The Sun.
London, England, 1857-06-29 00:00:00

THE MEERUT MUTINY.

The Earl of ELLENBOROUGH said that in come
queues of the recentdisastrous intelligence received from
India, he rose to put a question to the noble lord oppo-
s:te. A few evenings ago he put a question to the Go-
vernment as to the measures they intended to take to
rrevent a great ,calamity that was then threatening.
He bad asked whether any instructions bad
been sent out to India to assure the natives that there
was no intention on the part of the Government to
interfere with the exercise of their religion. He received
no reply to that question. In the newspapers of the
day he had learned that a proclamation bad been issued,
which stated in the strongest terms that fact. But what
WAS the date when that proclamation was issued?
It was made known on the 16th of May,
when the mutiny had fully developed itself—
when a proclamation was made by the mutineers de-
claring a new King of Delhi. Now, the Government
bad ample notice in India of all the dangers that were
c ,ming upon them, for as early as the 22d of February
there was an incendiary fire near Calcutta. From.
that period, and for three months, there was
evidence of t`.3 d saffection in the army. On
the 25th of February the 19th Regiment mutinied
and was then disbandei. Oa the' 6h of March the
54th Regiment mutinied, and a system of revolt had
spread over the country. On the 31 of May Sir H.
Lawrence, having reason to suspect an outbreak, came
upon the disaffected regiments unawares and had them
disbanded and made prisoners. That officer had
acted with the greatest discretion in tauing these
steps. But what was the case at Meerut ? An officer
of the name of Hewett—an untried man--was in com-
mand at that place—where was General Anson, the
commander-in-chief, all this time ? He hoped he bad
still some regiments faithful to him ; but the accounts
just received were most deplorable:- Their lordships must
recollect that the present was a most severe season in
India. He was afraid that at this moment we could
not depend upon the regular army of Bombay. The
Irregular 3 might be depended upon, and the assistance
of corns of the native princes might be looked for, but
that was all. We must not disguise from ourselves the
fact that we were carrying on three wars in Asia upon
a peace establishment. The noble earl then condemned
the sending of so many men to China to assist Sir John
towring. We bad now a war on our hands which
required as great a force as it was possi-
ble to send out quite as great as that
which until lately raged in the Crimea. He recom-
mended the sending out to India a great military force—
that this country should be placed under arms, and the
militia embodied to protect the peace at home. He
wishell to ask what measures were to be adopted to
reinforce the army in India, and place us at home in
security ?
The Earl of GRANVILLE said he did not think it
would be wise to pronounce' any opinion upon the sub-
ject that the noble earl had• brought forward until the
arrival of the next-mail. The aspect of affairs in India
was no doubt serious, but he thought from the observa-
tions of the loble lords great and unnecessary alarm
would be excited.

[LEFT SPEARIN4.]

HOUSE OF COMMONS—(This Evening.)
The SPEAKER took the chair at four o'clock.
PRIVATE BUSINESS.

The Bristol, South Wales, and SAithampton Union
Railway, Dunkald and Enniskillen Railway, Great
Yarmouth Water, and West Somerset Railway Bill
were read a third time and passed.
_ .

The Burial of the Dead within the City and Liberties
of London, London (City) Coal Duties, Mallow and
Fermoy and Great Southern and Western Railways,
Milford Improvement, New Brunswick and Canada
Railway and Land Company, New Pier and Harbour,
and Railway, Oldham, Ashton-under-Lyne, and Guide
Bridge Junction Railways, West of Fife Mineral Rail-
way, Wexford Free Bridge, Worksop and A ttercliffe
Road, and Sittingbourne and Sheerness Railways B lls
were further considered, and ordered to be a read a third
time.
SUNDERLAND ELECTION. _

The SPEAKER announced that he had received a
communication from Mr. Gibson informing him that
Messrs. Cozson and Smith did not intend to proceed
against the return of the Sunderland election, and the
order was discharged.