The Sun.
London, England, 1858-01-21 00:00:00

India bad been transferred to the Crown in
1854 there
would have been no insurrection, nor will it, I imagine,
be maintained that :if India was transferred to the
Crown to-morrow, there would any .
difference in the
policy that would be pursued, . either putting
down the rebellion, or in introducing reforms and im-
provements hereafter. The fact is, the policy of the East
India Company is the policy of the Government ; the
Ministers of the country are responsible for it, and the
country itself through their representativesin Parlia-
ment. But the fact which presses strongly upon my
mind, and to which I would wish to draw the special
attention of this Court, is the time that is selected for
making an organic change in the constitution of the Go-
vernment of India. Is this the proper time, I would ask,
to introduce such an important change ? In the midst
of a tremendous convulsion, when in many provinces the
landmarks of order are only jest now reappearing above
the waves of the deluge, when men's hearts all fail them
for fear, and terror and alarm per vade the length and
breadth of the land, is this a time to sweep away the
name and form of a Government under which the empire
has grown up, and which has always been associated in
the minds of the natives of India with good fortune,
prosperity, and victory ! Company IKaikbal is a house-
bold word throughout Hindoatan. We know with
what
tenacity the natives of India cling to old associations,
but we do not know, in the present unhinged and excited
state of men's minds, what effect a change may have on
them, which designing men will assuredly represent
as
only a prelude to further change fraught with evil to the
native community. Among the causes of the late insur-
rection, the belief by the Sepoys that the Government
entertained designs hostile to their caste was, without
doubt, a prominent one. This belief had been inculcated
by designing persons who knew better, but the belief
was genuine. I know that this has been disput d—that
the greased cartridges were considered to be a mere pre-
tence. A leading member of the House of Commons
stated, amid the cheers of that house, that "revolutions
are not made with grease ;" but those who know India
and the natives of India, and how caste is mixed up with
their temporal, and believed to be mixed up with their
eternal welfare, will not respond so readily to this pro.
found philosophy. We must not measure Asiatics by a
European standard, or we will fall into grievous error.
We are told that when the Romans invaded Egypt, the
inhabitantintwithoutthe least resistance, placed their lives
and property at the mercy of the foreigner ; but when a
Roman soldier happened to kill a cat in the streets of
Alexandria, the people rose upon him with ungovernable
fury, and tore him limb from limb, and the Roman
general was obliged to overlook the outrage from fear of
the spread of the insurrection. We all know of what
essential service the Sikhs have been to us during the
late troubles. Their glorious deeds at Arrah, at Delhi,
and wherever danger was thickest, can never be forgotten.
It is scarcely too much to say that the Sikhs and Sir J.
Lawrence have saved our empire. We know that they
have fewer prejudices than the natives of Hindostan,
and that in their habits they are mush more akin to
Europeans. And yet one of the best officers in the
Bengal army told me that his Sikh regiment was on the
verge of mutiny at the introduction of a new regimental
cap, because it was feared there might be some leather
in it. Suppose the Government had issued an order that
all the Sikh soldiers should wear leather caps. It seems
a trifling thing, and to the European mind almost in-
credible, but it might have driven the Sikhs to frenzy,
and perhaps it would have been said by senatorial
wisdom, " Revelations are not made with leather cafe."
Whatever our countrymen at home may think, they may
rest assured that the day has not arrived when a hand-
ful of Europeans can govern 200,000,000 of people in
the teeth of their strongest feelings, and in defiance of
their most deep-rooted prejudices. We have heard much
of late in condemnation of the traditionary policy of the
East India Company. What is this traditionary policy,
but a judicious adaptation of means to ends, a wise
toleration and respect for the feelings and prejudices of
the natives, which has ensured a calm and equable pro-
gress, and laid the foundation of greater strides in ad-
vance, which would have been jeopardised by rash and
hasty measures! This policy is not a stationary or a retro-
grade policy, but a policy of progress. It may, perhaps,
have moved too slowly, but the principles are sound, and
the only principles on which we could rule India. People
talk as glibly of re-conquering India as Mr. Cobden
used to tale of crumpling up Russia ; but Mr. Cobden
has lived to find out his mistake and Heaven forbid that
this country should commit the fatal error of placing
itself in direct antagonism to the people of India, under
the supposition that we can carry everything by brute
force and compulsion. Without undervaluing in the
smallest degree that undaunted courage, the marvellous
endurance, the chivalrous self-devotion of British sol-
diers which have never shone more brightly than daring
the late troubles, we must never forget that it is chiefly
through the assistance of the natives we have gained
India, by them we have maintained it, and for them we
ought to hold it. Not withstanding all that has taken
place, our mission is still the same—to elevate them in
the scale of nations, to bring them more and more within
the pale of civilisation, and pave the way for the spread
of that blessed Gospel which we are told by infallible
wisdom will, in God's own good time, cover the earth
as the waters cover the sea. We are continually taunted
with having done so little for India, with having held
the country for so many years, and impressed upon it so
little of European civilisation and improvement. Those
who bring this charge against the government of India
forget the progressive steps by which we have attained
our present commanding position ; that, in the first
instance, we were there by sufferance; that we then had
to struggle for existence, and that we had all our know-
ledge to acquire to enable us to legislate with effect for
a people so different to ourselves. Fifty years in the life
of an European nation are marked by the great strides
in advance, but 50 years in the life of an Asiatic nation
are not so pregnant with great changes. Still tried
_ley
insurrection shone out in bright contrast with what it
was a few years ago. It would occupy too much time
to attempt a recapitulation of all the improvements
and ameliorations that have been the consequence of
British rule. A memorandum has lately been prepared
in the India House showing the improvements in the
administration of India during the last thirty years,
and its persual will, I feel assured, afford to every
candid and unprejudiced mind ample evidence of real and
substantial progress. Hall has not been achieved that
could have been wished, much has been done, and there
has been the earnest, honest desire to do more. There
have been, no doubt, great and grievous failures. But
under what government have there not been failures ?
Often those failures have led to ultimate success ; many
of those most condemned have been based upon the
deliberate and recorded opinions of the most intelligent
and distinguished servants of the Company, and have
only served to show the difficulties with which we have
had to contend. For these difficulties no allowances are
made by the opponents of the East India Company.
Every sort of exaggeration and misrepresentation is put
forth to excite the public mind ; until lately scarcely a
voice was rwieed in defence of the Company's administra-
tion, but the public are beginning to feel that this dark
picture has a reverse side. No institution sr govere-
ment which is always attacked and never defended can
long be maintained. I must confess I have al wars con-
sidered it bad policy to hide our light under a bushel •
and I have always thought that this court might have
been made the medium of exposing unfounded accusa-
tions, and of giving to the public sound and accurate
information regarding the details of our administration
in India. Thera is no greater security for good govern-
ment than public discussion ; the public in general do
not err wilfully, but through ignorance and want of
information ; and it is the bounden duty of those in
office to furnish that information to the utmost extent,
and, in the. freest manner compatible with the interests
of the public service. Amongst the topics which have
tended to create those prejudices against the East India
Company in the public mind there are two special ones
to which, if the court will permit me, I will briefly allude.
These topics are the torture question and the religious
question, the latter comprehending the question
of education. Now I think late events in India h
eavee
thrown a flood of light upon the question of torture.
In the first place it will now be clearly understoodv
in England of what the natives of India are cap able
broad when left to themselves. It will be seen how is
the line of demarcation between the native and Euro-
pean mind, and to what depths of fiendish cruelty the
Asiatic can descend. Not that I would include all the
natives of India in this category. I believe there are
hundreds and thousands who look upon the barbarities
which have been committed with equal horror with
ourselves. lam prop It) number amongst my friends
many of the natives of India. It will be understood I
speak of what cruelties the natives are capable of, and it
will be also understood with what impenetrable secresy
they can envelope their schemes and proceedings. This
is a feature in the character of the Asiatic which the
people of England cannot comprehend. It is with such
instruments as these we have to work in carrying on the
administrat'on of India. I believe that there is no
amount of tyranny and cruelty which is not at times in-
flicted on the ryots by the native servants of the Govern-
ment, but they know very well that such acts are
abhorrent to their European Superiors, and are breaches
of the law, and that they would be severely. punished if
detected. The practice of torture has existed in India
from time immemorial ; it still exists in
full
native Governments (witness General vi; our under
ennc vlee's , D ary
in Oude,") and under our own in spite'dendeavours to
put it down, and will exist until the light of civi iheation
and Christianity dispe's the thick darkness that
over that land, and renders such practices as abhorrent
to the native as they are to the European mind. I
admitted torture exists, but it existi in spite of the Eastle
India Company. It is known to be a breach of the law
as much as murder and highway robbery. It ie punished
whenever detected, and the East India Company and
the European servaut 4 might with equ,,l. justice be
accused of being ace s-oriel to i: fantic!de, hocus-
sing, sutteeism, or any of the o'her atrocities which
are gradually disappearing under their rule. Ne
unprejudiced man can read t'io. report of The
Madras Torture Commis-inner? , dated Apr 1 16, 1855,
without acquitting the East India Co npary and tare.
servants. The commissioners stale that "gees pract c_s
are decreasing in severity and extent thaf,
vice is entitled to the fu.leet credit for its. discle,m.
all countenance of the cruel practices which prevail in
the revenue as well as the police department;"4iees that "
we
have seen nothing to impress us the eief that the
people at large entertain an idea thati"their inaltnatineet
is countenanced or tolerated by the European (2fficars of
Government;" that " there is not a public servant
from the hisheat to the lowest, who does well know
that these practices are held in abhorrence by Elm-
people
pean superiors ;" and that “the whole cry ofy
thlfeB
which has come up before us is to save them
cruelties of their fellow-natives, not from the effectsrofthe
unkindnese or indifference on the part of the European
officers of Government." I think this evidence is seffi-
Men t to show how unprovoked are the accusa. ions against
the East India Company and their European servants of
sanctioning or conniving at practices which every En-
glishman must abhor, and which, if true, would disgrace