The Sun.
London, England, 1858-03-17 00:00:00

unfortunately become necessary. We trust, how-
ever, that not merely liberation, but a hand-
some indemnification for the prisoners will be

required.

The conduct of the new Government has certainly
more than justified the hopes entertained by Lord
J. RUSSELL, and to which he gave candid expres-
sion on Friday evening. This is another and a
very conclusive argument in favour of the fair
play, which is all that has been required on their
behalf. Hitherto the interests of England or the
English have not been deteriorated by their advent
to office, and it will surely be time enough to
complain when any grave mistake may be disco-
vered that shall afford just ground of complaint
against the foreign or domestic policy of the
DERBY Cabinet.

Our readers will remember the "Memorandum"
we introduced to their notice not long ago, of " im-
provements in the administration of India during
the last thirty years." With comfortable self-
complacency it reviewed the progress made in
almost all departments, and assumed that all re-
dounded to the praise and glory of the East India
Company—of that company which the ungrateful
Sepoys have sought to overthrow, and to which
an equally ungrateful English people are deter-
mined to administer, by PALMERSTON or ELLEN-
B9ROUGII it matters little to them which, the
final and fatal blow. Anticipating the stroke, it
folded its "Memorandum" gracefully like a robe
around itself, and prepared to fall as became in-
jured innocence.

One or two alarming errors, or oversights, we
pointed out at the time, besides others of less im-
portance. It was, especially, obvious, at first
sight, that the period referred to was that during
which the attention of this country had been
growingly directed to the condition and wants of
India, and that the influence of public opinion at
home had been more powerful on the Court of
Directors, and on the Board of Control too. This
notorious fact, without going into details, sub-
tracted sadly from the value of the memorandum,
as a substitute for fig-leaves. It seemed to hide
the shame, indeed, of the Company, now that
somewhat tells them they are naked, but, alas,
the clothing wag hardly honestly acquired ; such
as it is, it really belongs to the British public, and
was picked up and patched together in a fright,
as the only possible shift.
Nor i that all. It has been shown to be sadly
ragged. We have now before us a pamphlet, by
one who tells us what he has seen and known in
the territories and administration of the dying
Company, and the unfortunate memorandum cuts
a rather sorry figure beside the plain facts fur-
nished us by the indigo planter. The writer speaks,
too, from experience gained by a twenty-
five years' residence on his own
extensive estates in India, and his memorandum
is not anonymous. We refer to " A Reply to the
Slemoranduin of the East India Company ; or, an
Insight into Briti,h India. By JOHN FREEMAN,
Esq., twentylive years a resident ix, Bengal, a
landed proprietor, and extensive indigo planter
iii Bhaugulpore and various other districts."
1 Mr. FREEMAN frankly admits all that has been

meritorious : the introduction of the cheap postage
system and of the electric telegraph. " I eagerly
and gladly," he says, "bear testimony to one
good work completed by the Indian Government.
The promptitude, perseverance, and energy dis-
played by Dr. O'SHAUGH.SESSY in establishing the
electric telegraph is deserving of all praise." It is
but another proof, however, that if the East India
Company had really possessed earnestness of pur-
pose, difficulties would have been speedily
overcome. Mr. FREENIA.N takes the " memoran-
anm" beginning Ho denies that. 4-1)o
permanent settlement by Lord UORNIVALLIS was
" a mistake." He asserts that better courts of
justice under the settlement district are all that is
wanted. He denounces the Ryot war, and the
north-west systems, and shows that they are only
attempts to squeeze the poor cotter more and
more tightly, till in numerous instances the Go-
vernment have been obliged to forego its exorbi-
tant demand, because they literally could
not be enforced. " Incessant squeezing" is, in the
Company's vocabulary, termed " revision." The
Company attempts to allow that the opilm
revenue is entirely a tax on foreigners. Two facts
are rather awkward, however. Ist. The poor
ryots are compelled by the Government peons to
accept advances from the Government, and perse-
cuted by all kinds of false charges to extort money.
2d. The ryot receives from the Government but
three rupees for what it sells at its auction rooms
for fifteen rupees ! Another tax, the salt mono-
poly, has the praiseworthy results that the Com-
pany sells for 103. what cost it ls. 100., or
makes a profit of Bs. 10. par cwt.—that it costs
t great part of the natives 15s, before they get
it—and, that then, having been four times adul-
terated, it in reality costs them not less than 20s.
per cart.

With regard to the customs, trade, and general
prosperity, the trade is not one tithe of what it
ought to be ; bat the only advance of importance
is since 1834, when the Company were pro-
hibited from carrying on trade any longer.
The trade was opened in 1817, but no
one could compete with a company which
made good its losses out of patronage and revenue
—*ghee then, but certainly no thanks to the com-
pany, the advance has been considerable, and
would have been immense, but for two things,
the Company's disgraceful discouragement of inde-
pendent Europeans, and their alinnt entire
neglect of canals, railroads, and roads generally,
to open India to the coarnerca of Eigl tud. Toe
evident truth is that the c)mpiny wished for
anything rather than a large influx of indepen-
dent merchants, manufacturers, and colonists. A.
civil service enriched by the taxation of heathens,
not a commercial community enriching and indi-
rectly Christianising the country, WAS their real
object.