New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-06-17


An Article recently appeared in The London
Times, in which that journal goes in--as II
several times has done before-fcr the doc
trine Of inevitable destiny. aud speaks win COM
placency Of TIE speedy annexation TO tne
ULittd States, not merely OF Mexico and
Central America, but Of all the northern part
Of South America. Why not the whole The
view taken by The London Times Of this question
is simply a commercial one. In thus egging Us on
to career of conquest and absorption that J)urnai
looks merely to better psymsster OF the Spanish
American debts due TO Crest Britain, ard TO
greater consumption of English manufactures and
the opening Of new channels to British trade.
Oar fingers may be burned in the operation; but
what Of that, go long as Great Britain gets her
chestnuts nicely roasted and rsEed cleverly
out Of the fire. This is o matter, however, as 10
which il may be well not merely to listen to En-
giish counsel, but to consult English experience;
and what is now going on IN India has certainly
tendency to chow that, free easy AID beneficial as
this policy of protection, absorption and annexation
may be in theory in practice it is liable to encoun-
ter-so powerful is the influence Of prejudice and
ignorance over human sffairs-yery serious aud
often very unexpected obstacles. The ground upon
which it is proposed that we should take upon our
selves the protection of our Spanish American
neghbors the administration of their governments
and the management Of their affairs is precisely
that these governments and these affairs are at
present miserably administered and miserably man.
aged; that the native rulers are quite inadequate to
the task of preserving order and administering
Justice, still lees to the task of developing the re-
sources Of these fine countries; and that the sen-
ment of humanity aone-nOt to mention an en-
liehtened regard for our own interests, as well as
those of our eghbors-imperiOusly calls upon US
to step in and give them the benefit OF our superior
skill and enlightenment. 1t was precisely on
grounds similar to these that some eight or ten
years since, tho British, not content with what
seemed TO them the too slow progress OF their In
dian empire, adopted, as against the native princes
of In dia, who stood to them in the position OF hum
bic and dependent allies, a Wholesale system Of an
neIation and absorption. 1t was .aid, and truly
said that the dominOns Of th5se princes were
shockingly misgosernsd, and that in point of mate
rial prosperity they could not at all compare with
the adjacent territories under English rule Such,
especially, were the allegations in respe@ to the
Kingdom Of Dude, on the strength of which the
King was deposed and the administration of the
government assumed by the English. Yet so in
capable were the natives of this country Of appre
ciat ug the benefit thus bestowed upon them, go in
sensible were they to the prospect thus held out to
them Of social order, material Development, and
the investment among them Of British capital, that
this annexation and absorption Of Dude, this
extension to that ill-gOyerned people Of the
boon of British protectorate, was, beyond all
question, the immediate and mitigating caus,
of the formidable Sepoy rebellion. 1t so hap
pened that the Bengal army was very largely
made up Of natives Of Dude. Instead Of looking
TO the probable benefits and advantages of an En-
glish administration of the government of their
native country, they saw in this absorption OF
Dude only the extinction Of their nationality, and
the Danger to their religion and their native usages
attendant upon the change Of rulers. Nor was
the sentiment of hostility to the new self-mpssed
rulers and protectors confined to the ranks of the
Sepoys 1t penetrated the entire population of
Dude and that to such an extent that Lord Can
ming, tie Governor General, distinguished hth-
erto for tone of moderation which has exposed
him TO very severe criticism, not merely in Indis
from the EDglish residents there, but in England
Also Immediately upon the fall of Lucknow, saw
fit to issue proclamation cOnf'cating the entire
lands of the kingdom, with the exception of those
belonging to half dozen adherents of the En-
clsb. 1t i, true that the British Ministry have
seen fit TO counte rmand this act of sweeping con-
G,caton but that only shcws that the Ministry are
beginning to feel some doubts as to 80 suddenly
pushing the absorption policy to its natural ult-
mate result.
If even in india where the people are in the
habit of submitting with a sort Of fatslist quiet
nem TO Whatever happens, this policy Of anne1a-
ism and absorption proyokes such robust and I'M
expected resistance, can We expect that in Span
sh America-objects of hatred AID dread as We
are to the inhabitants-our protection would be
accepted without struggle