Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1857-07-17

we GATE the commencement. OF British no,ro
in India. About month before that full per;o9 ~
one hundred years had elapsed, although on this s;do
OF the globe We knew i, not, the of the late NJ
gul Emperor had been proclaimed King at Delhi b
certain regiments of the Bengal Amy, which hal
broken out into open mutiny. This mutiny has as
for the purpose of inspiring alarm or suggesting t;m;T
counsels The moment has arrived for ac,on
sharp stern and decisive
An imperial interest is at sake-nothing less ,b,x
our dominion in British India. 1t would be n,s,,
enough TO point out the errors of omission md co
mission which nave been mainly instrumental +;
bringing about the present crisis. The course Of
policy to he adnp'ed for the future is also matter E
swift, though serious discussion but Just now i
would be itle to waste time either upon lecrminatio
upon questions of general policy. In the first plaza
the mutiny must be suppressed, and in such man.
ner as shall impress the minds of the natives with ,bo
nature of the power they have defed when its real
strength is put forth If it be true that we are still
very much in the dark to the true feelings and
opinions of the natives of India, it is less tue that
they know FAR less OF US than we do of them Tho
disadvantages arising from Ignorance may tell upon
both sides, but they tell more in our favor than 70
our prejudice. The crisis is most serious ooe We
do Lot wish 10 conceal its true nature from the conn
Try, but it is not serious that it should inspire One
moment of he alion. The vigOr DISPLAYED bv the
vicos of PlassY and Assaye should be the model for
our imitation at the present moment-if indeed a
powerful and resolule peOp lie need any nspira
ton from the past But first let us speak of the
facts, as far as they are yet known to us
The mulinous spirit which had, to certain extent,
been checked, if not extinguished in the more south
ern portion Of Bengal, had spread to Meerut Al
this post two reg imens Of native infantry the llth
and 20h-had united with the I'd light cavalry and
had broken out into open revolt. This revolt, as far
as it had showed itself at Meerut, had been put
down. There had been collision between the
revoled and the European troops the result of which
hat dISnprSp1 nd 40
10 the southwark, and at great distance, lies the
important city OF Delhi, the capital of the old Mo.
gul empire; and this town appears to have been the
centre of the revolt When the fugilives from Meerut
arrived here they were instantly joined by three
other egments Of native iniantry-he 30th the
54h, and 18th and the united forces instantly took
possession of the town. Any one who has had ex.
perence of the tiger like ferocy of Tie Indian in
moment of what app arS to him success, will be
prepared for the ult. An discriminate massacre
of the Europeans the first act on which the mu.
tIneers decided, and this they said to have carried
out in manner the most remorseless and the most
complete. No tenderness shown to sex-no
reverence to age; Delhi was turned into shambles ;
and so the first act Of the tragedy was played out
1t might have been expected The next step, how
ever, may be considered as of more ominous kind
II 1T is evidence of any preconceived design The
son Of the late Mogu Emperor was proclaimed King
and thus The shadow SoVerei en-, whom we have so
long maintained IN empty state, has been raised into
momentary portance-briefy, trus to disap
pear forever from human account Nor is this all :;
there has been dlsquiet old Sikh battle ground
We are informed, under date from Calcutta of the
18th OF May, that at FeroZepore also there had been
disturbances, but that these dstuF Dances had been
suppressed. So far for the blacker side of the pictue
and next for what has been done to mitigate meet
the evil. " The government taking active meas
ures to suppress the revolt, and was concentrating
troops around Delhi" The italics are our own,
and may, We trust, be justified by the event. II
is of the last importance that the rebellion should
be eXllngushed where it has arisen, and that
armed tugitives should not be lowed TO escape
in numbers from the principal seat of the distur
blnces When TO this intelligence we add that the
| Rajah of Gwalor-the Mahratta State abung on
the southwestern limit of Delhi-had placed the
troops of which he could dispose at the service oil
the British government we have exhausted the brief
but momenous, advices which the electric telegraph
brought to us at late hour last night. The open
revolt IN The Bengal presidency of five regiments Of
tlve infantry and of one regiment of light cavalry
independently of what may have taken place at Fe-
! rozepore. is undoubtedly intelligence important
as any which we tave published since the fall of
SebastOpol. 1t must also be remembered that these
are not the lly regiments affected with the faint of
mutiny indeed, the very telegraph which brings
this adds that the 34th regiment of native in
fantry, which had been before suspected, had been
disbanded al BarrackpoIe.
| SO far from feeling any serious apprehension for
|
OF these occurrences should be inclined to oretel
| that they may tend TO confirm it. and to give US a
fresh lease of empire. We have for long time been
! pursuing half measures in India. There can be no
doubt that the reign of The mock king at Delhi will
be but brief one and that terrible rerIbutOn will
! be inflicted on The mu neers, not merely in that
character, hui the bloody and pitless murlcrers
of the Europeans in Delhi. II it was to come, this
revolt could not have occurred at better time
When The Russian war was raging it might have
proved a more considerable inconvenience indeed,
a less matter, such the Eostties with Persia now
happily terminated, might have been serious 0bsa.
Gle in the way of a satisfactory settlement. What
we require is the presence in British India of the
most competent officer who can be found, and an
entire revision of our Indian military system. 1t is
not here the time or place to enttr upon wider ques
lions of policy, such as The system of double govern
mrnt, which has gone Tor much in producing the
present state Of affairs. We cannot, however, con-
clude without urging again upon rulers, SOON
as this revolt is suppressed, the absolute necessity oil
carrying on the Indian railway system with greater
vigor.
ing compact and highly traIned bodies Of European
troops from one point of India to another may be al
important In India we constructing railroads
on the expensive English system. Single lines
through the jungle and the wilderness, after the
cheap American model could be laid down in a tenth
of the ime and al less than tenth of the expense
an these would enable US to hold possession Of the
country with an army comparatively small in ru-
merical force.
i 1t has long been joke against the Irish brickayer
who in his anxiety 10 gain wager be had laid with
! fellow workman that he could not carry him in his
/ hod to the top OF high building confessed he hal
hopes when his bearers foot slipped near the hEh
story !" but in Mrs GaskeS Life of the Bronte Girls
there is an anecdote of Yorkshire farmer, which
throws the Paddy quite into the shade. 1T appears
that he had insured his life, and The payment
of the premium was great grief to this money