The Sun.
London, England, 1858-05-21 00:00:00

murder of Europeans should be enlisted on our
side by the restoration of their ancient possessions,
subject to such restrictions as will protect, their de-
pendents from oppression, is in the opinion of the
Governor-General inadmissible.
3. The Governor-General entirely agrees with
you in viewing the talookdars and landholders of
Oude in a very different light from that in which
rebels in our old provinces are to be regarded. The
people of Oude had been subjects of the British
Government for little more than one year when
the mutinies broke out ; they had become so by no
act of their own. By the introduction of our rule
many of the chiefs had suffered a loss of property,
and all had experienced a diminution of the import-
ance and arbitrary power which they had hitherto
enjoyed ; and it is no marvel that those amongst
them who had thus been losers should, when they
saw our authority dissolved, have hastened to shake
off their new allegiance.
4. The Governor-General views these circum-
stances as a palliation of acts of rebellion, even
where hostility has been most active and syste-
matic. Accordingly, punishment by death or
imprisonment is at once put aside by the
Proclamation in the case of all who shall
submit themselves to the Government, and
who are not murderers ; and whilst confiscation
of proprietary rights in the land is declared to be
the general penalty, the means of obtaining more or
less of exemption from it, and of establishing a
claim to restitution of rights have been pointed out
and are within the reach of all without injury to
their honour. Nothing more is required for this
than that they should promptly tender their adhe-
sion, and help to maintain peace and order.
5. The Governor-General considers that the
course thus taken is one consistent with the dig-
nity of the Government, and abundantly lenient.
To have followed that which is suggested in your
secretary's letter would, in his Lordship's opinion,
have been to treat the rebels not only as honour-
able enemies, but as enemies who had won the day.
In the course of the rebellion, most of the leaders
in it, probably all, have retaken to themselves the
lands and villages of which they were deprived, by
the summary settlement which followed the estab-
lishment of our Government in Oude. If upon the
capture of Lucknow by tLe Commander-in-Chief,
before our strength had been seen or felt in the
distant districts, and before any submission
had been received or invited from them,
the rights of the rebel chiefs to all
their ancient possessions had been recognised
by the Government, it is not possible that the act
would not have been viewed as dictated by fear
or weakness. It would have led the people of
Oude, and all who are wetching the course of
events iu that province, to the conclusion that
rebellion against the British Government cannot
be a losing game, and although it might have
purchased an immediate return to order, it would
not assuredly have placed the future peace of the
province upon a secure foundation.
6. You observe, indeed, that the landholders
were most unjustly treated under our settlement.
The Governor-General desires me to observe that
if this were unreservedly the c Ise, or if the pro-
ceedings of the Commissioners by which many of
tie t elookdars were deprived of portions of their
possessions had been generally unjust, he would
gladly have concurred in your recommendation,
and would have been ready, at the risk of any
misinterpretation of the motives of the Govern

ment, to reinstate the talookdars at once in their
old possessions. But it is not so. As a question
of policy, indeed, the Governor-General considers
that it may well be doubted whether the attempt to
introduce into Oude a syst( m of village settlement
in place of the old settlement under talookdars was
a wise one ; but this is a point which need not be
discussed here. As a question of justice, it is cer-
tain that the lands and village] taken from tLe
talookdars had, for the most part, been usurped
by them through fraud or violent:.
7. That unjust decisions were come to by some of
our local officers in investigating and judging the
titles of the landholders is, the Governor-General
fears, too true ; but the proper way of rectifying
such injustice is by a rehearing where complaint is
made. This, you are aware, is the course which
the Governor-General is-prepared to adopt, and to
carry out in a liberal and conciliatory spirit. It is
a very different one fr,An proclaiming that indis-
criminate restitution of all their ancient possessions
is at ones to be yielded to the landholders.

B.' That the hoAility of the talookdars of Oude

who have been most active against the British Go-
vernment has been provoked, or is excused, by the
inju6tica with which they have been treated, would
semi to be your opinion.
But I am -t) observe, that there are some facts
which deserve to be weighed before pronouncing
that this is the caso.

9. No chiefs have been more open in their re-
bellion than the Raj ths of Ohurda, Bhinga, and
Gonda. The Governor-General believes that the
first of thee did not lose a single village by the
summary settlement, and certainly his assessment
was materially reduce]. The second was dealt with
in a like liberal manner. The Rajah of Gonda
lost about 3J villages out of 400 ; but his assess-
ment was lowered by some 10,000 rupees.
10. No ono was more benefited by the change of
goveinment than the young Rajah of Naupwa.
His estates had boon the object of a civil war with
a rival claimant for three years, and of these ho
was at once recognised as sole proprietor by the
British Government, losing only six villages out of
more than a thousand. His mother was appointed
guardian ; but her troops have been fighting
against us at Lucknow from the beginning.

11. The Rajah cf. Dhowrera, also a tniaor, was
treated with equal liberality. Every village was
settled with his family ; yet the3e people turned
upon Captain Hearsey and his party, refused them
shelter, pursued them, captured the ladies, and
sent them into Luc:know.

12. ILlaruf Box Khan, a large talockdar in
Gonda, who had long been an object of persecution
by the late Government, was establithed in the
possession of all his property by us, yet he has been
strongly hostile.
13. It is clear that injustice at the hands of the
British Government has notabeen the cause of the
hostility which in these instances, at least, has been
dispLyei toward-3 our rule.
14. The moving spirit of these men and of others
amongst the chiefs of Oude must be looked for
elsewhere ; and in Vie opinion of the Governor-
General it is to be found mainly in the repugnance
which they feel to suffer any restraint of their
hitherto arbitiary powers over those about them,
to a diminution of their imp o:iance by being brought
under equal laws, and to the obligation of disband-
ing their armed followers, and of living a peaceful
and orderly life.
15. Tue penalty of confiscation of property is no
more than a just one in suca cases as have been
above recited ; and although ensiderat ions of policy
and mercy and the newness d our rule prescribe a
relaxation of the sentence mo-e or less large:accord-
iL.g to the features of each case, this relaxation must
be preced ed by submission, an dthe Govern or-General
cannot consent to offer all, without distinction, an
entire cxernr,ion from permit!, and the restoration
of all former possessions, ever though they should
nut have been guilty of the nurder of Europeans.
hive,
(Signed) G. F. ED3IOISTONE,
Secretary to the Government of India with the
Governor-General.
Allahabacl, 31st March, 18E8.

LAW INTELLIGENCE--(Phis Day.)

COURT OF BANERUPTCY.
(Before Mr. Cornroi3i-htier Fane.)
IN BL PELHAII.

This bankrupt wasdescribedEs of Devonshire.roao,
Camden-town, and today came up to pass his last
examination on accounts prepaid by Messv. Cooper
and Heath). The bankruptcy was attributed to the
bankrupt having embarked in a speculetion fur fitting
up a tavern, on Snow-hill.
The bankrupt pasted.

EEEATUM.—In the pubhcatiot of the "Game List,"
in our impremion of the 15th inst Ant, an error occurred
by iccludirg the raze of " Goya. Romaine" in
the list of r none who had been eircharged for sporting
wit!out a certificate, instead of i 1 the list of persons
w'aJ ha,) obtained gamy certificatt3,