The Sun.
London, England, 1824-08-14 00:00:00

FOR THE SUN.

FREE PRESS.
(N0..11.)

SHORT FACTS, AND HONEST OPINIONS.
" By premature efforts to accelerate the progress of the bless-
ings it is our hope to import, we shall not only hasten our own
downfall, but replutige the' natives of India into a state of
greater anarchy and misery than that from which. we relieved
them." (Sir Joint IVlALcomit.)

MR. EDITOR.—I am certain of my last letter
falling into proper hands, as your Journal has a
great circulation in the country, and is in consi-
derable request among Indians. I now resume
the important question, but before closing that
part of our subject which relates to the Euro-
pean part of the Indian community, I wish to
give an extract from the speech of the Chief
Justice ; it contains sound and practicable doc-
trine, and after his late expression (in my fortiner
letter), and confirmed by those who know Sir
FRANCIS, and the terms which he was on with
the Government will not accuse that eminent
man of th►e least shadow of partiality to the
" powers that be."—
" It appears to me to be assumed in the argu-
" meat, that Calcutta is as free a land ai Eng-
" land. Whether it be advisable for the liber-
" ties of Englishmen, or for the inhabitants of
44 Calcutta, to grant a free constitution to India,
" I shall never inquire.; but I shall always re-
" joice at the spread of liberty. I know that
" many are of opinion, that India is a proper
" country for the introduction of the same liber-
" ties as those enjoyed by Englishmen at home;
" but I also know that others are of quite a dif-
" ferent opinion. Among these, Sir Wm. JON ES,
44 a zealous and ardent lover of liberty, is one;
" and he says, that the introduction of liberty
" into India would be worse than the most odi-
ous tyranny. If we are to have a free consti-
" tution in India, I shall be glad if any one who
44 can do so, will tell me upon what principle we
can found our right to it ? I must own I do
44 not know the text or the comment. I must
execute the laws as I find them. I confess I
" am at a loss whence the idea, that a British

" subject, or any one else, has a right to the li-
" berties of England in this country has arisen ?
Cl I really know of no place where there is a
CC more rational liberty than in Calcutta. Indus-
" try is encouraged there, and I never knew an
" individual who had any claim to it, complain
"of a want of patronage and attention. I never
" was in any society where individuals were more
" free and fearless ; and they may well be, where
" they have nothing to fear in the expression
"of their sentiments. I
say that a Free Press
" catalog
such a Government
" as this is, is quite inconsistent and incompa-
" tible, and they cannot stand together."
Few men can be displeased with the foregoing
opinion, and none can censure it, either as uncon-
stitutional or arbitrary. I am, Mr. Editor, fear-
ful of trespassing too much on your valuable co-
lumns ; I have tried hard to condense my sub-
ject, but I cannot get into narrower limits. It
is my bounden duty, as a servant of the Govern-
ment, to speak of an Indian subject, one, which
is of the most momentous character that has for
a long time engaged public attention. I think
it not only my duty to speak fully and candidly
on what concerns a country from whence I de-
rive my bread, and my family their support ; I
should be an ingrate, did I not raise my voice
when I see India threatened with danger and fu-
ture ruin, by the chimerical projects of men, who
may or may not mean well, but of whose ulte-
rior intentions no man can form any certain con-
jecture. The present appearance of what a free
press has achieved, gives us a sorry promise of
the future ; by many I know its progress is light-
ly estimated ; had its career, however, not been
checked, its course in a short time would have
become irremediable. That mighty engine, the
Free Press, in a conquered country, where we
are as one to fifty thousand, is an alarming in-
strument in the hands of the public of India (as
they are miscalled), without any counteracting
influence as in England by other classes, all of
whom are more or less concerned and identified
in the prosperity and safety of the State. How
widely dissimilar is the state of society in India
where the free press, and the said public, are to
have uncontrolled sway. In that country the
native population is restless, military and power-
ful. The free settlers discontented, ambitious,
and intelligent, and the other body the imme-
diate servants and stipendiaries of the Govern-
ment ; and is this a public, as we understand
the word in England, where every class is de-
pendent or coalescing with the other, where every
man knows his duty in society, and the dangers
he exposes himself to by misconduct? Bow vastly
, different is the public in India, where for the
major part they have nothing to lose either in
character or property, and every thing to gain by
overthrowing the British Power, and substituting
their own rule, till they, in their turn, are mas-
sacred and expelled, and the country become
again the prey of the Mussulman, or fall in part
to the grasp of the Russian. This is not speculative
reasoning nor unsupported argument. Unrestrain-
ed liberty of publishing and writing, and the
permanent establishment of Christianity, will
indubitably in the course of thirty years be the
cause of a revolution in India, and finally expel
us from the country. It is hard to differ with
men so very respectable, nay, eminent as Messrs.
HUME, D. KINNAIRD, and LAMBTON. .111 a free
Government, however, men must and will differ
in opinion; and however Mr. Hu SI S:'s distinguish.
ed services, general knowledge, and residence in
India, may give some weight to his arguments,
we shall probably find in examining these gentle-
men's speeches some few fallacies, nrisconcep.
tions and errors, us will be seen bye and bye,
and even the master spirit, with his great and
varied talents, who has brought the talents and
services of these and other gentlemen into play,
will be strewn to be defective in his arguments
and erroneous in his statements.

Let me here, before, ^we finish the subject of
Europeans in India, put a question in the kindest
and most respectful way to Mr. LAMlrrori. Sup.
pose an itinerant demagogue were to proceed to
his collieries, and by haranguing his numerous
colliers, reading to them false and indent-
matory writings, reflecting on Mr. Lima-Fox,