The Sun.
London, England, 1857-08-17 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Sir,—The following letter will throw light on
the present Indian-troubles. Sir C. Napier wrote
it privately to a friend, wicl, as will I,e seen, confi-
dentially ; but that which was espt.cially E 0 no
longer requires that precaution and I have laid it
acids. Some private matters Ihave suppressed.
W. NAPIER, Lieut.mant-General.

" May 31, 1850.
" I entirely agrae in all you sly in your I,tter to
the Court, except your praise of the Government
here. I even go further than you. lam not yet
decided in my opinic n, btit I am disposed to ba.
lieve that we might with al vantage appoint natives
to cadetships, discharge a'l our native officers on
the pensions of their present rank, and so give the
natives comm m chance of command with ourselves
—before they take it !

"-Every 'European boy, aye, even sergeants, now
command all native officers When the native saw
the English ensign live with him and c'mrish him,
and by daily communication was made awora
his superior energy, strength, daring, and mentsl
acquirements, all went sm crh. Now things hive
chAnged- The young cadet learns nothing, he
drinks, he lives exclusively with his own country-
men ; the older officers eon the staff, or on civil
employ, which they ought not to be; and high-caste
—that is to say, mutiny—is encouraged. I have
just gotten this army through a vary dangerous one;
and-the Company had better take c ire what they
are at or some greater mischief will yet happen !
" I think th,At native ensigns, lieuteran.s, and
captains, aye, and commanders of corps t to, will
assimilate with our officers, and gradually throw
caste to the dogs, and he like ourselves in all but
colour. I have no belief in the power of caste re-
sisting the Christian faith for any great length of
time,7because re ison is too strong fa- nonsense iu
the long run ; and I believe if the Indians were
made officers, on the same footing as ourselve4, they
would he perfectly fai hful, and in time ,bccorne
Christi ins ; lid that I want to convert them, but
so it will be.

" The high compliment you pay the Indian Go-
vernment makes me laugh, because I know that
while you believe it it is not correct. No !no !
I will neither concede to you that we are strong,
just, or regular; 'or that we take no more from the
people than the law declares; or that we pay every
month.' Ourselves, yes! but not o hers. Now fOr a
fact. The coolies who are summoned to carry the
Governor-Genetars baggage when he move; are
assembled at, or rather driven by force to, Simla
from immense distances, and are paid about two
pence a-day under circumstances of great cruelty.
Nov, I. happen to know that from the delays of
officers, and without, perhaps, any tangible aA of
' knavery in any especial officer or iudlvidual, some
8,000 or 10,000 coolies employed to take Lord -
down into the plains when he left India were not
paid this miserable pittance for three years !
" My dear Sir, you lived in au ern:hawed cir&e
at Calcutta ; you know nothing of Indian Govern-
ment beyond its theories,--no more than if yon
were Governor-General. The atrocities wh:ch go
on are beyond description. Ton, in yi ur library
at Calcutta, could not know anything of them, but
I, on my horse, passing through all countries, saw
and learned them on the spots ; and very indignant
lam at them and have been for many years. I
put Scinde on a right footing ; but when I left it
the Bombay Government introduced all iniquity,
in despite of the civil commissioner, the exclleut
Mr. Pringle, who succeeded me ; and where I left
content all is now discontent, only suppressed by
the military force. • 1 therefore cannot at all con-
cur in your praise of our Indian Government, but
the reverse.

"There is not a regiment here that moves whose
march is not one of horrible oppression, not from
indiscipline or m litary outrage, but from the sys-
tem of government. I could, if I had time, give
you the facts. But you ought to be well acquain-
ted with this horrid system as 3ou praive.it, and if
you are not acquainted with what takes place, on
what Irounds is your praise founded 1. I shall soon
ba going b icic to England, and 11:,pe we shall meet,
and I will then give you the real history of your
strong, just, and regular Governmenr, as it works
in the provinces, and of the atrocities of the natives
we employ as uncovenanted servants. The'English
commit sins of omission, the natives sins of cum-
mission, and they will do so until their accursed
caste is rolled over.

"I have given their - Brahims a floorer,
as far as the troops nre concerned, by introducing
Gootka troops into thy line, and showing the Brah-
mins that we can enlist, batter soldiers without
their leave. I ale against any interference withlhe
religion of the pe:Ve. I would no more offend a
Hindoo than I would a Ciaistian ; but I would not
let a /Endo) offend me.

"We all pay respec to a cow in Tresence of a

Hinfloo—a respect be laughs at, for he knows we
do ii(,t feel it. But at the same moment we take

his oxen and himself from the plough by force; we
send him a thousand miles march with a regiment ;
he loses his harvest, his ground remains
his family perish, his oxen, overloaded and over-
driven by the soldiers, drop on the road, and he is
not paid a farthing for them ' • his cart, broken, is
left on the road, he is made to drive another, whose
owner has fled in desi:eraion, and afar six or
eight months—l knew one ca eof years even—he
returns a ruined man to his one happy home. He
may find his wife and childrk,n alive ; he may find,
if she is not pretty, that she has remained faithful
among his friends of the village ; but it is as com-
mon to find that one df the European magistrate's
uncovenanted native people has taken her. And
as regards females, the Europeans are, though
magistrates, pretty loose, I have heard, in these
matters; but this I only know by hearsay, and
cannot answer for, though I perfectly believe it.
However, as this is a matter of p'ivate bargain,
there is no great cause fur comp!aiut. We know

that the English dare not act with open violence
against women—the natives do; and! believe vezy
few magistrates have the energy and ability to con-
trol those natives who are employed.
"But there aro some glorious magistrates who

really do exalt the honour and powei of England
in the East. I came through a district governed
by a Mr. Banks. Ido not know him ; I never SAW
_ _

him, but I really felt proud of my countryman.
Yet even there I found tyranny by the " board"
which rules the Punjab ; ho cann t help that; all
he does 'himself is superb. Well, I must finish.
All I Fay to you is at present between you and I in
confidence."