gallery of the Standard Theatre,
in Shoreditch, on the preceding evening; he felt
very thirsty during the performance, and, having
gone out to procure a draught of water, returned
quiheoeotlnyldtorethanemseeatpohsesehssaidonleof i
ft
it the
tbth f
ee
prriosnot. Beforenerseized
him under both his arms, raised him up over the
outer part of the gallery, and violently attempted to
throw him down headlong into the pit. To use the
words of WILLIAM LAMBERT (One of the door-
keepers of the theatre), " the prisoner, who appeared
to be determinedly bent upon his purpose, had suc-
ceeded in getting the little fellow's legs over the iron
bar, but the boy clung with desperation to the rail,
and screamed for help in the greatest terror, as the
depth from the gallery to the pit was but little short
of 70 feet, and if he had been hurled over there could
be but very little doubt that he would have been
killed. Witness, however, instantly caught hold of
the lad, and succeeded with some difficulty in rescu-
ing him from his perilous position, but he had no
sooner done so than the prisoner made a rush at him,
and after striking him several sharp blows in the face,
declared with an oath that he would fling him over
dragged
d h
e down i
thew n untilbar_
next. The prisoner then seized hold of him by the
hair of his head and forciblyerson projectedl (r
the upper part of his person