The independent press. (Abbeville C.H., S.C.) 1853-1860, 1857-10-02
English Retribution in India.

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mcndous in0uisition will be held on the un-
paralleled atrocities which darken the pages
before US. England must and will spare no
labor, no cost, no military force, no judicial
vigor that may be required, to hunt down
| the perpetrators, and award them the pen
atty of their crimes. In this instance we
have to make examples that shall never die
or decay in India memory. But for the pres
ent wo must suppress our indignation, and
stop to reason on these narratives. The
comments that we make we feel cannot bc
disputed by the most captious cnvicr Of our
Indian greatness. Inmany cases the native
soldiers, even when conspirators, and waitin.
the opportunity, have acknowledged the
Kindness Of their British officers, and pro-
tccted them from violence, even at the same
risk to themselves. Our personal relations
| thus came out clear.
We lrave only been too confLing; We
have left even too much to the native Off
GERS, and given them too substantial an in
dependence. They feel this Hence we
read i'll one instance of their giving the
British Officers and other residents several
hours law, offering them the means of es-
cape, allowing them to carry off their pri.
vatc property, and even giving them money
or mounting guard at their houses to pro-
! tcct them from chance violence Such par
! ticulars arc important to the defence Of our
India rule, for that rule has been military
one, and we only hold the country rs the
Romans once had Britain. Whence, then,
these hideous attractions: boat loads Of
fugitvcs shot down, dragged ashore and
butchered i'll heaps? Whence the proper
tion of victims at most of the stations
| The answer has its consolation. Sometimes
few aggrieved Sepoys, against the feeling
! and resolution of the regiment, have taken
the opportunity Of the confusion to assassi-
nate the objects Of their personal dislike.
Everywhere, as a natural and inevitable
consequence, the prison doors have been
thrown open, and thousands of class which
is found everywhere, and nowhere in great
cr numbers and depravitv than in India.
have broken loose, to follow their brutal
| passions and wage natural war with the
| maintancrs of order. Sometimes pre-.
tender OH the Malomcdon law of adoption
has carried out his sanguinary code on every
man, woman and child Of the inf.lvI race
| that came within his reach. Sometimes a
wandering mass Of mutinccrs have taken u
wanton vengeance on a crowd Of British,
fug,ives happening to come i'll its way
These are all incidents Of social chaos. Gen
orally the influence of personal relations has
the IIindoos have only those feelings for us
altogether that the suLjugated usually have
towards their rulers; and no doubt the
Mahomedans have only those still more
bitter feelings that the srpplautcd usually
have towards their supplanters. The reg-
ions and races are against lis. Th. We
cannot help. But we submit that these
narratives, heartrending as they are, throw
a favorable light upon our personal relations
with the people,.
But we will put question or two sug-
gested by these details. Can anybody deny
that India requires rule to win the affcc-
tions of some; to suppress the eforcity of
others; to control religious murderers and
religious robbers; to arbitrate between a
creed Of exclusion and creed of extermi.
nation {; to harmonic into one political
whole races Of hereditary soldiers, hereditary
priests, hereditary manslayery, hereditary
punderers, and other races as distinct in
their character as they were in the days Of
Alexander? Is it not for the interest of
civilization and humanity that we who have
this charge, and can show prc-emnent
claims to IT, should grasp it and maintain
it with the whole strength of the empire
Whossise is there, that has his foot on In
| dian soil, who can keep down this volcanic
mass of criminal tendencies Who else
can ever guard the prisons that have lust
vomited out their thousands, to the terror
of the community? Who else can keep
the highways open, and prevent the necesi.
ty Of resorting to bywayss ="
Even at this crisis we feel sure that if the
whole Presidency Of Bengal could be polled
the return would be in our favor. Terrible
as the blow has been 10 us-to those who
read OF massacre after massacre of their
countrynen,. and have too mncb reason Enr
fearing. that their friends arc amonr the
yiaims-!ye have no doubt tile victims has
fallen quite as severely on the civil popula.
l'o": Aney look to us TO re-establish our
names and authority by the most cfFectual
means not, then, only because blood
cries from the earth for vengence, Or because
1 thousand British families are plum sed into
grief Or distracted with anxiety, but for tile
more Substantial and paramount reason that
we. are ths foyidentfsk governors Of India,
that we m6& now infiict terrible retfibu.
ton and purge the land Of It's crimes. We
have done muci, it not orr utmost. TO hu.
mamie The people, 10 teach fhemfssj justice,
and 70 give them alibsrtyE SO. may we with
\ g safe eonscience, and mo fear Of evil tongues
take exemplary sgens on HE auihofs
iefl! ana a1ettors Of this unmerated insurection.
1ssss Laadeh 7Tnss, 1uguss .l5ta.. &.
fsss
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ihas ,fsn is q fAopght