Star.
London, England, 1821-06-21 00:00:00

*lonia:, so much 4,s it would necessitate, perhaps,
some relaxation Tn. thehalations which had been
adopted abroad, in ,der to eradicate from the minds
onlavaztiv; Fridians any jealousy to which such dis-
^tnsslons might-give'rise. He did not think that the
immediate effect of these discussions would be to fa-
cilitate in any manner the operations of Government
upon this question, and it was with this impression,
that when, in a former Session, his Honourable
Friend did him the honour to advise with him as to
the propriety of bringing this subject under the con-
sideration of the House, he dissuaded him from do-
ing so. He was convinced that the information
which either then or now . could be laid before the
House was defective ; that Government was not in-
attentive to the subject, but was pursuing an even
though temperate course with regard to it. His Ho-
nourable Friend (the Member for Bramber) in whose
mind every object connected with benevolence ever
found a ready advocate, had said that the Hindoo
laws enacted that all these sacrifices should be volun-
tary. But was the Government to take it upon itself
to judge of every deviation from the law which vi-
tiated the sacrifice? He would illustrate the case by
a custom which had long existed in Europe. It was
well known, that in all Roman Catholic countries a
custom existed of immuring in nunneries voluntary
victims, as they were designated. No doubt, how-
ever, could be entertained that many of those per-
sons who were devoted to the cloister had not gone
there precisely upon the stipulated conditions. But
if this country were legislating as a conqueror for a
territory where this practice existed, would she be
justified on every occasion of this kind to send an
Officer to the gate of the monastery, to examine the
victim ; and if she evirced the least symptoms of
hesi-
tation, to tear her away from the altar ?—( Harr).—
It might be supposed that the feelings of Indians
were not less acute upon a point that concerned their
own customs; and it shoold not be forgotten, that by
a wise system of policy they were authorized to re-
tarn all their regulations and religious practices to
the fullest extent. The history of mankind shewed
no truth more clearly than this, that never was any
superStition, however degraded, overturned by force ;
and the fouler the superstition was, the less likely
was it to be extinguished, when the converter came
armed.—( Mar, hear ! J—lt should further be recol-
lected, that the Mahometan religion was one of con-'.
quest—the Christian religion was one of persuasion:
the former made its way by the aid of earthly power
—the latter grew up and flourished in spite of it.—
The example, therefore, of the Mahometan rulers of
India was one which a British Government could
never consistently follow. It should prefer the meek,
Silent, but effectual course, which it had hitherto
pursued, looking to time, education, and the pro-
gress of an enlightened religion, as the best correc-
tives of superstition and ignorance.—(Hear, hear).
Colonel MONEY thought that it would strengthen
the handsel Government by putting an end to these
aboa:inahle practices in a summary manner; and it
was a mistake to suppose they could not be put down
by force, as there was an instance on record in which
Lord Wellesley, by sending a military force to one
part of our Indian dominions, succeeded in putting
an effectual stop to the practiceof destroying children.
Mr. W. SMITH agreed with the Hon. Member
who spoke last, in thinking that these abominable
practices might be put down by force.
Mr. BUXTON shortly replied. He thought the
Right Hon. Gentleman opposite was wrong, when
he stated that there were no instances of force being
employed to put down superstition. The murder of
the Rajpont children was made a capital crime in
Lydia. The Cooah also was made capital. This
Cooah was in the case of a native having a strong
aversion for some person in power ; in which case he
would make a large pile of lighted wood, over which
he would put two animals, one of which was a cow,
had the other an old woman. The suffering of the
latter lie would protract as long as he possibly could,
under an impression that the object of his resentment
was subjected to the same torments. Ever. the sacred
person of a Bramin bad been violated, as some had
been hung. And, on one occasion, the great god
Juggernaut himself, with his car, had been seized
upon and kept in pawn, till the payment of some ar-
rears of revenue were paid.
The question was then put, and the Ifopers or-
dered to be laid oo the table.

Mr. WILBERFORCE postponed his motion on the Slave'
Trade to Tuesday next.

Mr. SCAILLETT intimated a wish that his Honourable
Friend (Mr. Ilutchinson) would postpone his motion on the
&ate of Europe.

PRESENT STATE OF EUROPE.

Mr. C. HUTCHINSON said, that having already
put off the motion he was now about to submit to
the house several times, much to his own inconve-
nience, he felt it impossible to consent to any further
postponement. After the speech of the Right Hon.
Member for Liverpool that evening, he must acknow-
ledge that he was not, so to express it, in tune to ad-
dress the House; but had he the eloquence of that
Right Honourable Person, united with the talents of
the Honourable Member for Bramber, whose views
of the present state of Europe every man must ap-
plaud, he (Mr. Hutchinson) felt that he would be
exerting his powers in a good cause, when applying
them to the subject of the present motion; and he
also felt that he would be likely to make an impres-'
sion on the House equal to the importance of the sub-
ject, and which lie feared lie was not now in a state
to effect. Front the appearance of the Benches, nei-
ther lie nor the Noble Marquis could calculate upon
any very serious discussion. He disavowed all in-
tention to offend the feelings of any person. His ob-
ject was to defend the liberty of Europe, which, he
was sorry to say, he saw threatened with ruin every
where. The state of Europe was at this moment tre-
mendously awful; but its condition was the result of
a system which the Noble Marquis had abetted, and
which, if not checked by the moral influence of this
country, would be productive of more confusion than
was ever yet experienced. He believed that in what
lie had submitted to the House upon the state of Eu-
rope, he had taken a correct view of the policy which
the Allied Sovereigns acted upon, and to which the
Noble Lord was an efficient party. On a former oc-
casion, the Noble Lord had stated that the Allies had
no views of aggrandizement, and were only anxious
for the peace of Europe. He must be of opinion that
the Russian corps of 100,000 men had not been put in
motion on account of the disturbances in Piedmont.
is the remarks he should make, he did not mean to