Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1857-08-13
TIE STRUGGLE IN INDIA.
Result of British Rule in the East.

There is no longer any doubt that the
British Empire in India is in serious peril
It's authority is detied in one part of the
peninsula, and its prestige is shaken in all
parts. At the last advices, which we pub
lish this morning, the rebels were still in
possession of Delhi, and the open mutiny
had spread to several other regiments of the
Bengal army in the north western provin-
ccs, so that the losses were computed to
amount to twcnty-eight thousand men,
The disaffection had become so widespread,
that in the Punjaub, all the native regi-
ments have been disarmed among which
were some that had in times past done the
| British power as much service as any ma
tive regiments in the Indian army. The
homo government manifcstly realizes the
necessity of the promptest and most ener
getic action. Nottwcnty -four hours elapsed
after the reception of its last dispatches, be-
fore Sir Colin Campbell of Crimean mem-
ory, was commissioned new Command
erin Chief, and starts for his command
And he is to be Immediately followed by a
large force of infantry, cavalry, and artille-
ry. Fourteen thousand troops are already
under orders for. India; and other rein
forcements will be sent as. soon as ships
and stores can be got ready. The public
mind of England is greatly exercised upon
the new aspect of affairs, and is imposing
tremendous responsibility upon the Palmer
ston government.
This rebellion is matter which not on
ly yitally interests England, but may well
excite the concern of all Christendom. 1t
cannot be pretended that the British admin
istration of India has been in all respects
what it ought to have been, but nevcrthe-
less it is llatter of vast consequence to
civilization that this region should not re-
vert to its ancient regime. History has
had quite enough of the Emperors of Del
hi, the Nabobs of the Carnatic, the Chiefs
Of Mysore, the Nizams of the Dcccan, the
Viziers of Dude, the Mahratta Chiefs, the
Nabobs of Bengal, ct "a omne genus. The
British East India Company, delinquent as
it has been in a thousand respects, has yet
proved itself a thousand times more worthy
of the respect and confidence of every friend
of human progress. The fact is certain
that less than a century of British rule has
wrought most marked change for the bet
ter in land which had been sinking in
degradation and wrctchedness since the
times of Agamemnon and Nebuchadnezzar.
Internal warfare and spoliation have been
stopped; Thuggism has been annihilated;
the Suffice has been quenched; the human
sacrifices to Juggernaut have been ended;
hook-swingings have been suppressed; in
fanticide has been stopped; the avenues to
education and to social influence have been
opened to woman; system OF public in
struction has been established; system OF
police and criminal law, worked mainly by
. -Asiatics, has been put in operation, deci-
delly superior to that of any other Euro
pean country, and daily Improving a sim.
pie and precise registration of landed prop
erty has been instituted works of internal
Improvement, especially railroads for tran
sit and canals for drainage and irrigation
have been nightly extended. A domin-
ion that has wrought such ameliorations
and conferred such. advantages as these,
! may well be pardoned for a multitude OF
r their shortcomings and imperfcctions. II
: it be said that under the British ruie, the
natives have no share in making laws fol
1
except in very subordinate officcs-thai
they can rise to no high station, civil oil
military--that they are everywhere regard
ed rs an inferior race, and often rather as
vassals or servants than as the ancient own
ers and master of the country, it is yet to
be remembered that under the old Princes
5 the people had no share in making laws fol
| themselves, that the native subjects there
fore have not lost anything in that respect,
and that as the laws are better administered
than before, the people at large have na
. reason to regret the change ofagency. al
though the actual Government is unavoid-
ably absolute in form, the great interests
lof society are guarded by laws that are reg.
t ularly and impartially administered; there
. is neither tyranny nor caprice, for the spir-
: it of the common law has passed over the
4 waters, and is scarcely less prevailing al
4 Calcutta than in London. The Indignant
+ outcry that was made. in England two OF
: three years since by the Parliamentary com.
o mission, that torture had been used by some
Il Of the native tax-gatherers to collect the
$ land taxes in the Madras Presidency, and
:. the prompt measures that were taken by the
} Government to put an end to the abuse
r forcibly illustrated how emphatically Brit
h ish justice asserts itself over the old sys
G tenn. The greatest charge against British
: sway in India, is the frequency with which
It's conquering sword has been drswn from
! its scabbard. But in the main, this has
!, been the result of actual necessity. Brit
!. ish India never could BE- marked out on the
!. map and governed like other countries by
! the ordinary machinery of a domestic sys-
tenn. In the close ncighborhood of numcr'
ous races who are It once divided against
themselves by antagonistic interests. and
Q united against the rulers Of India by q
2 common faith, the government is as mucl
t matter of intricate policy from withou
+ as of control and organization from with
6 in. Tothis curious position Of an empir.
!. won and sustained in the midst of Jealous
. and hostile tribes. rather than to a volunta
. nv policy, may be ascribed the fact of il.