Morning herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1837-1840, 1840-05-04

have before arked furnished the entire cause
Of forbdding its transportation Since that period
the trade has been opened To all English subjects,
and private competition soon triamphed over ITS
unwieldy rivals. As the revenue derived from their
commerce decreased, IL became necessary to resort
TO some me ans by which the deficiency could be
supplied and as the officers of that company have
never been remarkable for morality or conscientious
scrupies when their interests CHANGED to weigh in
the opposite balance, the extended cultivation aEd
sale Of opium within their domniens, intended for
the Chinese market, was determined upen. The
regulations by which this has been accomplished,
and the tyranical means through which they have
been enforced. are characteristics OF the colonial
policy which Great Britain has ever pursued, and
which is productive of more horrors 10 the mise
rabie men over whom II is exercised, than has ever
fallen to the lot Of those whom modcra slavery
openly and avowedy chains.
The extent OF territory occupied by the poppy in
India, and the amount of capital, and number Of in
habitants engaged in the preparation Of opium,
mach greater than in any other part OF the world
The provinces Of Malwa, Benares and Patna, fur
nish the principal quantity, and almost every chest
of the drug exported from India bears one OF their
names.
Although the chiefs of the former province are
subject TO British control. yet its soil is no. under
the management OF the company, but they derive
inc rable sum the transit duties levied upon
the opium raised within it, as il passes through their
territory, its way to Bombay or Calcutta, where
it is sold, principally to British merchants But in
the latter provinces the company have for many
years exercised over the nhabitants an authority
land or Russia were ever ruled. The owners of the
soil, who are called Ryets, compelled annually
to cultivate for the company, certain portion oi
their land for the production OF opium NO one Is
suffered 10 cultivate il for his own benefit; and should
he undertake it without first enering into an agree
ment with the company at their fixed and arbitrary
rate his property is imme diately seized by their
officers, and he is compt He'd either to destroy his
peoples, or to give ample security for the faithful
delivery of the proouCt
Advances Of money are made to him through their
subordinate officers and servants, and II the hyot
refuses to accept the advance, 1t is thrown INTO his
house, and should he attempt to abscond for the pur-
pose Of avoiding this unjust imposition he forcibly
seized the advance tied up IN his clothes, and he
is thrust ato his house and their confined until, per.
ceiving resistance useless, he subnissiveiy wears
the chains which oppression IN Its worst form has
thus thrown around him. - III.
Immense tracts of land, the richest and most val
liable of any in British India, which were formerly
used for the cultivation of more useful and less dele
terious plaits, have, Tor several years past, been
covered with peoples, produced by the system oil
tyranny we have described Every successive year
has marked their increased spread, and has brought
with il and heaped upon the weak and unstfending
natives additional wrongs and multiplied cruelties;
and the miserable pittance which the company
vance, compensate them for their labor and the
use of their SOIL is than three fourths absorbed
in passing through the hands of corrupt and oppres
sive officers, before reaching its legitimate owners.
But the poor natives must not resist or their late Is
rendered still more wretched, and the Few rights
they are PERM ted to enjoy entirely wrested from
them. The officers Of the company, their lesalzed
plundc suffered to exercise unlicensed arb
trary powers. As the cultivation Of the drug is
forced upon them, they suspected Of concealing
it for private sale and personal advantage; and the
surveillance exercised over them, for the purpose
Of detection and punis is attended with hard
ships and the vilest oppression.
In order extort brides, all which they hold most
dear is violated and the privacy o. their miserable
abodes, and the sancity of their females, must be
ed from the police and custom house search
| -hata fbaIr nj rice
induce them to demand. And all these manifold out
RACES upon the Liberties OF men-these barbarous inn
positions and cruelties-these palpable, repeated,
and continued violations OF morality, religion and
common Justice are perpetrated and sanctioned by
the laws Of enlightened England-that christian,
slavery hating nation, whose statesmen profess TO
look upon the institution Of slavery in this country
with indignation and holy horror, and who denonnce
its authors as the enemies of liberty, christianity,
and reedom Let them turn from us, and look upon
the dark face Of their vast Indian empire, and the
mark the gloomy bondage Of millions and tens Of mil
lions chained to the cultivation Of drug, the
aences of which misery, disease, and death; let
them there examine the cruel mockery Of a system
Of laws which, although nominally comforting Free
dom and the rights OF acquiring and enjoying pro-
perry, in reality fastens upon the victim and
| lasting boadage--making him miserable slave upon
the soil which he is Told TO call his own and then let
them il they dare, publish To the whole enlightened
world the true features Of American and British
slavery side by side, and let heaven Judge betw een
the horrors Of each, and hurl retrbuton upon that
nation which is most guilty, and Tor our own we
/ SHOULD have no fear.
Great Britain cannot charge the responsibility Of
the enoImilies have mentioned, upon her colonial
government; has she been ignorant If their
extent and cruelty The whole sabject Of Indian
venue and commerce, was before the imperial ,,ara
ment in 1S32 aud the cultivation OF opium con-
stituted its most prominent feature. mass OF evil
dence was spread before committee of IN vestig alton
appointed by the house Of commons, in the Of
which the iniqu,tous and wicked measures hy which
the company compelled the cultivation Of opium,
were fully and Corcibly deiineatcd; and the
in which its traffic with the Chinese was carried m
developed and explained. But the revenue Of India
derived from IT, and the immense amount Of capital
which was invested in it by British merchants en-.
gagged Ia the Chinese trade, triumphed over the
sderatons of morality justice and national honor;
and in the report e the committee, received and
sanctioned by both houses Of parliament, IL was de
cared inexpcdient and Improper 20 reduce the
nue. 1T British India by annhilating the opium inte-
rest; aud upon these grounds did England openly
coun enance and in effect Iegalizc, traffic, which
was annually destroying millions, and which was
ca ried in open violation Of Chinese laws and in
ternationai right; and in doing this she made her
self responsible for all the direiul sequences that
have since resulted from it, and part, perhaps but
a small part 81 them, has been the executon by the
Chinese authorities of thousands Of their miss rabe
neople for smuggling the nterdicted drug from the
British ships; the destruction of property, health
and life which II has caused throughout the Chinese
Empires the vast injury II has created to the trade
of all nations whose vessels visit Canton; and bal-
", the recent insane and bloody career II Captain
Elliot in the waters 81 that port
Since this openly EXPIRE ssed determination by the
parliament 81 Crest Britain to continue its culva-
ton, the quantity OF opium produced in India has
statement cf the amount sold bv the East india Com
pany at Calcutta. from 1900 20 1S7.
In the season ending
Chests. S,cea Rupees.