Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1841-05-08
Rritish TYRANNY.

British Tyranny.
The Rev. J. Piermont gives the following des- |
crip,ion Of the hord tyranny Of the British Gov
eminent
The sanguinary wars Ivy which Grca, Britain
has subjuga,cd the hundred millions ofIndia, and
stern dcspotism with which she rules and s,srvcs
them, that her merchant princes may roll in splen
dor and ep themselves in voluptousness, have
voice which the whole thickness Of the globe can
not keep out of our ears. "a more beautiful coun-
try" says brother clergyman recently Of this city
"han that from Cuddalone to Tanjore Tin Madras)
cannot possibly be imagined. The dense popula-
ton and rich soil give their energies to each other
and produce a scene Of surprising loveincss. But
the taxes and other causes keep down the laborers
to state below our Southern slaves" "Tun your
eyes backward" says speaker Of their own, no Ion
ger ago than last September "turn your eyes back
ward upon the scenes Of last year. Go with me
into the northwest provinces of the Bengal Presi-
dency, and will show you the bleaching skele,
tons of i've hundred thousand human beings, who
perished for hunger in the space of a few short
months. Yes; died for hunger in wha, has been
justly called tho granary of the world. The air
for miles was poisoned with the efluvia emitted
from the purifying bodies of the dead. The rivers
were chokcd with the corpses thrown ino their
channels. Mothers cast their little ones beneath
the rolling waves, because they would not see them
draw their last gasp, and feel them siiflen their
arms. Jackas and vultures approached and fat
,bo bo1i Of nj fsll
before life was extinct. Madness, disease, and des.
pair siaked abroad, no human power present to ar
rest their progress. And this occurred in British In
ish, in the reign of Victoria the First. Nor was
the event extraordinary unforeseen. Far from it.
| 1885 witnessed famine in the northern plovince.
1913 beheld one in the eastern. 1922 saw one in
| the Deccan. They have continued to increase in
| frequency and extent under our sway, for more
| than half century," Under the Administration OF
Lord Give, famine in the Bengal provinces swept
off three millions and at that time the British spec
ula,ors in India had their granares filled to repe-
ton with corn. HorIid monopoly Of the nccessa-
ries of life Three millions died, while there wa
food enough, and to spare, locked up in the store
house together. To add to the horror with which
he had been called upon to regard the last dreadful
famine, (thst of the last year, we are made &C
quainted by the returns of the customhouse, will
the fact that as much grain was exported from tn
lower -Pa,ia Of Bengal, as would have fed the ha
million who perished, for a whole year. Yet thi
awful oppression and these desolating fsmines mus
go on, that England may extort hundred million
of dollars every year, from her hundred millions c
Hindoos; and poppies must grow instead Of whea
that, at her cannon's mouth she may force her Q
plum upon the three hundred millions of the Chi
nesc, while some one solitary Marshman, ps,hap:
is translang the Bible Of the Christians, to hrin
these countless millions TO accept the religion of
nation that stands ready at this moment to destro
one half of them by war, that it may destroy III
other half by poison"
Rev. II. Halcolm.
I See Thomson's lectures at Manchester, PIP. 5
| and SO.