The Sun.
London, England, 1853-07-30 00:00:00

has shown them that such settlements may be
sources of direct profit, as well as of strength.
When we restored the island of Java to the Dutch, i
it yielded us a surplus revenue of 1,000,0001. ster- I
ling. - The comparative scantiness of the native
American population of the United States is no ob-
stacle to the formation or maintenance of such set-
tlements. The number of Anglo-Saxon officials
and-officers we employed in governing Java: did
not probably exceed 400 or 500, and the Americans
could embody and organise whatever Irish or native
troops were required for the protection of such set-
tlements as readily, and probably much more eco-
nomically and efficiently; than ourselves.
" Had the American steam-ship Susquehannali
been able to ascend the Yang-tse-kiang, Nankin
might have been saved to the Imperialists, and the
fate of China possibly changed. This circumstance
would seem to point out the utility of attaching as
tenders to large vessels of war employed in coast
operations small iron steamers of little draught,
able to sail or steam, like the Nemesis. This use-
ful class of steam-vessels has been hitherto alto-
gether negleCted in the English and American na-
vies. The present position of affairs in China ren-
ders it more than ever desirable that the Burmese
war should be brought to an immediate termina-
tion, and the naval force now employed in the Ir-
rawaddy thereby rendered available for the protec-
tion of British interests in China. It is, moreover
evident that the opium revenue of the Indian Go-
vernMent can no longer be considered a permanent
source of income, and that it therefore becomes
1 essential to devise some means for diminishing,
i
commensurately,
: the expenses of the East India
Company's adminiStration of Great Britain.
" In the overland summary taken home by this
there will be,finind.tlaree petitions to Paa-lia- ,
ment, two from Bombay and one from Madras,
priaying- that no permanent legislation regarding
India may be entered into without the fullest in-
vestigation having taken place, and urging the ne-
cessity of a Royal Commission in India, in order
that its natives may have an opportunity of prov-
ing the truth of their complaints ' • and a similar
petition is in course.of signature at Calcutta.
" The Madras petition being the shortest of
these, I have selected it for notice, as embodying
the substance of them all. The public meeting of
the native inhabitants of that capital, which had
been convened by the Sheriff for its consideration,
took place *on the 21st of May, and was attended
by 1,500 natives. The proceedings commenced
by the native chairman explaining to the meet-
ing the object of the petition. He reminded his
hearers that the English Ministry had proposed
to legislate for India forthwith, though only one
of the eight heads into which the inquiry had
been divided had as yet been gone through,
and that to this one, which embraced only the
home and local agencies for administrating the
government, Lord Aberdeen intended to con-
fine the whole of his legislation, leaving the
revenue and judicial system and all the other
evils complained of in their previous petitions
to continue as they are for the period of the
renewed charter ;—that a modification of these
administrative agencies was of course extremely
desirable, but that that alone would produce no
change in the internal management of the country;
and that, unless the grievances they complained of
were thoroughly investigated, and their redress
specifically ordered by the Imperial Parliament,
the local Governments, left to themselves would
refuse investigation, deny their existence, and con-
tinue them in perpetuity ; that it therefore behoved
them again to petition Parliament against the
Prime Minister's resolution, and to beg that no
permanent legislation might be entered into with-
out the fullest investigation having previously
taken place, and to urge the necessity of a royal
commission of inquiry in India, in order that they
might have the opportunity of proving the truth
of their complaints, and also to repeat their prayer
for the reconstitution of the Indian Government
on the model of that Ceylon.
-- " The petition was then read. It recapitulates
shortly the principal grievances and liabilities com-
plained of by the Queen's Hindoo subjects ; it
comments on the one-sided character of the evi-
dence taken by the Parliamentary committee,
pointing out that the witnesses examined were,
without a single exception, persons who have
received or are in the receipt of benefits from the
East India Company ; that from such witnesses
it is, of course, impossible that the actual state of
stings.cart be correctly ascertained ; that nothing
krtV.-alialt*tand : impautial• invetAigation.44ne.Ahia,
country; accessible to the complainants as
well as to the defendants, can enable Par-
liament to realise the real state of India and
the many and heavy grievances and disabilities
under which all the Queen's subjects who are not
members of the privileged service labour. They
therefore respectfully request that a Royal com-
mission may be appointed, before whom they may
have the opportunity of proving the facts advanced
in their former petition. They adduce as a prece-
dent for such local commissions the appointment in
1814 of the one of which Sir T. Munro was the
head, for the purpose, of inquiring into and amend-
ing the judicial system then obtaining. They com-
plain of their exclusion from all places of trust
and responsibility in their own country, and of all
such places being monopolised by a small privileged
and exclusive service, composed of foreigners who
take no interest whatever in the welfare of the
country they govern and whose members, more-
over, admitted to be no better educated, or other-
wise qualified for such appointments, than them-
selves. They also state, that they are deeply hu-
miliated, and deeply aggrieved, at the unjust dis-
tinctions made between themselves and her
Majesty's other colonial subjects. And the petition
concludes with a prayer that a Royal commission
—composed of Europeans and natives conjointly,
chosen partly in Europe and partly in India—may
be issued, to enter upon and complete the necessary
investigation in this country. Four or five natives
having spoken in illustration of some of the specific
grievances complained of, the petition was put to
the meeting and unanimously adopted. It is now
in course of general signature, and will go home by
the, next in.ail.,"

"The Burmese are busy fortifying positions be-
tween Meeaday and their capital. The most
southern of these posts. is .commanded by Meatoon;
and, being situated close to Meeaday, has been re-
connoitred:by some-of our Tight steamers. It is said
that Meatbon boasts his, intention of driving us
into the sea, and that the Burmese Government
have still faith in his proinises.
" The papers lait published by Parliament on
the subject of the Burmese war have surprised us
much in India, by showing that our energetic
Governor-General, rather than General Godwin,
is the person answerable for the Fabian conduct of
the war. It appears thatLerd Dalhouse considered
it more conducive to the prestige of our arms and
more expedient in all respects to stand on the de-
fensive in Pegu than advance on the Burmese
capital, merely- to abandon it. He states that such
an advanee,would be very' expensive, and that its
only fruit would be a treatywith. ,a barbarian Power,
whose .treaties were no' S?...eurity for peace and not
worth a reed on which 'they are written, and that
the retrogression conseqiient on such an advance
would' be prejudicial to' the
.character of our arms
, in the eyes of the adjacent States.
The line of policy Lord Dalhou has adopted
---,an armed cessation of hostilities- considered-
was the one meat, ,penducive to illelirstsge of-our
arms and the economy of life and treasure.
" But this course has certainly not led to the
results he anticipated ; the regular troops in Bur-
malt, instead of being reduced to 5,000, continue
nearly four times that number, the only reduction
in their strength haying been by disease and death.
The. Calcutta papers have published a return,
showing that 1,352 English soldiers, 54 European
officers, and upwards of 2,000 sepoys, have died
during these protracted and inglorious operations ; ,
officers and men alike are weakened by disease and.
disheartened by inaction, and every steamer from
Burmah brings intelligence of further casualties
from the climate ; the last brought news of the
death of Colonel Coote and three other officers,
and of the serious indisposition of Commodore
Lambert. By the latest accounts the Burmese
were evidently anticipating the advance of our
troops on Ava, and all their measures were for
defence ; but they will soon learn Lord Dalhousie's
intentions from the Indian papers, aid it is to be
hoped they will misconstrue the motives of our for-
bearance, and invade our new provinces sufficiently
early in the rainy season to enable us to avail our-
selves of the Irrawaddy as a high read to the capi-
tal. It might not be worth our while to retain the
northern provinces of the Burmese Empire ; but
our allies, the Rajah of Munipore and the King of
Siam, would thankfully accept any' territories we
considered it inexpedient to annex.
" The news from China is of increasing interest.
The intelligence seat home by the last mail was
most contradictory, even at Shanglai, and so late
as the sth of May nothing certain was known re-
garding the progress of the rebels. Insurgent pro-
clamations had indeed been received, stating that
on the 31st of March our Emperor established
the seat of his Government at Nankin, having
thoroughly slaughtered the Manchop thieves, not
leaving a dog or a fowl remaining • and, accord-
ing to another account, the city cad been taken
by the rebels on the 21st of March (;he discrepancy
being probably due to the Chinese reckoning by
the lunar 'month) ' • but other accounts stated that,
though Nankin had fallen temporarily into the
hands of the insurgents, it had been immediately
recaptured by the Imperialists, whc had pursued
the rebels and signally defeated them with great
loss some miles to the southward. A fourth ac-
count stated that Nankin had not fallen at all.
Another alleged insurgent proclamation announced
the rebels' intention of marching immediately
_ _

against the stinking foreigners at Shanghai, who
are not worthy to be considered nen.' On this
the said foreigners organized themselves into a
militia for self-defence, and Sir G Bonham pro-
mised, as a matter of course, to mist them but
he replied to the requisition of iho local native
authorities, for assistance, that would re-
-Serve..to Ititi self thtdright to ejeteK,...,:line
that shoal be pursued when the cirettinsta
that should call for interventi* were before`
him.' It was stated that the iiino.erican pleni-
potentiary, as far as he could, was assisting the
Imperialists. The American steam-frigate Susque-
hanna was sent up the Yang-tse-Kiang for the pro-
tection of Nankin, but from her size die was un-
able to get up so far, and returned witiout effect-
ing anything. Meanwhile the greatest uncertainty
continuing to prevail at Shanghai, Sir G. Bonham
resolved to obtain accurate information for him-
self, and accordingly made a _trip up tll3 Yang-tse-
Kiang in her Majesty's steamship Hermes. He
remained five days at Nankin in communication
with the insurgents (whom he found had been in
possession of the city for more than a month), and
returned to Shanghai on the sth of May. The
Hermes brought back the astounding intelligence,'
says the North China Erera?,d, ' that the insurgents
were Christians of the Protestant form 'of worship
and anti-idolaters of the strictest order—not merely
formal professors of a religious system, but practi-
cal, spiritual Christians, deeply jammed by the
belief that God is always with them.' They
treated Sir G. Bonham the interpreter to the Con-
sulate, Mr. Meadows, with every respect and con-
sideration, and in a walk of 10 miles through their
camp the latter did not hear one of those abusive
and derogatory epithets applied to himself or
companions which have always been so liberally
bestowed on passing foreigners by the heathen
Chilies°.
" The insurgents had evidently abundance of
money, and were busy strengthening themselves
in their new acquisitions. The Hong Rong Register
objects to Sir G. Bonham's visit to the rebel head-
, quarters, and to his holding conference with their
chiefs (though even only for the purpose of ex-
plaining to them that he intended to remain
neutral), as a moral backing of their cause—in-
compatible with his profession of strict neutrality,
of which the insurgents cannot fail to take advan-
tage, and. of which the Imperialist Government
may justly complain. The same paper ridicules
the idea of the practical Christianity of the insur-
gents ; it has long been notorious that several
Chinese who had received a missionary education
were among the rebel leaders ; and, with the know-
ledge that the English and Americus were Pro-
testant Christians, some of these were probably
put forward as samples with a view to impose on
the British Plenipotentiary and to enlist the sym-
pathies of English and American Christians.
"It, however, appears certain that there is a
good deal of professed Christianity imong the in-
surgents. When the late Dr. Gutzlaff was last in
Europe a native Chinese society h 3 had formed,
called the Christian Union,' was broken up, and
many of its members are known to be among the
leaders of the present movement, The Hong Kong
Register states, that at the late interview at Nankin
one of the rebel leaders made mention of Dr. Hob-
son, of the London Missionary Society at Canton, We have received by this mail two letters from
and said that in his hospital, when under medical our correspondent. The first is dated Hong Kong;
treatment, he had first hearC of Christianity. May 24, and is as follows :
The Hong Kong Register allows that no one " The mails of the 24th of March and the Bth of
can say what amount of Christianity may April from London arrived here on the 22d inst.
be in their ranks, but concludes the prac- The delay in the arrival of the March mail was
tical Christianity exhibited by the rebel occasioned by an accident to the machinery of the
leaders at Nankin to have been assumed, because steamer between Suez and Galle.
there was wild fanaticism ant extravagant im- " The China news by this opportunity
Their leader, taut. is impor-
posture to be found among them.
Tae-ping-wang, the Prince of Peace,' claims a 4‘ The latest dates from Shanghai are to the 10th
sort of divine origin and mission, and has constant instant by her Majesty's brig Lily- The accountst
revelations from angels, like Alahomet, whom he The
morever exceeds in the article d wives—at least ordinary, and for the future full of interest.
of the rebellion in the north and south are ex ra-
so says the Hong Kong Begistc —which also ridi- • ty's Plenipotentiary in
successful coup of her Majesty's
cules him for having added a codcil to the seventh proceeding up the Yang-tse-kiang to Nankin can-
commandment, forbidding the Lse of tobacco and
not but give general satisfaction. His Excellency's
opium. The same paper is, however, constrained object must have been to obtain correct informa-
to admit that the proceedings of these men have tion of what was going forward, and to explain to
been of a wonderful character, and if success which the rebel chiefs the strict neutrality to be observed
has gone along with them to a ooint we never con- by her Majesty's Government in this contention,
tempated or dreamt of, still follows them till they and to relieve as far as possible the British and
succeed in subverting the present Government, the foreign community at Shanghai from a painful state
change will be one of the greatest wonders of of suspense, in which at one time they were, for
the age. the safety of their lives and. property.
" Long before Sir G. Bonham's visit to Nankin " His Excellency, though unfortunately his
it was believed by many that at least a large pro- position would not admit his having a personal
portion of the rebel leaders were Christians. interview with the insurgent chiefs, had daily coin-
Several Christian proclamations had appeared pro- munication with them through his officials, having
fessing to emanate from the new Emperor, but it remained three days off Nankin. The insurgents
was objected that these were probably orgeries, declared they never had any intention of attacking
got up by some of the Christians known to be shanghai ; their object was to advance to Pekin.
of Nankin, which they
among them. They were in possession
"The vessels of the United States Japan squadron were fortifying, having a force there estimated at
are assembling in the harbour of Shanghai. T e 8,000 original rebels, and about 25,000fr0m Honan,
principal and evident object of the expedition is the Hopih, and other provinces, on whom they can de-
establishment of American settlements and coaling pend, to which may be ,added the rabble who join
stations in the China Seas, for the protection !
them at the capture of towns for the sake of plunder.
and encouragement of their rapidly increasing They also possess Chin-kiting-foe on the south, and
Eastern trade ; the experience of European natives I Yan-chan-foo, on the north side of the Yang-tse.

MILITARY INTELLIGENCE.

CASUALTIES BY DEATH IN INDIA SINCE THE DEPARTURE

OF THE MAIL ON THE 29TH MAY.

Her Majesty's Troops.—Lieut. E. Bagenall, Bth, the
King's Regiment, frominjuries inflicted by a tiger, at
Deesa, on the 24th May. Assistant-Surgeon Johnston,
her Majesty's 75th Regiment, at Umballa. Lieut. John
Speirs, 86th Regiment, at Poona, on the 4th of June.
Lieut. R. H. Montgomerie, 86th Regiment, at Prome,
on the 15th May. Colonel Coote 18th Royal Irish, at
Burmah. Lieut. R. Pilmer, hst or K.0.L.1., at
Burmah.

Madras.—Lieut. Callow, 2d European Light Infantry,
of small-pox, at Secunderabad on the 27th May.
Bengal.—Captain A. Macintosh, 52d Native Infantry,
at Neemucb, on May 20. Lieut. Hook, 73d N. 1., of
cholera, at Burdwan, on the 21st May. Captain W.H.
Smith, Gist Native Infantry, at Patna, on the 18th May.
Assistant-Surgeon W. Owen, at Midnapore, on the 24th
May. Major Gifford, invalid establishment, on board
the Queen of the South, 17th May. Col. W. A. Yates,
C. 8., at pawnpore, on the sth June. Captain Austen,
18th Native Infantry, at Umballa, on the 24th May.