The Sun.
London, England, 1859-05-20 00:00:00

INDIA.

(From the Times' Correspondent.)

BOMBAY, APRIL 26.
s
The capture of Tantia Topee, announced in my
last letter, only preceded his trial and execution by
a few days. As I foresaw, he was brought to a
drum-head court-martial at Sepree on the 15th of
Aprils and sentenced to death. He was hanged on
the 18th. Maun Sing has had all the credit of the
capture, which, but for other agencies, of which' have
/Token might not have been effected. There is no
doubt spoken,
he led. in the pursuit. A party of the
9th Native Infantry was placed at his disposal, and
at two o'clock in the morning of the Bth of April
the capture was effected. Tantia is described as a
stout, well-made man of about 50, five feet six in
height, with a large head, eyes sunken beneath pro-
jecting cheek bones, and high arched brows. He
was a native of Poona, confessed to have been in the
service of the Nana at Bithoor, but denied having
taken part in the massacre of Cawnpore. He
affirmed, indeed, that the Nana was also guiltless
of any participation in that affair, having been a
prisoner at the time the murders were planned and
carried out. After the capture of Delhi, he was one
of those who commanded in the Doab, and Colonel
Greathed will be surprised to learn that one of the
rebel bands with which he had engagements was
led by Tantia, who afterwards rose to the position
of Commander-in-Chief at Calpee and the Betwa.
It is, said that Tantia was a pensioner of the East
India Company. I cannot ascertain the truth of
this assertion. Whatever may have been his short -
coinings in action, he met his death bravely. He
was charged with fighting against the British
Government" On that charge he pleaded guilty,
and only asked that the proceedings might be sum-
mary. Of the other rebels, the Rao and Feroze
Shah, nothing has been heard since their defeat by
De Salia's brigade at Muxundunghnr, near Goor-
nah. In a pursuit of several miles, and in partial
engagements, the various parts of the brigade cut
up more than 500 of the enemy. The fate of
Tantia Topee may act as a warning to the rest of
the rebel chiefs, who will perceive that no pardon
is in store for those who refuse to surrender.
While the rebellion in Central India is thus
rapidly closing., the rebels on the Oude border have
broken, out of their secret places iti the hills of
Nepaul, and renewed the war. The troops on the
Terai had been fortunately strengthened in antici-
pation of such an event, and after a while the line
of the Gogra was made as strong as possible. At
first the rebels endeavoured to break into East Ben-
gal, in the direction of Tirhoot. But after an at-
tempt
to force the passage of the Gundulk they with-
drew.westward into Nepaul, and concentrated their
strength at Betaul. Here it was that on the 24th
and 28th of March they were attacked and defeated
by Colonel Kelly. After the first of these defeats a
part of the rebels withdrew along the borders of
the Terai, in the direction of Bankee. They threat-
ened at onemoment Colonel Smith at Dukkerea and
a detached corps nearer the frontier at Tillewarrah,
but ultimately they passed on to the westward, and
passing Toolsepore, attacked the van of Hdrsford's
column at Musha, north of Chundunporet, Hors-
ford, with the remainder of his brigade, advanced
and defeated them on the 4th of April. The enemy,
now divided, took different directions. One part,
consisting of the old Nusseerabad Brigade, attacked
the police station of Bunhounee, north of Bhinga
and the Raptee, were driven back, took a southerly
direction across the last named river, plundered the
defenceless fort and village of Akhona, and, follow-
ing the course of the Koanee Nullah, suddenly
appeared in force on the road from Fyzabad to
Gonda. They were not long unmolested, how-
ever,•for on the lotth of April Lieutenant-Colonel
Cormick with a sufficient force ad.Vanced against
them, attacked and completely defeated them within
eight miles of Gonda: I hope that a speedy account
of all these rebels may be 'given, as the time is
approaching when the Term will be too deadly
for European troops, and we shall have the alter-
native of leaving it to our enemies or of boldly
marching against the remains of them in the Nepaul
hills. I have hastily sketched these results of mili-
tary movements in India, because the greatest in-
terest is no longer concentrated in Oil dying embers
of the rebellion. Much greater importance is at-
tached to reforms in the system of government and
the old policy of Indian government.
One of the great results that have flowed from
the rebellion of 1857-1858 has been to make the
inhabitants of every part of India . acquainted
with each' other. We have seen the tide of war
rolling from Nepaul to the borders of Guzerat, from
the deserts that cover Rajpootana to the frontiers
of the Nizam's territories, the same men overrun-
ning the whole land of India, and giving to their
resistance, as it were, a national character. The
paltry interests of isolated States, the ignorance
which men of one petty principality have laboured
under in considering the habits and prospects of
other principalities, all this has disappeared, to
make way for a more uniform appreciation of public
events throughout India. We may assume that in
the rebellion of 1857 no national spirit was aroused,
but we cannot deny that our efforts to put-it down
have sown the seeds of a new plant, and thus laid
the foundation for more energetic attempts on. the
part of the people, if in the course of future years
England has not done something towards recon.-,AI-
- the numerous inconsistencies and suppressing
some of the dangerous tendencies of its rule i:a India.
One of the most effectual cheeks to future disaf-
fection will be found in decentralisation, in the
creation of provincial *municipalities, and the grant-
ing of greater powers to the Governments of Presi-
dencies. At present the Supreme Council and Legis-
lature of Calcutta, who are entirely composed of
Government .offidials, regulate the Administrations
of all India, thd Governments of tb.e.Presidencies
have no initiative, and the want of such initiative
is the cause of serious inconvenience to them, at
the same time that' it leads to hasty' legisla-
tion on the part of the centralised Administra-
tion at Calcutta. A proper consideration of these
radical defects cannot be postponed. It should be
entered upon with determination, and the results to
be anticipated•are the demonsti atioir that measures
of a nature too general in their application should
be avoided, because what is a good law in one part
of India will .be found a bad one in another part of
the country. The field .of • legislation -will be con-
tracted and subdivided; and the dangers incident to
centralisation. will gradually- be neutralized. The
present period is very propitious for reforms ; such
a plain field has seldom been open to a statesman,
and a heavy responsibility will be incurred by our
present rulers if advantage be not taken of it. The
necessity of new taxes and retrenchment already
affordjust grounds for altering, systems which have
been maintained beyond the timet when they could
be preserved with advantage, and, though it does '
not appear as yet that the opportunity of improve-
ment has been clearly understood, there are still
symptoms which indicate the rise of a new
Sir C. Trevelyan at Madras seems to be the pioneernal
of a new order of things. He has just dealt a final
blow to a great and intolerable nuisance. The
system of correspondence which so long involved
in delays inextricable the most important
questions
of national improvement is from henceforth to be
revised. Sir C. Trevelyan's assurance was not re-
quired to convince us that the correspondence with
the Home Government had become intolerab,,,
bit it was news to residents in India to hear +hat
thetHome Government was prepared to discontinue
it. The system having been disapproved at, home,
the natural consequence is that no compunction will
be felt in its abolition in India. The system of refer-
ences from Bombiy and Madras to Calcutta, and from
Bombay, Madras, and Calcutta to London, involv-
ing, as it does, the duplicate and. triplicate copying
of immense files of letters, has beenme an intolerabl.e
nuisance by delaying for years the final settlement..
of questions frequently in their na ure triv_ial, and
therefore requiring nothing butimmediate decision.
The majority of questions subnaltted
neglected. The most important only aa
considered,re
poetically
prevefit;iMjatrovtement
and the result is that routine
in small things, while in large and im
ters it delays and impedes their fina settlemmatt:
That these pernicious results are to be avoided in
future is a great boon to all who have dealings with
the Government. The 'saving to the Exchequer
from the reduction in the copying. department will,
at the same time, produce a most gratifying reduc-
tion in expenditure. Raving gone thus far, the
GoVernment will not, I hope, halt in so judicious a
course. It will see the necessity of reforming the
system of check, countercheck and audit, which
necessitates the entertainment of an army of unne-
cessary clerks, The number of abstracts, certificates,
and other documents drawn out during a month in
the pay and audit offices of the Presidencies would
astonish and frighten Downing-street or the Horse
Guards. Words would fail to convey to you a just
pression of this nuisance, and I cannot do better
Lean
extentqiuoote one instance, among many, of the
jet to
its which
a it affects those who are sub-
eninnoiyance. A Bengal subaltern offir,ter
of a nativ
regiment arrived recently in
Bombay for tuhae:pititiorTse of proceeding home c n sick
certificate.
been recommended a F,ett route
for the partial re-etZtaa,thli:hinent of his health before
finally leaving Indi obtained a menth's pre-
paratory leave to proteed to Born". ,
was a longer one than ua.:t. The journey
re
d
ettoict.
leavedays thispded, and his leave e txhpei et man antict-
vious to landing here. Before it
Calcutta
to pre-
harbour for home the following form -
imposed upon him :—He had to writeatioltj" were
to have his leave extended for the two days
his letter a reply would be despatched, on receipt
of which his agent in Bombay would be able to
draw pay for two days on the production of an
abifraet in triplicate. a copy of the order, and a
ty_