The Sun.
London, England, 1857-08-12 00:00:00

rnent, and especially in the noble lord, they ought to be gone further and made more suggestions as to the orga-
nt to be guided by his opinion. I eisation of the army, on which he would have been an ,
conte
Mr. W HIT ESIDE agree-! with the bon. member for
excellent authority, instead of confining himself to the
Backineh Int that we all ttneterr eted the importance of the present state of affairs. But he wished to correcta state-
present crisis in India. Since he bad last addressed the
ment which he made as to the manner in a la ch the rein.
forcements bad been sent out. Tney were not all sent out
rencee had been receive
house on this subject intelligence ;
ligence of most painful occur-
in sailing ships, but it was thought advisable to send
he bad heard from the hon.
member f,r Dublin and the hoc. member for Armath some of them is sailing ships called clippers„ and tbe
that they had relativesin the ma-secre at Delhi. Was
ethers in auxiliary screw steamers. There were at least
there to be no redress for all that had occurred, and was 12 or 13 auxiliary screw steamers employed, and they as
the House of Commons to adopt the poi .7 laid down by well as the clippers are all under a penalty to arrive in a
the member for Lambeth, and take it for granted that all certain number of days ; and the time of arrival would
that was said and done by the Government was said and be the best suited to the climate. He hoped also they
lone rightly and well. There was nothing the Governs would arrive in time to be
of service, and that they
re ent could ask from that side of the house for the would be perpetually pouring in, so as to astonish the
—Wietwace of India that they would not grant; but the mutineers at the extent of our resources, which he was
remedy to be adopted in this case depeeed on the i xrent told would have a great effect. With regard to the troops
of the disease, and the military force required in India de- being sent overland, he believedald that the passage by the
pended on the policy intended to be pursued by Govern- Red Sea at this
tthineireeiwoe
it
wbaes noxious to the health of
thou ht better to send
ment in that country. He had read, a few days ago, a the troops, and
statement in a journal of great circulation which might them by the usualroute.heror They would arrive in the course
be translated and appear in the Indian papers, and be of September,. and Majesty'sw nGovernment woutl not
read to the East Indian soldiers. This was the policy have it on their consciences that they had neglected any
out troops to India by the best
recommended by a writer who signed himself " Anglo-
e opportunitys. _n
additionolsending to the troops sent out from this
Indian " :—" I am happy to hear that evidence is being
mcouanntr there would be a large body of men called the
obtained both as to the Emperor of Delhi and the King
Punjauby levies, to the amount of from 39,000 to 40,000
of Our4e. It will be pleasant to save 250 0001. or
all of whom he was told were to be depended upon,
300,0001. a year in their forfeited pensions. I have some
men,and they had been organised. by such men as Brigadier
hopes that the Nawab of Moorshedabad may be impli-
Chamberlain and Colonel Nixon. But in mentioning the
cared too. That would save 120,0001. a year more.
Once again do allow me to plead earnestly that, instead names of the civil and military authorities, including the
two Lawrencee, the hon. and gallant general only men-
of now yielding to caste, and pottering about the " pre-
tinned those who were at the top of the tree, who were
judices" of the natives, our future policy should be an
•
unbending, stern, and avowed discouragement of every but he (Mr. V. Smith)
in an exalted station '
thing opposed to civilisation, social morale and Brittth could detail to the house such acts of heroism on the part
supremacy. If we now issue a proclamation declaring of young lieutenants and of men in civil positions, as
that, whereas caste has been used as a plea for sedition,
were he to do so,
gladden the hearts of Englis.
and whereas it is based on falsehood, and the British men, and make them pwouldrou dof having such men for their
Government regards all men as!born equal, therefore countrymen.
henceforth it shall not be recognised in any form, the Mr. DISRAELI said he was rather surprised at tho
whole Hindu population wilt bow, admit the justice of tone which had been adopted by the President of the
our indi snation, and this monstrous anti-social absur. Board of Control in answering the observations of his
day will soon perish. I am not for letting the State
hon. and learned friend. He was cot surprised that his
turn missionary ; but if our soldiers knock down every
bon, and learned friend should take any o pportunity of
filthy idol they see, and lay every nausjid level with the
ground, and if they pollute every shrine and plunder denouncing the system of mismanagement of India,
every one which is worth plundering, I shall not be But what was the rejoinder of his right hon. friend ?
sorry. For as to these " religions," what are they, in That he objected to these comments because they were
fact, but lust, lies, treachery, murier, and social dears
not making a party question of it ; that the criticisms
dation 'I I should like to see our government cause it
to be known that its past forbearance has been abused, applied to previous governments as well as to him ; that
and that now Mahomedans and Hindoos must look to it they did not apply to him perhaps as much as to
for no sort of countenance." He wanted to know if that any one else ; and he asked why they did not make a
wet the policy to he acted upon. The "Anglo-Indian" ayes party question of it instead of wasting their time in
of opinion that 56,000 additional troops, in addition to showing that the most important dependency of the Bri-
our present force, would not be more than sufficient to tish empire was in danger of being lost. He (Mr, Dis-
re:ionquer India. The policy recommended was a very 'eel') thought the house was very much indebted to the
clear one. I was a policy of extermination—a policy hon. and gallant general who had called their attention
making war with caste. And that policy bad been pure to this important subject. It was one that must occupy
sued by the Government. They had changed the law of their attention whatever might be the state of the ses-
inheritance and the law of marriage. It was not to sion and whatever might be the state of public business.
be expected that old customs could be suddenly set aside No public business could be more important. He could
by edict,. The disaffection which had manifested itself not say that the answer of the noble lord gave him the
in the shape of open mutiny bad long been in ex:eterce satisfaction that he desired. He would say of the
and publicly declared in the native newspapers, which reply of the noble lord that he underrated our position
bad been writir g sedition for months. The star emen s in India and overrated our position in Europe. He
in these papers had printed out, the disaff-ction arising thought he might state with the hon. baronet the
from the use of the cartridges, and the manner in which member for Bucaingham that the state of affairs was
that disaffeetien was spreading in the various provinces. very much to be regretted. Tine Government, and the
When statements of that kind were made, it was time country taking its tone from the Government, did not
not. to inquire but to act. A letter writen by a genWernen think tnere was that vast danger to the empire and ea,
at Calcutta on the 13th of March, confirmed what ap- tional power which in his conscience he believed existed
peared in the printed papers under the date of Feb. 8. and which, though it ought not to appal us, was one
It appeared [rem that letter that the number of white of which they ought to take full cognisance. There was
men for the defence of Calcutta did not exceed 250, that no greater mistake that a minister could make than to
there was not a ship of war in eight, and that there was undervalue public peril, certainly an English minister
no protection whatever for the shippioz, except what could make no greater mistake. The English nation
might have been afforded by a little ship of war belong- was never so great as in peril. In prosperty they might
ing to the King of Sardinia. The idea that bad prevailed be accused of being ostentatious ;in their middle fortune
in the minds of the people. ever since the fatal decree of they might deport themselves unreasonar ly ; but there
1350 or 1851, which made war upon catte, upon the laxs had never been a moment when a great responsibility
of inheritance and the fundamental customs of the Hin- I devolved on a people that they had not answered to the
dome was that the Government intended to overthrow occasion, and shown that matchless energy which load
their religion and customs. Triers with respect to the I enabled them to maintain their position among the
withdrawal of troops, Lord Canning stated in his des- nations. The position of the noble lord was that the
patch of Feb. 7, that three regiments might be with- emergency was not one of the magnitude that he (Mr.
drawn for the Chinese wai; but in allowing that with- Disraeli) believed it to be, or if the noble lord believed
drawal he was going to the utmost bounds of prudence. it to be such, it was his opinion that he should veil its
At that time Lord Canning was receiving daily cernmu• hideous proportions from the people of this country.
nications informing him of fresh mutinies, and then he It was there that be thought the noble lord made a great
declared that the lest thing the G ivernment walled to do mistake. The noble lord said it was only an affair of
was to interfere with caste or religion. The whole thing pounds, shillings, and pence. Now that was not the tons
had been a ridiculous blunder, for no steps ought to have to take if it were really the fact that our lodine
been taken in that direction without an adequate force empire was in danger. If it were in danger it was not
to carry them out. For a series of years the warnings of for the noble lord to say that the resources at his dis-
the bast military authorities had been neglected. Sir C. posal were limited and that the measures he should adopt
Napier stated that 12,000 troops were required for the must of course be proportionate. Now he did not want
defence of Delhi, where a magazine for the supply of our to re-open a controversy which they had a fortnight ago,
troops should be established, and 10,000 men stationed when he introduced the subject of India. The views
at Meerut for the support of Delhi. Although the Gu. that be expressed could not be answered by the observ-
vernment were in possession of informati in of what was ations of the hour, which could not test their sound-
likely to take place in February, they bad thought pro- ness and authenticity, but as the question had been-
per to send troops from India to China, with which coon- re-opened, he might be permitted, in passing, to
try we were at war, whist the flames of war were raging. make one or two observations. He thought he had
from one end of Bengal to the other. It was not stiff. a right to say that nought that bad occurred since,
cient merely to vote men and money, The policy to be none of the information that had reached them from
pursued ought to be clearly stated, and some one must he India, had at all refuted the views that be then with
made responsible for the consequences wnich Could be great humility laid before the house. He remembered
ascribed to causes patent to every one. It might be easy ou that occasion the right hon. gentleman called him
to recognise India, but would it be possible to hold that to task because he ventured to point out the causes that
country if the people knew their customs and ancient bad led to an understanding between the Hindoo and
laws were to be overturned ? The affairs of India were in Mahometan princes, and had intimated that they were
a most awful and terrible condition, and the causes of that dissatisfied with the government of India. The right
condition must be inquired into. When a gentleman com- hon. gentleman then treated them as a monstrous intl.
mending a wing of the nd Regiment at Calcutta; ordered mation. He said no proof whatever was in their posse,-
a company of his troops to be provided with ten rounds sion of such a feeling on the part of those princes, and
of cartridges, to dotal., their guard, he was called to ac- he treated it as a will idea that he should give expres-
count for giving such an order ; and yet, when such pre. sion to such a contingency. What was the news by the
cautions were considered necessary, a few days alter- next mail I That one Mahometan prince bad been
wards the Governor-Generat was called upon to send arrested by the Indian government, and that one prince
away three regiments. Having withdrawn these troops, on whom we relied had gone with his forces against us.
the conduct ot the men who were fighting against such And it was only lately that be saw a letter from General
great odds would be critised, and no doubt great sum- Hearsay, in which he stated that emissaries from all
prise would be expressed that Gen. Barnard had not tbe Hindoo princes were to be found in the ranks of the
done without means what could net be accomplished army. He (.11r. Disraeli) ventured to say on that OCCa.
unless large and efficient means were supplied. He main- sion that our government was mistaken in treating this
tained that there had been no foresight, no watchfulness, merely as a military mutiny. Ho shout I not enter into
nor judgment ; for if ordinary precaution had been taken, that, but among the papers laid on the table yesterday,
the state of things in India must have been discovered. he found a despatch from no less a person than the
Although the house was now called upon merely to vote lieutenant-governor of the North-Westera Province, is
men and money, he trusted the day was not far distant which he spoke of dissatisfaction among the great mass
when the principles on which India was to he governed of the population, and that he found it spreading to the
would be stated and determined upon by Parliament— intelligent classes. He ventured then to cell attention to
when the voice of the Ilene° of the House of Commons the tampering, as he expressed it, of the Legislative
would be heard in such a rnanneraste conduce to the wet- Council of India with the religious prejudices of the
fare of England and the consolidation of our power in people, and he said there could be no doubt that from an
India. aggregate of circumstances great prejudice had been
Mr. V. SMITH said, although the Government were produced in the minds of the population of India. Now
anxious to get into committee of supply, he could not in the minutes of the lest Governor-General of India,
help entering his decided protest against the assertions the celebrated minutes of 220 paragraphs and 50 pages,
which had been made by the hon. member for Bucking- there would be found in page 12 a very brief announce-
ham (Sir H. Verney), and repeatedbythe hon.and learned ment, which-was spoken of as a matter of great iignifi
member for Ennakillen (Mr. Whiteside), that the Go- canoe, that the boy Maharajah Dauleep Sing load be-
vernment were not a rare and conscious of the gravity come a Christian, and that the daughter of the Rajah
of the events which were occurring in India. They of Coorg had been baptised, our gracious sovereign being
were perfectly aware ot the gravity of the present state the sponsor. That paragraph was translated into the na-
of affairs. But he doubted whether the hon. andlearned tive language, and circulated in every bazaar in tee
member was equally conscious of that gravity when he North-Western Province. With such evidence in their
came down to the house quoting scraps from newspepers hands, combined with many other circumstances towhich
as if they were manifestoes from the Government ; and he he would not now refer, who would say that the gwtern-
certainly expected that the hon. gentleman would have ment of India was exempt from that grave charge which
concluded his first extract by reading the signature of had entailed such vast consequences on England tnd on
"Palmerston," or his (Mr. V. Smith) ; but after all the India itself? He doubted very much whether the noble
lion. and learned gentleman was merely attempting to lord, having overrated our position in India, was tdopt-
fasten an anonymous letter on the Government. (Hear, ing measures adequate to meet the emergency. Ttlf noble
hear.) He repudiated the assertion that any scheme had lord told them that the amount of troops which might
been adopted for the purpose of putting an end to caste, be expected soon to assemble in that country, aud the
and counteract and destroy all the institutions of the resources on which he relied, and he said if more were
people of Ineia. He regretted that the hon. and wanted he would call parliament together. But abet be
learned gentleman had troubled the house with so many (Mr. Disraeli) wanted to impress upon the home was,
ohs .rvations, particularly as they had been much better that the present must be a disastrous canipaige. The
expressed in one of his prior speeches, rind in that of the hon. and gallant general expressed a hope that Dslhi was
rolit hon. gentleman (Mr. Disraeli.) 11 the hon. and taken.
learned gentleman had heard two or three sad stories, he General Sir DE L. EVANS observed that be did net
(Mr. So,i!ii) had heard hundreds, but did not thick it express any confidence in Delhi being taken.
would be right for the Government to assume a tone of Mr. DISRAELI thought it much better they should
despondency, and excite additional alarm. (dear, hear) have au impression that Delhi should not fall easily.
The sy-ttm which had been pursued in ludia was one It was prudent to believe that in the present campaign
for 7:bleb the whole country was responsible. Fur the they should do nothing, and in effect Nov. would be the
last 20 years a determination had existed to improve the commencement of the second campaign. Now, what he
condition of India and its inhabitants, aud to use it as wished to impress on the house was that everthing de-
a field for religious improvement; and when the Govera- pended on that second campaign. All Europe, all Asia,
went bad been acting slowly in that respect, it was not would be watching their efforts. If their efforts were
lair to turn round upon them and accuse them of going adequate at the commencement of Nov. the opportunity
toe fast. Instead of indicating remedies, it was a great would be at their command. If their efforts were ads-
waste of time to throw out torrents of abuse against all quate they might save their empire, and establish it with
the Governments of India which bad existed during the renewed force and vigour. But if they got into a third
llst, 20 years. If inquiry was nee led, let inquiry be in- campaign, if they did nothing decisive and definite be-
stituted, and he would do everything to facilitate such fore then, they would find other characters on the stage
inquiry ; but the present object was to put out the fire. with whom they would have to deal. The noble lord
(Hear, hear) It was said that the Government were said the business of a minister was not to under.
only asking for men and money. Why that was all that rate danger, but at the same time not to take an ex-
was required at the present time, and there was but one aggerated view of things. That was one of those
opinion on the subject. (dear, hear.) With respect platitudes that could not be contradicted. He
to the alteration in the law of marriage, the hon. and (alr. Daraell) maintained it was the duty of
learned gentleman seemed to have overlooked the fact the Minister to make himself thoroughly master of the
that it arose out of a petition from the Hindoos, and tuaject with which be bad to deal, and to form a sound
having put an end to the old system, it was quite natu- opinion on what he heard. This country had once be-
ret that widows should be allowed to marry again. Toe fore been despoiled of a rich inheritance, our empire had
hon. aud learned gentleman was quite mistaken in at- been shaken, and surely in the past they might see some
t
ribotng want of foresight, arrangement, and activity to vision of the future if they were to be governed by a
the Government, and he was equally wrong in supposing Minister who undefeated danger. The other night they
that in February they were aware of the events to wi,icb passed a resolution that they would rally round tee
he had alluded, for they did nut happen till February. Crown on the present occ ,sion. What good did a reso-
Mr..WHITESIDE said he meant the government of la-ion of that kit] effect ! A resolution formed after
India.
Mr. due deliberation, founded on ample knowledge of the
V- SMITH said that as soon as the government subject, doubtless offered moral support to a Ministry
of Lelia wtre aware
Tons effective rerii.of the facts they at one adopted the and strengthened the throne. But a resolution, the
The hon,
and learnedles to
put a stop to the mischief. crew ore of perplexity and ignorance, did no good to a
moos authorities. ingentleman had referred to anony- Ministry, and added no stability to the throne. It did
referred to the staterneetposition authorities he harm, becau-e it imposed on the country an idea that
who Governor-General and the House of Commons was doing something, when, in
tine Commander-in-ceiet,t34
veces of any vessels at Calcutta ()did not
reclaim the set- fact, it was doine nothing. At the commencement of
r the retention of the our American troubles there never was a disaster but
array.
Stated that he could there was a member of Parlianaent to come forward with
not spare more troops for China) but
did ,not say he a resolution to support the throne. A resolution of the
he
was unable to spare the number which!lnt to that House of Commons, unlose it were the expression of an
country. Then with regard to the opinians of Sir C assembly which thoroughly understood what it was
Napier, No doubt the opinions of that gaiatnt officerC.
were most valuable, but it was a great rnisthrtu,e that about, would only mislead the nation. That was the
Delei had been made 3 nia,;azine or arsenal, and it would- position in which they were placed at the present cuoinent.
Tabdere was not in that house er in the country generally
have been wor,,e still if OA dive regiments had been
whiotmitetsheenp-eauof the gravity of the emergency. He heard
stationed there, for they might have joined the mutt-
rvers. The accosa;ious of the bon, gentleman against the now hat
ebraetat pleasure fro e the right hou. gentleman just
large body of irregular troops would enter
government of India had not been sustained in any way.
was naub and assist us ia our campaign. Weil,
He defied any man to show that Lord Canning had been lie
disposeduiaerto be sanguine, and he bad little
in fault, and maintained that he had shown the greatest doubt that
man
who. the guidance of the energetic
nere at the head of our army
possible judgment and vigour, and the greatest personal aed able,
wehad
reaniv
Courage that cool Ibe expected front a man in his position in India
; but tint' they could combine that
expect beneficial results
No one expected that such an outbreak would tale e fr ,m that movement
place, anti any person who had ventured upon such a movement with an expedition up the Indus, then the
complete. An4.they might
perations •in the next
pre,liction would have been regarded almost as a madman success wool Ibe sudden and
Ennngalanrdeon the whole ofthategreat penal-
in India. lie did not expect -to.be called upon to arsvv,r rely upon it that unless theire
the observations which the hon, gentleman bad made
lciaomn,psapi;nwewreerfe
b g at "ale—" 1"" tb 'Y
threw the
to night ; but be thought he had answere I most of
lie Hilts. But they had bad this debatebefore them, stria, by advancing from Bengal on the
and the hon. and learned gentleman' i notonthis side, and
down the Indus on the other, it6nl
cation introduced any,was doubtful
new subjects ft r argument. One whether they would succeed. Ile did not think that
cc- coming
word on tine speech of the hon, and gallant general tho 1 their preparations were on that scale. The noble lord
m. tuber for Westminster. 1:1
---e only wished that he la, 1 Isaid 'lt was difficult to enlist men, and that the principal