Washington sentinel., 1856-03-18
ENGLISH OPPRESSION AND SOUTH
ElR SLAVERY.

" this cuedp school nave formed an DHrhslve |
alliance against the slave owners Of the
Southern States. Traitors at home have united
with canting hyprocrites abroad, and nothing
short of universal abolition will content them.
England forgetting her great army OF starving
aud oppressed laborers, who if they
be males are driven to murders aud arcenies,
if females 10 shame and degradation, has for
years past zealously assisted American fanatics
and slave stealers in organizing plsn for
robbiug rightlul owners OF slaves of their
property. Every effort that human inge.
nuity could devise has been made 10 excite
dscontents and instructions among the slaves.
Books and pictures portraying the crrellieS Of
the masters, and the suilerings OF The slaves
have been idustriously scattered over the
country. The children OF the North are taught
from their earliest infancy to regard their
Southern brethren as brutal masters, who de-
light il the torlures and gruans Of the unhappy
blacks.
We have 50 often had to speak Of this inias-
tice committed against the Suuthern people,
and SO often bad occasion 10 contrast the
happy condition of The Southern slaves with
the degraded condition Of the free negroes Of the
North, and the suffering and oppressed labarers
Of Europe, that We do not deem it necessary
to repeat here the facts and illustrations, which
from time to time, We have presented 10 our
readers.
Our object, at present. is simply to call the
attention Of our readers to a startling manifes
taton Of Eugl,sh colonial policy, and harba
rous cruelty which has but recently received
The most authentic deyeopement The colonial
history of England is marked BY the most re-
voting forns Of oppression rapine, and cruelty.
Her off cials have been infamous for their bar
barities. her tax gathrrers for their impositions
| and frauds But it remained for the present
| times when she is wasting her sympaihies on
our southern slaves, to bring to light system
Of pains, penalties, and tortures pursued by
her in her India possessions which have their
parallel nowhere but in the dark dungeons OF
the old Spanish inquisition.
1t was charged in the English Parliament
| in 1854. that tortures Of the most revolving
kind we're practised by the British officials in
| the Madras Presidency, in the collection of
the revenues, and that the unhappy natives
had nj means Of redress. The charge was
disdainfuly denied. and an investigation chal
lenged BIZ the President Of the Board of Con-
troll A commission was appointed, which in
short time collected proofs the most conclu-
sive and damning Of the truth of the charge.
! The land revenue is the principal source Of
| income to the East India Company; and ont Of
e26, 600, 900 OF all kinds Of taxes, ELS, 200, 900
| are derived from this source. To collect this,
the government acted as landlords to the whole
territory, "placing a money rent upon every
| field within the vast dominions.' This system
introduced the agency Of the State ITO an ex.
tent that had no parallel in the history Of the
world" Districts Of 1000 square miles, and
in some instances Of $4,000 square miles, were
placed under single collector, with few
English assistants who "made tours through
the districts, ascertaining, or attempting to
i
tivator intended TO bring into cultivation, and
watching and checking the produce of the soil
under every variety Of season, and Of climate y
Such thing as private property in land was
unknown. The rate Of assessment was SO high
as to drive the people from them, and to leave
| them waste One third Of the best land was
thus laid waste In South Arcot only one.
| fftieth was cultivated If the tenants attem pied
any improvement, such as sinking wells, plant
ing orchards, &c, the assessment was increased
The Madras district, the line Of the railroad,
was desert. Not one-tenth Of the ancient
water.works we're kept in repair. "The native
population Of India" said Mr.. Blackett, in the
House Of Commons "had been reduced to
almost state Of beggary under this state Of
things" and he called upon the House to con-
slider the immense power which could be exer.
cised by Collector and his assistants upon a
population Of $4,000 or 10000 vast pro
portion Of whom were trembling upon the
verge which separated destitu,ion from abso.
| Lutte starvation. The holder Of land had to
/ ph1 hNO-tht'is II 'hI ~AbrS pADuhNt " BbfeIu-
ment. If the people would not take land under
such circumstances they we're compelled to.
There was no farmer in England that did not
care more for his stock than the East India
Company did for these human beings intrusted
TO their charge.
The various modes Of torture resor,ed 10 are
thus described in the Edinburg Rerier:
The tortures which the Commissioners end to
have been employed are Of various kinds and
Of different degrees Of severity Some Of them
are so light as to amount TO little more than
menace. Some are so severe as to cause not
only extreme present pain, but permanent
injuries, mutilation, and even, not unfrequenuy,
death. Some Of them exhibit an amount OF
diabolical ingenuity on the part Of the torturer
and degree Of moral abasement and degrada-
ton in the victim, of which our western minds
can hardly form conception; some, in fine,
are 80 loathsome aud indecent, and At the same
/ time 50 excruciating, that although they are set