The Sun.
London, England, 1857-12-23 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

The Sepoy Revolt. By Henry Mead. John
Murray.
This is a thoughtful and valuable work well de-
serving of consideration at the present epoch,
when so much discussion may be expected, and is
now going on, on the subject of the government of
our Indian possessions. When all have seen the
direful results to which the public indifference on

the subject has brought us, when those most pre-
jinliced and most averse to change are forced to
mit that some alteration is imperative, all works
written by those acquainted with the working of the
present system, in a fair and candid spirit, deserve '
attention. The author of the present work is de-
cidedly opposed to the government of the Company,
and gives at length his reasons and argumentts.
He gives a narrative of the recent disasters, and
adds what in his opinion, aro the causes and conse-
quences of the revolt. Speaking of the Company's
rule, he says with truth—
The overthrow of the Company's rule has long been
felt to be only a question of time. It could not possibly
have survived many years longer ; but the sepoys have
simplified the labours of orators and journalists. The
immediate proclamation of the Queen's Government
throughout India would be worth 50,000 men, on the
side of law and order. Of the princes and nobles who
have taken up arms against us, there is not a man
but is fully conscious of the overwhelming might of
England, and who is riot impressed, in the main, with
a belief in the desire of the imperial authority to do
justice to the people of Hindostan. Only by such a
change cen we safely temper justice with mercy. An
amnesty on the part of the East India Company, how-
ever narrow in its provisions or distant in date, would
be attributed to fear. The fighting class would have no
respect for the Government which they had once over-
turned ; the native capitalists would never forget that,
even in Csleutta, the bonds of the public debt had been
almost unsaleable at 25 par cent. discount. The trading
millions would shrink from embarking their means in
ventures beyond the reach of their own supervision and
control ; the servants of the state would have no reliance
on the permanence of their means of livelihood. Ever
in the minds of all men would survive the memory of
past events, and the thought that what hal been might
be again.
He says in another part that it is useless to put the
European race in competition with the Hindoo,
and say they shall not rule over them. This has
been proved again end again, and whatever system
was adopted the native superiority of the race
would undoubtedly manifest itself. But then the
laws should be for all, and acomprehension of those
laws be disseminated among the people. It is
useless to have a code of laws that will redress the
wrongs of the weakest if he does not know it, and
big oppressor takes care not to inform him. On
this subject our anther observes—
Though we may fail to teach the natives the truths
of our theology, we may easily acquaint them with the
nature of our legislation. Our object should be to pro.
tect them against the better knowledge of their own
countrymen, who charge upon British authority their
own acts of monstrous oppression. We want to see the
Elindoo armed by his knowledge against the assaults of
power, and made as impervious to an illegal act as the
European or East Indian. We cannot teach him Socrates
and Shakspeare ; but we can make him acquainted with
the powers of native officials, and instruct him in the
method of procuring redress for ju,tice. We may fail,
for some generations to come, in making him a moralist,
patriot, or Christian ; but we may convert him into
coutei,ted sutject ; we can train his selfishness in the
right direction, and enable him to curb the exercise of
inimical power by showing him the secret of his own.

Na• ive reformers, he remarks, if they had the offer
of the English constitution would very probably
reject it. They would like to pick out the parts that
suit them ; they would likea Ilcuseof Lorclsofßrah
mins, and a House of Commonsinproportion, " but
if a barber's son claimed to lead the filet, and the
child of an apostate was appointed to rule the
second, they would forego all the benefits of legis-
lative authority rather than acknowledge them as
superiors. The keystone of British freedom is the
equality of all men beneath the law, whereas the
principle of Hindooistn is the irrevors'ble snbordi-
nat An of classes " From this he draws the inference
that the total abolition of caste would be neces-
sitated by any introduction of the English form of
government. His chief recommendations aro in
favour of justice and toleration ; that these, indo d,
should bo the ruling principles of our government
of India few will deny.
Let no roan of our race harbour the foolish thought
that the exAaple of the Emperor Julian might well bo
imitated by our chief ruler in India, or that we can
win the affection of the orthodox Ilindoo by hindering
the growth of Christianity. From the highest to the
lowest, they will gladly tolerate us if we will only
consent to tolerate them. They have not sought the
life of the missionary or the holdings of the planter.
They wish to retain their lands and religion, and believe
in their hearts that we intend to deprive them of both
by violence. Let tte give them assurance to the con-
trail, and our Sovereign will have no firmer allies than
the princes et Itindostan, no sejects more peaceful
than the Brahmin and his f.dlowere.
Ho is not Blow, however, in condemning toleration
and mercy where they aro but other names for
weakness and crueity ; thus ho aptly says of the
insubordination at Liurrnah

Naturalists have a story of a horse who once overcame
a lion in a single combat, and ever afterwards 'was un-
tameable. Luckily for equesti ians the fact is unknown
to horses in general, but otherwise we might bear of a
great many successful mutinies on the part of those use.;
ful quadrupeds. When the 38th Regiment refused to
embark for 13urinab, and escaped without punishment,
the horse overcame the lion, and the less •a has not been
forgotten. Gxvernment in tleat case committed the
fatal error of omitting to enforce obedience to its
mandates, on the ground that the order ought
not to have been issued. The sepoy, allowed to
choose for himself as to what portion of the commands
of his superior shall be obeyed, is naturally led one day
to take a step in advance and refuse to own any ma, ter-
ship whatever. A Government can comma no breach of
faith to its soldiers so mischievous as that which it com-
mits to the public when it allows a command to be dis-
regarded. Had the order to the 38th to go to Burinah
never been issued, or never disobeyed, it is not likely
that at this moment their lives would be forfeited to
justice.

He speaks with the utmost severity of the oppres-
sions and occasional cruelty of the Indian Govern-
ment. The mystery and exclusiveness with which
it was conducted, added to the great distance from
England and itsown peculiarly irresponsible nature,
have left its officials comparatively free from re-
straints with which those in situations of far less
importance are surrounded at home. It ho, in-
deed, been a d,spotism that sheltered itself under
the shadow of a free government. " Some men,"
says the author in conclusion, " find it hard
enough to tear with the existence of an aristocracy,
but merit in every quarter of the globe can find an
entrance into the ranks of the nobility. It was
reserved for a knot of merchants to establish a
system of exclusiveness such w the world rover
saw before, and is not likely to witness again." In
another place he speaks with force and just indig-
nation on the dilatory proceedings of the Govern-
ment

For twenty-one weeks,leountin,g from the first receipt
of intelligence of the Meerut revolt, the Government of
India was on its trial. It was subjected to a strain
which tested every joint and searched every flaw, and
the result was most disastrous. Not a bolt remained in
its place, not a rivet but was started, not an inch of sur-
face but was found to be decayed and rotten. It die
closed neither the vrisdoin that could foresee ?anger nor
the strength that c ul I overcome it.
if the order of things could have been reversed, and
the last acts of the Government made their first, matters
would have now worn a very different aspect. They
have done all that could be desired, but not at the right
tunes. Volunteers were enrolled, troops massed, enter-
prises undertaken, and foreign aid enlisted, but all at
the wrong seasons. Calcutta was wisely lett to the
chief care of the civio force and the navy, but not until
the rebel fires had blazed out in a dozen stations, and
it was seen that the sepoy army had transferred its
allegiance. " roo late I" was inscribed on the banner
of the Ghoorkas, when for the second time they turned
their feces towards Lucknow ; " too late 1" was graven
on the lids of the empty chests in the treasury, when a
loan was called for, and a second bid was made fur the
hoards of the capitalist ; "too late I" was shouted by
the public when the order was given to disarm the
regiments at Dinapore ; "too late !" was shrieked from
the well at Cawnpore ; "too late 1" was echoed by
the breeze that swept over the battlements of Luck-
now. We saw in those days the story of Sisyplius
enacted. The ceaselas striving, and the sore de-
feat ; the hand constantly striking, bat the foe still
remaining in front ; the feet always marching, but the
goal as far off as ever ; the Sybil's price paid, but the
book of tate net forthcoming. It seemed as if a single
faculty bed swallowed up every other quality of national
greatness. Never did English courage shine out so
gloriously, never was Eugli-h want of capacity so
thoroughly displayed. We were giants in the field and
dwarfs in the council. Oar soldiers surpassed in heroism
all who bad gone before them ; their rulers transcended
all previous notions of weakness and imbecility.
The author, we must add, has been for ten
years "a labourer iu the busy field of Indian
journalimi." He has, therefore, had full opp.r-
tunity of watching and observing the acts of the
government, the chat actors of the officials, the
opinions of European residents, the position of
the native population, their feeling towards uq,
Ihe conduct of the Sepoys, the alternate severity
and undue lenience of the rulers, the discontent
and duplicity of the people. All this he endeavours
to familiarise to his reader. He shows the evils
committed in the English name ; that .justice has
dropped her scales and sword, and only keeps her
bandage. He shows how treachery has taken ad-
vantage of both clemency and severity ; how the
whip and the spur goaded the untamed horse, but
the hand was not strong enough to hold the rein.
He tells us frankly What he thinks are the errors
and what their cure ; and if the reader differs from
his conclusions, or his remedies, he at leant appre.,