The Sun.
London, England, 1860-12-21 00:00:00

Indian armies, you succeeded, with the least pos-
sible effusion of human blood. (Cheers,) British
supremacy in India—being suddenly and unexpec-
tedly assailed by an army of 100,000 men of our
own training, familiar with the scientific resources
of war, possessed of fortified cities, ample maga-
zines, and an incredible store of arms and artillery,
maintained a continued struggle, through seasons of
great severity, until 40,000 Europeans had fallen,
either on the field or in hospital, and for a moment
the fate of British India appeared to tremble in the
balance. In 20 months, however, from the out-
break Great Britain had recaptured every city, re-
conquered every-province, reoccupied every station,
and had beaten every army, and pursued to de-
struction or dissolution every flying band of muti-
neers ; and your lordship's name will ever be in-
separably connected with the attainment of these
results. (Cheers.) It was your lordship's reported
wish, on leaving our shores to assume the command
in India, " That you might, by the blessing of God,
be enabled speedily to report the mutiny quelled,
and to return the sword into its scabbard never to
draw it again." (Cheers.) The former part of that
wish, has been happily fulfilled, and in presenting
to your lordship the right hand of fellowship as a
citizen of London, and begging your acceptance of
a sword, I express, in the name of every member of
this corporation, an earnest hope that the latter part
of your lordship's desire may also find its accom-
plishment, and that, enjoying health and long life,
you may rest upon your laurels, and never be called
upon at the stern bidding of ruthless war to draw
from its scabbard the sword we this day present to
you. (Loud and prolonged cheers.)
Lord the sword and bowing his
acknowledgments,taking the
Lord Mayor and
Gen-
tlemen, I feel more deeply than I can express the
greatness of the double honour which you have
conferred upon me. As a freeman of this great and
illustrious city, lam proud to be enrolled on the
glorious list of those who have done good service to
their country. I accept with gratitude the mag-
nificent present which has now been placed in my
hands. At the age of 15 I was present with my
regiment at the battle of Vimieira. (Cheers.) You
will not expect a plain soldier, whose life since
then has been spent in the active service of his pro-
fession, to reply in adequate terms to the eloquent
and too flattering address of your Chamberlain.
(Cheers.) I have received at the hands of my gra-
cious Sovereign honours far beyond my deserts.
(No, no.) I receive the costly and beautiful sword
now presented to me in the name of the city of
London as a token of the favour and approbation
of the greatest and wealthiest city in the civilised
world, and to the last day of my life I shall prize
your gift beyond anything I possess. (Loud cheers.)
My words are but poor and feeble to express my
gratitude ; but, while endeavouring to convey my
thanks to you, allow me to call attention to the
noble courage and devotion which animated all
ranks in her Majesty's service, frem the present
Commander-in-Chief in India and my gallant friend
beside me to the private soldier in the ranks.
(Cheers.) Nothing short of the untiring and deter-
mined exertions of all, from the highest to the
lowest, could have insured the success which you
have this day been pleased to recognise and reward.
An old and humble soldier of my country, I again
thank you, my Lord Mayor and Gentlemen, mem-
bers of the Corporation of London, for the great and
signal honour you have conferred upbn me. (Loud
cheers.)

The CHAMBERLAIN, addressing General Outram,
whom the Lord Mayor, in consideration of his
feeble health, desired to resume his seat, said,—Sir,
—At the date of the resolution of this hon. Court
which we meet this day to carry into effect there
existed two branches of military service in India,
distinct as it regarded organization, and with an
individtiality and history of their own, possessed,
nevertheless, of so many admirable features in com-
mon that they were justly regarded as twin ser-
vices. This hon. Court; having in its wisdom de-
termined to confer, in the person of the noble and
gallant lord, such honour as it might on the Bri-
tish army, resolved also to bestow a similar
compliment on yourself, as the best exponent and
embodiment of the varied excellencies which dis-
tinguished the late gallant Indian army. (Cheers.)
At the very outset of your career in connection with
that service we find you with only 200 men attack-
ing and utterly routing a force of 800 insurgents
strongly posted in the hill fortress of Mulair, thus
cutting short by one blow an insurrection which
caused considerable anxiety to the Indian autho-
rities. Immediately upon this success you
were selected by Governor Elphinstone for
the accomplishment of a task which few
would have been intrusted with, and fewer
still would have undertaken, it being gene-
rally esteemed impracticable—a task which the
future historian, taking a calm review of the past,
will, if I mistake not, select as the most remarka-
ble accomplishment of your eventful life; I allude
to your subjugation and civilisation of the Bheels
of Candeish. (Cheers.) This most degraded race
of savages, apparently untameable, with a thirst
for blood in common with the tigers of their inac-
cessible jungles, regarding murder as a pastime,
and robbery as a sacred institution acceptable to
the infernal deities whom they were accustomed
to propitiate with blood, with no single accomplish-
ment of civilisation, but an inveterate addiction to
the use of ardent spirits, became the terror and
the scourge of the fruitful province of Candeish,
and constituted for many years the " difficulty "
of the Government of India. The utter extermina-
tion of this race had been seriously suggested to,
and entertained by, the authorities, as the only
possible measure by which peace and security of
life could be obtained. The elevation, however,
of the degraded beings appeared to some minds a
practicable measure, and, if so, a more glorious
work than their extermination ; and of you, sir,
the proudest thing I can say on this occasion is
that the task, apparently hopeless to many, was
proposed to you for accomplishment, and that you
both accepted and performed it. (Hear, hear.)
Penetrating into their almost inaccessible fast-
nesses, you first convinced them of your power ;
then, sending back your troops, alone, unarmed,
and beyond the reach of human protection; you
cast yourself upon their mercy; acting upon the
assumption that they were of the same blood
with ourselves, you ventured your life to con-
vince them of your generous intentions. (Cheers.)
Eliciting latent sympathies in their rugged na-
tures, you enthroned yourself in their affections,
obtained a moral ascendancy over their deeply
degraded hearts, and ultimately succeeded in
forming out of such materials a numerous,
well-disciplined, and efficient body of troops, the
loyal protectors of the peace and security they had
so long violated with impunity. (Renewed cheers.)
This success—a source of profound astonishment to
all who witnessed it—procured for you the most
complimentary expressions of thanks from every
branch of the Indian Government. It is impossible,
in the compass of a few minutes, adequately to
allude to all the varied services you have rendered
during 40 eventful years. Between the years 1840
and 1856 we find the Government of India con-
tinually availing themselves of your varied qualifi-
cations and vast experience in Indian affairs in a
great variety of capacities, both military and poli-
tical, and at the close of the latter year, the Home
Government having declared war against the Shah
of Persia, you were selected to command the expe-
dition despatched to effect a descent on the Persian
coast.
Arriving in camp in January, 1857—a year
so memorable in
India—your measures were de-
vised so judiciously, and
executed so energetically,
by the combined British and Indian forces under
Gy oouvie*
renommemnatuwdetrheactonalcle thed
by the spring of that year. ed , daenmd atnh de swoafr tt he
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dh
But for this happy
promptitude of action neither
ear, hear)
yourself, nor the
deeply-lamented Brigadier Havelock—
(h
—with his devoted division, could, humanly speak-
inn, have appeared in the plains of India at the I ,
very crisis of the mutiny, to hold in check rebel-
themselves with honour, and
lion, to cover to find
too many of them, a soldier's grave. It must suf-
ficeT
in alluding to the share which ou had in the
lrnow, and the suppression
relief and capture of Luc—. ,
of the mutiny, to affirm that where all acted
one in all the
heroically, you were second to no