The Sun.
London, England, 1858-11-15 00:00:00

THE CAUSES OF THE INDIAN .REVOLT.

(From the Delhi Gazette of Sept. 29.)

SEAL OF BAHADUR SHAH BADSHAH GHAZEE MAHAM-
MAD DARA BITKHT, WALI NIAMUT KHALAF, MIRZA.
KARIM TM SUJAH BAHADUR.
It is well known to all that in this age the people
of Hindostan, both Hindoos and Mahommedans,
are being ruined under the tyranny and oppression
of the infidel and treacherous English. It is there-
fore the bounden duty of all the wealthy people of
India, especially of those who have any sort of
connexion with any of the Mahommedan Royal
families, and are considered the pastors and masters
of their people, to stake their lives and property
for the wellbeing of the public. With the view of
effecting this general good several Princes belong-
ing to the Royal family of Delhi have dispersed
themselves in the different parts of India, Iran,
Turan, and Affghanistan, and have been long since
taking measures to compass their favourite end ; and
it is to accomplish this charitable object that one
of the aforesaid Princes has, at the head of an
army of Affghanistan, &c., made his appearance
in India, and I, who am the grandson of Abul
Muzuffer Sarajuddin Bahadur Shah Ghazee, King
of India, having in the course of circuit come here to
extirpate the infidels residing in the eastern part of
the country, and to liberate and protect the poor
helpless people now groiningunder their iron rule,
have by the aid of the Majandeen, or religious
fanatics, erected the standard of Mahomed, and
persuaded the orthodox Hindoos who had been
subject to my ancestors, and have been and are still
accessories in the destruction of the English, to
raise the standard of Mahavir.
Several of the Hindoo and Mussulman chiefs,
who have long since quitted their homes for the
preservation of their religion, and have been try-
ing their best to root out the English in India,
have presented themselves to me, and taken part
in the reigning Indian crusade, and it is more than
probable that I shall very shortly receive succours
from the west. Therefore, for the information of
the public, the present Ishtahar, consisting of
several sections, is put in circulation, and it is the
imperative duty of all to take it in their careful
consideration and abide by it. Parties amaious to
participate in the common cause, but having no

means to provide for themselves, shall receive their
daily subsistence from me, and be it known to. all
that the ancient works, both of the Hindoos and
the Mahommedans, the writings of the miracle
workers, and the calculations of the astrologers,
Pundits, and Rammals all agree in asserting that
the English will no longer have any footing
in India or elsewhere. Therefore it is incumbent
on all to give up the hope of the continuation of
the British sway, side with me, and deserve the
consideration of the Badshahi. or Imperial Govern-
ment, by their individual exertion in promoting the
common good, and thus attain their respective ends,
otherwise, if this golden opportunity slips away,
they will have to repent of their folly, as is very
aptly said hy- a poet in two fine couplets, the drift
whereof is tbat—" Never let a favourable oppor-
tunity slip, for in the field of opportunity you are
to meet with the ball of fortune ; but if you do not
avail yourself of the opportunity that offers itself
you will have to bite your finger through grief."
No person at the misrepresentation of the well-
wishers of the British Government ought to con-
clude from the present slight inconvenience usually
attendant on revolutions that similar inconveniences
and troubles should continue when the Bacishadi
Government is established on a firm basis ; and
parties badly dealt with by any Sepoy or plunderer
should come up and represent their grievances to me,
and receceive redress at my hands ; and for what-
ever property they may lose in the reigning dis-
order they will be recompensed from the public
treasury when the Badshahi Government is well

fixed.
Section I.—Regarding Zemindars.—lt is evident
that the British Government in making zemindary
settlements have imposed exorbitant jummas, and
have disgraced and ruined several zemindars, by
putting up their estates to public• auction for ar-
rears of rent, insomuch that on the institution of a
suit by a common ryot, a maidservant, or a slave,
the respectable zemindars are summoned in court,
arrested, put in gaol, and disgraced. In litigations
regarding zemindaries the immense value of stamps
and other unnecessary expenses of the Civil Courts,
which are pregnant with all sorts of crooked deal-
ings, and the practice of allowing a case to hang
on for years are all calculated to impoverish the
litigants. Besides this, the coffers of the zemin-
dars are annually taxed with subscriptions for
schools, hospitals, and roads, &c. Such extortions
will have no manner of existence in the
Badshahi Government, but, on the contrary,
the jummas will be light, the dignity and
honour of the zemindar safe, and every zemin-
dar will have absolute rule in his own zemin-
dary. The zemidary disputes will be summarily
decided according to the Shurrah and the Shasters.
without any expense, and zemindars who will assist
in the present war with their men and money shall
be excused for ever from paying half the revenue.
Zemindars aiding only with money shall be ex-
empted in perpetuity from paying one-fourth of the
revenue ; and should any zemindar who has been
unjustly deprived of his lands during the English
government personally join the war he will be
restored to his zemindary and excused from paying
one-fourth of the revenue.

Section ll.—Regarding Merchants.—lt is plain
that the infidel and treacherous British Govern-
ment have monopolised the trade of all the fine
and valuable merchandise, such as indigo, cloth,
and other articles of shipping, leaving only the
trade of trifles to the people, and even in this
they are not without their share of the profits,
which they secure by means of Customs and
stamp fees, &c., in money suits, so that the people
have merely a trade in name. Besides this,
the profits of the traders are taxed with postages,
tolls, and subscriptions for schools, &c. Not-
withstanding all these concessions, the merchants
are liable to imprisonment and disgrace at the
instance or complaint of a worthless man. When
the Badshahi Government is established all these
aforesaid fraudulent practices shall be dispensed
with, and the trade of every article without excep-
tion, both by land and water, shall be open to the
native merchants of India, who will have the bene-
fit of the Government steam-vessels and steam.
carriages for the conveyance of their merchandise
gratis ; and merchants having no capital of their
own shall be assisted from the public treasury. It
is therefore the duty of ever- merchant to take pßrt
in the war, and aid the Badshahi Government with
his men and money, either secretly or openly, as
may be consistent with his position or interest, and
forspear his allegiance to the British Government.
Section lll.—Regarding Public Servants.—lt is
not a secret thing that under the British Govern-
ment natives employed in the civil and military
services have little respect, low pay, and no man-
ner of influence, and all the posts of dignity
and emolument in both the departments are
exclusively bestowed on Englishmen ; for natives
in the military service, after having devoted the
greater part of their lives, attain to the post of
subadar, the very heio-ht of their hopes, with a
salary of 60r..ta0-m7oorn. mensem; and those in the
civil services obtain the post of sudder ala, with a
salary of 500 r
but no influence, jageer,
hCaozmarmi Government,andaft
or present. But under the-Badshahi
like the posts of colonel, general, and
in-chief, which the English enjoy at present,n the
-
given to the
correspondinsgipppaohs s s
aplaLiseasd iw,
ill bn je
anindthe military s.ervice sadder like the post
nativesh a z ari ,
secre-
of collector, magistratejud
tghee,
Europejaundgcei;il
ser-
tary, and governor, which