The Sun.
London, England, 1844-02-09 00:00:00

signal for the British troops taking possession of Shilcar-
poor—(Hear, hear)—and as much of the country as
might be necessary for carrying on military operations.
There was a threat held out by Lord Auckland to take
possession of the Ameers. Ile would follow those nego-
tiations step by step. He would now read to the House
a letter from Sir Henry Pottinger to the Governor-Ge-
neral, in which that " old friend" of the Ameers, as he
called himself, recommended the Governor-General to
take forcible possession of the territory of the Ameers.
The Hon. and Learned Gentleman then proceeded to
read this letter, which advised the Indian Government to
place a large body of troops in Sinde, for the purpose of
creating a " novel effect. —(Laughte7.) That phrase
was a specimen of that "rhetoric called rigmarole." It
was the physical effect that was signified. And the
letter went on to say, that if the Ameers should seem
backward the military preparations would probably in-
fluence them. Sir Henry Pottinger charged the
Ameers of Sinde with writing to Shah Soo-
jah, although at the time they wrote they
they were an independent power, and had a right to
communicate with any foreign potentate. But yet the
fact of this communication with the Shah of Persia was
made a pretext for usurpation and for tyranny. The
Hon. and Learned Member then referred to the Blue
Book, page 89, a letter of Sir Henry Pottinger's, who
there expressed his opinion that the British Govern•
ment should demand from the Ameers a cession of all
that territory lying on the right bank of the Indus, by
an imaginary line drawn to the Beloochistan territory-.
He further recommended that a large quantity of Native
and British troops should be placed at Latta, thus
speaking of the Sinde as if (said the lion. and Learned
Gentleman) it had been already subjugated. Yet this
was the Sir Henry Pottinger who called the Ameers his
" old friends," and on whose communications the Noble
Lord had placed so much reliance, and by which he had
been so much imposed upon.
Lord ASHLEY—I believe they are correct.
_ _

Mr. ROEBUCK—I have no doubt whatever that the
Noble Lord believes them, nor have I any doubt that he
has been imposed upon.—(A laugh.) A great deal had
been said about the communication of the Ameers with
the Shah of Persia. That crime had been punished,
first by making them pay a large sum of money, and
secondly by occupying their country with troops. But
was this act—was all their talked of deceit, trea-
chery, and misdeeds at all comparable to the
British going up the Indus with an armed
force, and telling them that if they did not give up cer-
tain portions of their territory, they would annihilate
them?—(Hear.) Why it would be comparing a mile-
hill to Mount Ossa. Under the pretence of carrying on
negotiations with this defenceless people, the Indian Go-
vernment was, like one of the huge snakes of their own
country, folding its mighty coils round its victim. The
conduct of the Indian Government was most disgraceful,
and imprinted an everlasting stain upon this country.
Oppressing a poor helpless, abandoned, people, Lord Auck-
land committed injustice—blunderieg injustice. Shah
Soojah was made the puppet, and the Ameera the victims.
In the year 1841, we were at peace with Affghanistan,
but the tribute became due, and a mortality oc-
curred in our army, of which the Affgha,ns took advan-
tage. They rose and destroy ed the miserable remnant
of the army, and the example which was given was
eagerly regarded by others of our Indian tributaries.
The Ameers of Sinde said the Feringhe,s were thrust
out of Affghanistan, and why should they not be thrust
out of Sinde ? (The Hon. and Learned Member
then read an extract from the Report, chiefly
consisting of a communication from Colonel Arthur; but,
from the extraordinarily low tone and indistinct manner
of the lion. and Learned Gentleman, it was utterly im-
possible to guess at the purport of the extract, or even
the persons who were mentioned in it. His running
commentaries, as he proceeded, were, if possible more
indistinct, and less intelligible, than th • r• ading of the
document itself.) He proceeded to contend that. in
consequence of the position in which Lord Auckland had
left his successor, it was impossible for Lord Ellen-
borough to adopt any other course than that complained
of by the Noble Lord who brought forward the
motion. The Hon. and Learned Member then
proceeded to read with the same rapidity and in-
distinctness a very long extract from the corres-
pondence, interspersed with remarks which were
equally unintelligible in the gallery.) With the excep-
tion of one cession by Lora Ellenborough nothing more
was proposed to be granted to the Ameers. Major Out-
ram proposed that Bukkur and the town and harbour
of Kurachee should be ceded to the British Govern-
ment. Much had been said about the Ameers having
been deprived of their hunting-grounds. There was a
distinct proposition made by Major Outram, that the
:pace within 100 cubits of the river bank should be al-
lotted for that purpose, and that beyond that limit the
Ameers should not trespass. Those propositions of Ma-
jor Outram were in effect adopted by the Governor-
General, and carried out by Major Outram himself. He
(Mr. Roebuck) was not talking of the Ameers or their
injustice. He did not mean to say that they had not
a perfect right to drive us out of Sinde. His only
question was, inasmuch as they were in that position,
what was the proper conduct to be pursued by the com-
ing Governor, at the time he found himself surrounded by
those enemies. He would now briefly give them the
history of those transactions which the Noble Lord had
not given. Roostum Khan, a Prince of eighty-five years
of age, now under the control of a Minister.—
The Hon. and Learned Gentleman here detailed the
circumstances connected with the treaty which Major
Outram proposed, in case of his driving out Roostum's
favourite Minister, to conclude with Roostum Khan,
and then proceeded to say that he could point out 20
passages in the correspondence of Lord Ellenborough, in
which his Lordship said he did not think that the treaty
could possibly be carried out, and he (Mr. R.), now
asked the house, giving every consideration to the mis-
fertunes of those Princes, to look at the matter with
calmness, and tell him whether the consummation that
had happened was not the inevitable fate of Sinde as a
protected State ? Was it not the inevitable destiny of
Sinde, such as Lord Auckland had made it, to be ab-
sorbed in the Anglo-Indian empire ? And was it then
not better that it should be done at once ? If it had not
been done at once, long agony, constant disputes, riot
and confusion. would be the consequence, and the end of
all would be as it was at present, namely, Sinde would
become what she now was, part and parcel of tho
enormous dominion which we—successful traders—had
created in India. Why at the present moment did they
not see that another portion of territory would ac-
tually, in spite of us, become ours ? He knew it
would be said to be unjust.—(Hear.) Why did
they not then get out of IneFa?—(Cries of " Oh, oh,"
from both sides of the House.) Our possession of it
was one great injustice from beginning to end. He
would be a prophet.—(Laughter.) Th, y would possess
the Punjaub before two years a oald elapse, in spite of
them,elves. Hon. Gentlemen might laugh ; but h.,. re-
membered that two years ag he hail said they- would
possess Sinde, and Sinde they now hail; and let then'
mark his words, before two years sho,ld hale passed the
Punja:ib they would pos-ess. lie no more doubt of
that than he had of our w ole Indian policy being a
great injustice, as well as an unwise one. The Hon.
and Learned Gentlemen then detailed the circumstances
which led to Sir C. Napier's advance upon Hyderabad,
and commended that pliant officer's wisdom in not
proceeding to Hyderabad without his army, as he had
been advised to do by Major Outram, who was led to
believe that at the time the Ameers had 20,000 men
under their command, they had not one soldier under
arms. Had Sir Charles Napier (he said) followed
the advice of Major Outram, a scene of the greatest
disaster would have ensued, and terror and alarm from
Cape Comorin to the Himalaya would have been the
necessary consequence. lie (Mr. Roebuck) gave the
Noble Lord every credit for his humane feelings towards
those unhappy Princes, but he asked his countrymen to
give that great meed of praise to Sir C. Napier, which
he so justly deserved; and that not scrupulously, but with
a generous feeling for the heavy responsibility which he
had incurred.. Major Outram thought that his personal
influence would stop the 20.000 men ; but Sir C. Na-
pier, a wiser soldier and politician said, No ; arm your-
selves and be aware, because you have to deal with
treacherous foes. The Hon. and Learned Gentleman
here turned round for a paper on the seat behind, and
in doing so made some observations as to something
which he alleged had fallen from Lord Ashley, which
we could not catch.

Lord ASHLEY begged to say, that what he had stated
was, that the production of those foot-notes was unjust,
unless they had been submitted to Major Outram.
Mr. ROEBUCK proceeded, and read a lengthy letter
from Sir C. Napier to Major Outram, giving an ex-
planation of all the circumstances and motives that influ-
enced his (Sir C. Napier's) conduct in the course he had
taken with respect to the march to Hyderabad, and also
detailing the nature of his correspondence with Lord El-
lenborough on the subject, and pointing out why it was
he could not remain silent whilethe newspapers were filled
with calamitous reports relative to his conduct in the mat-
ter. Allusion had been made to the negotiations with She re
Mohamed. At the moment those negotiations were
pending the Ameers were gathering that army which
forced Sir Charles Napier to fight the battle. —(Hear,
hear.) The Noble Lord had complained of Sir Charles
Napier's eonduct to the Ameers after the conquest of
Hyderabad. Sir Charles Napier during the whole of
that time had lived in a tent. He had never interfered
with the Ameers more than was necessary to insure them
safe custody, from the moment of their capture until that
of their departure for Bombay. That was only what
he should have expected from the character of the man.
He knew him well, and he knew that as he was one of the
most valorous so was he one of the most kind-hearted
of men.—(Cheers.) Nothing could exceed his fearless-
ness and his courage, but then he had a heart like that
of a child.—(Hear, hear.) The Noble Lord bad com-
plained of the treatment which the Ameers had ex-
perienced, being deprived of their women. Nothing
could exceed the horrible cruelty which the Ameers had
practised towards the women. They were luxurious,
lustful, and cruel. Many of these women had been torn
from their parents, and subjected to the most horrible
cruelty ; and General Napier had at this moment in
his possession a cruel instrument of torture which had
been taken from the zenana of the Ameers, which was
formed of brass wire, and which was used to beat the
women. It was satisfactory to know that our conquest
of Sinde had delivered that country from one of the
most horrible systems of tyrannical government which
had ever been inflicted on a people. There were three
species of people inhabiting Sinde—flrst, there were
the Sindians, who were recent converts to Mahomme
-
and,
thirdly, ; secondly, there were the Hindoos ;
thirdly, there were the Beloochees. The Beloochees were
the ,ere
the governors of the country. The Beloochees
robbers—they never worked—they kept slaves, and they
paid the slaves to work for them. phurb. conquest had
he been hailed as a blessing by the i a 'tants (The
Hon. and Learned Gentleman ere readat.esdevtratl
extracts from a letter, in which '
lt was :4
the rains which had fallen shortly
the
after the English
conquest were considered by inhabitants ng
sahs
a proof that Providence approved of our proceedings, for
after the Ameers had murdered the Colves, it was thus
that the Sindians designated the conquest of the country

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