The Sun.
London, England, 1857-09-12 00:00:00

MR. HENLEY ON INDIA.

In acknowledging the toast of " County Mem-
bers," at the meeting of the Thame Agricultural
Society, on Thursday, the Right Hon. Mr. Henley
said, speaking of the Indian revolt :

" Whatever cause of complaint against our rule there
may have been, it is impossible to suppose that there
was any real connection between it and what has taken
place. An army of 80,000 or 100,000 men, without
notice, without grievance, without rhyme or reason, have
turned against those whose salt they have eaten, whose
pay they have taken, and in the meat treacherous man-
ner have not only murdered their officers, whom they
were in duty bound to protect, but have either in their
own persons wreaked, or have permitted others more
wicked than themselves to wreak, the most horrid bar-
barities on women and children, before the very eyes of
those most nearly connected with them, who were spared
from butchery only long enough to see tho:e most dear
to them ill-treated and butchered, and were then destroyed
themselves. I believe that history does not furnish so
terrible an example of what man is capable of be
coming when once he bursts the bends of decency
and forbearance. Now for all this there must be a
day of reckoning. (Cheers.) They are English men,
and English women, and English children who hare
been thus used ; and it is not in the nature of English-
men to allow those dear to them to be treated in this
manner without exacting a terrible account. (Cheers.)
If the 20,000 or 40,000 men who have been sent
out to set tnia matter straight are not sufficient, I feel
sure there will not be wanting 100,000 men to rectify
this terrible and grievous wrong. It, is a matter which
sets aside all social questions for a time. We have a
mighty wrong to redress. But we must not be impa-
tient in this matter. I believe our best chance of the
mutiny being put down is that thele black vagabonds
should continue to herd together in Da'. I call them
vagabonds, for the first thing they, did was to throw
open the gaols and let loose all the thieves and cut-
throats they could find. In all revolutions you find that
if men are not honest the first thing they do is to let
loose others who are worse than themselves. Honest
men do not want such help as that. New if these
fellows are all banded together in that city of Delhi, I
hope they will stay there till October or Nivember, when
our reinforcements will arrive in tke country, when they
will be like rats in a trap, and a good account will be
given of them. If by some mistake we were to march in
at one side and these blackguards march out at the other,
we shall have a great deal more trop` le to catch them.
Therefore, instead of regretting that we have not yet
accounts of this city being taken, I believe it will he better
to let the thing come to a head. My experience in killing
all sorts of vermin is that it is much better to get them
into a corner than to hunt them all over the field. I be-

_ .
lievo our permanent chances of success would not have
been so great if the city had been taken, and therefore
there is nothing to be disappointed about, great as the
crisis is. We have had greater struggles than this before
now. It is not wise to say it is not a great evil, to be
grappled with and overcome, but if I know anythirsz of
the spirit of my countrymen, it is precisely when difficulties
are to be overcome that you and out what Englishmen
are. (Cheers) In prosperous times nobody would believe
how Englishmen, when the hour of trial comes, will
throw aside all differences, and, seeing what is to be
done, will set shoulder to shoulder, and hang together to
do it. (Cheers.) It is just 100 years ago since a few
of our countrymen won this empire, and now, with our
power so much increased all over the world, with the
means of communication three times as rapid as they
were, I will not believe but that we eaanot only con•
quer again, but keep it with the ntm, at .noslible safety.
(Cheers.)