The Sun.
London, England, 1858-11-22 00:00:00

PRICE 4D. STAMPED, SD.

BRITISH SOLDIERS IN THE EAST.

The people of England are beginning at length
to reflect that, if India is from henceforth mainly
to be maintained by British troops, the foremost
matter to be seen to is how best to preserve the
health and economise the energies of the men.
They- are right in this ; these are the very first
things to be considered. We have hitherto pro-
ceeded either as if they were the last, or as if there
was no particular occasion for bestowing any
consideration on them at all. Until within
the last ten years the Horse Guards acted as if
their aim had been to destroy and demoralise the
men as fast, as possible, and the mutinies
themselves have not half the lives to answer
for Whitehall red-tape has destroyed within the
past 20 years. The men were provided with the
heaviest and most inefficient weapons and worst
possible clothing, to begin with ; these we shall
pass by, as the home authorities begin to see the
error of their ways, and amend. A rigid attention
to the regulations, as the regulations in these
matters were wont to be attended to, -would have
lost us last year's campaign. By some extraordinary
arrangementthe men were, till 1850,in three•fourths
of cases, despatched so as to be sure of arriving
,during the rainy season, when their services
could,„ not be required,• and their., heal th
was certain to suffer. The allowance of intoxi-
cating liquor during the voyage was such as to
make one-half of them drunkards before they
touched Indian ground at all. The Horse Guards
never condescended to consult the India House as
to the date of despatch, nor did the home military
powers deem it requisite to state beforehand for
what presidency troops were intended. A regi-
ment turned up of a rainy morning at Bombay or
Madras which the military authorities at these
places respectively believed on its way to Calcutta,
when the barracks were damp, moss-grown, or
.mildewed, and not the slightest preparation had
been made for the reception of troops. The '
remedy for this last was brought about by a
newspaper. On hearing the Matter made constant
subject of complaint, and being assured that no re-
presentations sent to the Home authorities received
the slightest attention, we, in 1841, caused our
London Correspondent to insert in his shipping
list the number of men embarked, and the place of
their destination. We are speaking under the most
rigid review of facts; all these things were duly
tabled at the time, with the full approval of autho-
rity. The men, as already stated, on arriving in
the rains, were started for the Deccan as quickly as
possible ; but it is only within these ten years that
the slightest shelter on- the way was provided for
them; on they marched through floods of water under
deluges of rain, sleeping in swamps for six nights
on end. The transfer from Bombay to Poona com-
monly in these days cost 1 per cent. in the course.
of a fortnight, or at the rate of 24 per cent. on-
the year' had-this rate of mortality been kept
As we had taught the men to drink on the voyage
out it was but natural the accomplishment should
be kept up, so every morning, when the stomach in
the East is most weak and languid, and tea and coffee
are naturally wished to soothe it, we fired off the
" morning dram"—a dose of red-hot poison, to in-
flame the blood and bowels and create a thirst other
drams could alone allay. Old officers told you that the
abolition of this would create universal mutiny. In
the first year of his reign the Marquis of Dalhousie
said the abomination should cease, and it did cease;
the most inveterate drunkard was ashamed to com-
plain, all but confirmed drunkards held it as a
blessing to be kept aloof from temptation. All these
things came to pass within 10 years to the saving
of the lives of thousands; until- within these 20
years none of them ever seem to have been thought
of. So far4have we done well, but we have barely
made a beginning. The task before us when once
commenced will be found quite as easy as those
now seem that have been performed, and infinitely
more important.—Bombay Standard, Oct, 14.

THE RIGHT HO A: E. P. BOUVERM, AT

KIL3L4RNOCK.

On Thursday the Right Hon. E. P. Bouverie
M.P., addressed a meeting of his constituents. In
the course of his speech he said he did not think
that either himself or his constituents need to be
convinced of the expediency of parliamentary re-
form; they had all been of that opinion for a long
time. Now, one important and main part of any
future reform bill must be an extension of the fran-
chise. (Cheers.) No bill without including that
would deserve the name of reform; for they all
knew that there were large classes of people in this
country who were quite competent to use the suf-
frage, and who ought to have it. If Lord Derby
proposed a measure that would enfranchise these
masses, he would have his hearty support—(ap-
plause)—for he was very strongly in favour of
granting political liberty to all classes. A man was
a better man for the possession of the franchise, if
he has the ability to use it. He thought there were
a great many of his fellow-men who could use it
creditably, and he saw no reason for their not
having it at once. The true theory of governing
was to give the greatest amount' possible of political
liberty that was consistent with good order and
just laws in society, and the franchise should only
be restricted when its extension would interfere
therewith. (Applause.) There was another point
connected with the subject of reform which he was
not quite of the same opinion as was often
entertained—he referred to what was called equal
electoral districts. Now, it was a favourite
notion that there should be electoral equality in
this country.. That did not mean the country was
to be cut up into squares like a chess board, and so
many representatives appointed to each. It meant
that the number of representatives should be deter-
mined by the amount of the population. He owned
that he was not in favour of that proposal. He
was quite of opinion that there were a great many
small places that might justly be disfranchised and
their members given to larger constituencies. That
would be a good thing ; and so far he wanted a
,than3e in the electoral districts. But he was
against settling the matter entirely by population.
He did not know that it would be for the advan-
tage of the kingdom if London, with its population
equal to that of Scotland, returned as many mem-
bers as the latter did, nor did he think that it
would be advantageous to the Kilmarnock Burghs
if Glasgow, with her 400,000 inhabitants, were
permitted to represent her peculiar habits and
pursuits and feelings by ten times as many as
themselves. Then, let them look at the allotment
of representatives to Ireland and the country that
gives the smallest number of members to popula-
tion. Now, if they had recourse to population for
deciding the number of members, they must at
once grant fifty additional to Ireland. He re-
spected the Irish members, but he did not know
nor did he think they were prepared to say that
the Irish element should be increased so much
(Hear, hear.) He put it to them, whether they
thought the country would get on better if London
were permitted to send one-sixth of the whole
Members of Parliament, and remarked that,
while he would be satisfied to destroy some of the
smaller burghs with 300 or 400 voters, it would not
be advantageous to distribute the ref resentation
entirely according to population. He concluded an
address, which occupied upwards of an hour in the
deliveiy, by a reference to the long. frie▪
ndship
which had existed between his constituency and
himself, and remarked that, though he mig▪ ht not
have done exactly in conformity with their views
when the emergency called
him, he had, to the best
of his ability, acted upon his judgment of what was
best for the interests of the country ; and he was
quite sure that they believed and felt that, on the
whole, they would be better represented by his
pursuing such a course of conduct, than
every occasion, considered himself merely as their
mouth-piece.
A vote of thanks was unanimously passed to Mr.
Bouverie at the conclusion of his address.

NEW FINE ART SOCIETY.—The newly esta-
blished" Society for the Encouragement of the Fne Arts"
is rapidly maturing its plans, and will, we understand,
come before the public with a detailed programme in the
course of a few days. It speaks well for its prospects that
it has the Earl of Carlisle for its president, and that amongst
its vice-presidents are the names of the Earl of Ellesmere,
Lord Feversham, &c. The inaugural meeting will take
place towards the end of the month, or on an early day in
December.
[ADVERTISEMENT—Rarey's Horse and Cattle Impro•
ing Food is equally adapted to improve the stamina of ill-
conditioned Horses, Cows, Bullocks, Calves, Sheep, and
Pigs. It causes no extra expense, as it contains far more
and better nourishment than its cost of ltd. per feed sup-
plies in corn and hay; hence ensures an actual saving in
the keep. But its principal advantages are a great improve-
ment in the digestive functions, the stamina and general
condition of horses enabling them to perform far more
labour without getting distressed. It imparts new vigour
to sick, debilitated, or old apparently worn-out horses, and
it puts rapidly the finest flesh on cattle generally, and im-
proves the milk in cows, as it enables them to extract the
entire nourishment out of everything they feed on. Rarey
and Co., 77, Regent's Quadrant, Piccadilly, London.
Packed in tins of about 90 feeds, I ls. ; in casks of about 4 )0
feeds, 505.; of about 1,000 feeds, £5, being about lid. per
feed.