The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1857-08-13
THE MUITNY IN INDIA.--INTERESTING DEBATE
IN THE BRITISH HOUSE or COMMONS.

Of the intelligence of the mutny among the native troops
which had taken the government by surprise, their I'M
preston being that il would speedily pass away, he OBJ
served that even after they had time TO consider the
events House had been told by principal member Of
the cabinetthe Chancellor OF the Exchequer-as the
result Of its mature opinion that the revolt Oh the Bengal
army was sudden impulse occasoned by asupersttious
feeling IL OF the greatest moment that the House
should have clear notion of the cause OF these events
&c said 10 be only military mutny, but IT was OF
primary importance TO know nhahe Il military
hny or national reuah He presumed, therefore, to adj
dress the House upon two points Of nquiryirst, what
the OF the present state of affairs in India
and when the House had arrived at conclusion upon
that point what the proper measures which, under
the circumstances should be adoptedf That the state OF
the Bengal army had been unsatisfactory the House knew
from the fiery criticisms of the late Sir Charles Napier and
the camer reflections of Lord Melville but he contended
that the mutneers in the Bengal native army not
much the avengers Of their individual injuries as
opponents Of general dont, and that they had al last ben
aaca is He ranged under three heads the va
ous which in his opinion, had led to the general
discomfort Of all classes with ruenamely hrst, the
oreble destruction of native authority IN India by our
government; second the disturbance of the settlement
OF property third tamperng with the religion OF the
people Directly indirectly the principal causes of the
public discomfort In India ranged he contended, under
these three heads Under the first head he referred to
what he termed the policy Of the annexation Of
States the ground of the failure of natural heirs al
though adoption sanctioned by the Hindoo law and
he specified particular instances including those of the well
known Rajah Of Sattarah and the Raah of Berar These
denco only of princes but of large and powerful par
ties This led him to the second head and he argued
that the law of adoption applied to landed proprebrs
system touched all aghiredars and possessos OF
lands nquistions had also been prosecuted into
the titles to landed estates and he bered that the 0o
obtained By he indian government by The resumption q estates na
not Bengal alone than a500, 900 gear uhie N Bonn
bar he had been assured The annual amount f3T 900.
The government he'd further reduced guaranteed pensions
by curtament and conversion into annuities All these
proceedings had he sad esanged numerous classes from
our authority He now proceeded to the last head
amperng with the religion of the people and here he
hestned in atbuting part of this to mission
airy efforts So far from the Hindoo looking with sus
picion on the missionary he was convinced that he
ready discuss any point of religion. But what
the Hndoo did regard with dread and apprehension was
the union OF missionary enterprise with the power of the
government Tie was much misinformed if the govern
en had furnished ground for suspicion in relation to
native education but there had been two passed with
In these few years by the legislative council Of India
which had greatly dsquietcd the religious mind in Hin
dostan One enacted that man should lose his property
account of changing his religion the other permitted
Hindoo widow to marry second husband. Both these
acts had spread the greatest alarm and disturbance among
the Hndoos Mr. Disraeli then adverted to the 'sart
ling event of the annexation of Dude the consequence
of which, he said inspire the Mohammedan princes
with apprehension and to unite them in common cause
with the Hndoos. He had been informed besides, that
in the Bengal regiments there fewer than seventy
thousand natives OF Dude 7ho returning 70 their oages
aod find them possession Of the East India Company and
those who of land would be subjected to the
hard and system of land 1t after
this event that the circulation of symbols in the forms of
cakes and lotus flowers throughout the Bengal army
proved the existence of general conspiracy He thought
it impossible that the Indian government could have
been ignorant that the Bengal troops were in state OF
chronic INSTRUMENTATION, and their duty solemny
to impress upon the government at they must
have done that the time had when they must
seriously consider the state of our Indian army The
geasng of the cartridges Mr. Dsrae dismissed with the
remark that nobody believed that to have been the real
of the outbreak In the last place he procee6e to
inquire assuming that the views he had developed
correct what were the measures which the government
ought TO adopt in the emergency Regarding the revolt
national one military measures not sufficient
and the measures of the government inadequate
there should be expedition up the Indus force in
India should be doubled But further, the population
OF India should be told that there a future hope they
should be taught at that the relations between them
and their sovereign, Queen Victoria would be drawn
and royal commission should be sent from the
Queen TO India, to inquire into the grievances of all
classes He concluded by moving for certain papers
Mr.. Y. Smith spoke to the following effect 1t is inn
possible to deny, and it is not my wish TO de-
ny, that the right honorable gentleman has made this
occasion very able and remarkable speech
for the uency of the speaker the variety of his resources
and all those qualities which adorn, and have long adon
ed his character in this House The right honorable gem
teman has taken calculated to do anything rath
or than calm the public mind. He has dwet on topics
Of the utmost mischief to the State Amid much that
was dscouragng in the from India, there two
grounds of consolation The first ground of consolation
was, that, far informed, there not the
slightest symptoms of the mutny being national revolt
Hear, hear There is not little Of evidence and the
right honorable gentleman has adduced none, to show
that the outbreak from national discomfort Anoth
most oatory circumstance in intelligence from
the East is that native prince has been concerned in
these transactions The right honorable gentleman sweeps
away that source of comfort, also, from minds He
says there has been conspiracy among the native princes
but he has given proof whatever of any such conspra
cy Did not the Maharajah of Gwaor forward with
his contingent and issue throughout his territory proc
iamation that any who brought in mutineer should
receive reward of 100 rupees Did not the Rajah of
Puteallah forward to assist with his forces al
though he might have pleaded the existence of dispute
between him and the East India government? defy
the right honorable gentleman to show that any one Of
the native princes gallant allies have sued all their
glory by betraying us at this uncture. The right
honorable gentleman that by changing everything
have disturbed the native authority; that have
nterfered with the property and with the religion Of the
people of India. He went with great detail and great
pespcuity into the whole question of interference with
native authority. He analysed the famous minute of
Lord Dalhouse certainly have great admiration
in which, dare say, the right honorable gentleman
agrees with of the high character and eminent ab
tiles of Lord Dalhousie but do not pretend say that
of adoption and when the right honorable gentleman
speaks of the government endorsing that policy he en-
ey forgets the fact that that policy rejected by the
Court of Directors and the home government But it is
not perfectly plain that the Hindoo system of
adoption always extends 10 strangers IL has been adj
mitted to extend to blood relations even although they
back for centuries and therefore soveregns and pro-
preors who have inherited their lands for several hun
dred years may claim the right of adopting heirs from