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, and, as will t e seen, confi-
dentially ; but that which was especially so no
longer requires that precaution, and I have laid it
aside. Some private matters I have suppressed.
W. NAPIER, Lieutenant-General.

" May 31; 1850.
" I entirely agree in all you say in your letter to
the Court, except your praise of the Government
here. I even go further than you. I am. not yet
decided in my opinion, but I am disposed to ba-
lieve that we might with advantage appoint natives
to cadetships, discharge all our native officers on
the pensions of their present rank, and so give the
natives common chance of command with ourselves

—before they take it !
" Every European boy, aye, even sergeants, now

command all native officers 1 When the native saw

the English ensign live with him and cherish him,
and by daily communication was made awan of
his superior energy, strength, daring, and mental
acquirements, all went sm,oth. Now things have
changed- The young cadet learns nothing, he
drinks, he lives exclusively with his own country-
men ; the older officers are on the staff,oron civil

employ, which they ought not to be; and high-caste
—that is to say, mutiny—is encoura,4ed. I have

just gotten this'army through a very dangerous one,
and the Company had better take care what they
are at or some great-a. mischief will yet happen !
" I think that native ensigns, lieuteran•s, and
captains, aye, and commanders of corps tic), will
assimilate with our officers, and gradually throw
caste to the dogs, and be like ourselves in all but
colour. I have no belief in the power of castek re-
sisting the Christian faith for any great length of

time, because reason is too strong-fir nonsense i❑
the long run ; and I believe if the Indians were
made officers, on the same footing ai ourselves, they
would be perfectly faiiiful, and in time become
Christi ; not that I want to convect them, bat
so it will be.

" The high compliment you pay the Indian Go-
vet nment makes me laugh, because I know th.it
while you believe it it is not correct. No !no !
I will neither concede to you that we ara 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 others. Now for a
fact. The coolies who are summoned to carry the
Governor-General's baggage when hes moves 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.
Now, I happen to know that from the delays of
officers, and without, perhaps, any tangible act of
knavery in any especial officer or individual, 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 enchanted circ'e
at Calcutta ; you know nothing of Indian Govern-
ment beyond its theoties,—no more than if you
were Governor-General. The atrocities which go
on are beyond description. You, in your 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 exc,lleut
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 mlitary 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 you praise it, and if
you are not acquainted with what takes place, on
what grounds is your praise founded I shall soon
be going b ick to England, and hope we shall meet,
and I will then give you the real history of your
strong, just, and regular Government 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 com-
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 are concerned, by introducieg
Gootka troops into the line, and showing the Brah-
mins that we can enlist better soldiers without
their leave. I am against any interference with the
religion of the people. I would no more offend a
Hindoo than I would a Christian ; but I would not
let a ilindoo offend me.
.‘ We all pay respect to a cow in presence of a
Hindoo—a respect he laughs at, for he knows we
do not feel it. But at the same moment we take,
his oxen and himsey from the plough by force ; we
send him a thousand miles march with a regiment ;
he loses kis 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 2 • his cart, broken, is
left on the road, he is made to drive another, whose
owner has fled in desperation, and after six or
eight months—l knew one case of years even—he
returns a ruined man to his once happy home. He
may find his wife and children alive ; he may find,
if she is not pretty, that she has remained faithful
among bis friends of the village ; but it is as com-
mon to find that one of the European magistrate's
uucovenanted 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 private bargain,
there is no great cause fur complaint. We know
that the English dare not act with open violence
against women—the natives do; and I believe very
few magistrates have the energy aud ability to oon-
trol those natives who are employed.
"But there aro some glorious magistrates who
really do exalt the honour and power 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 ; he cann t help tbnt ; all
he does himself is superb. Well, I must finish.
All I 4ty to you is at present between you and I in
confidence."