The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1863-04-28


Sing was the mau whose treasury
would most likely be able 10 supply
The necessities u the Company. lie
eniiced him into . quarrel ia order
10 obtain an excuse tor plundvring
him. The yearly tribute he paid was
not enough. Hastings determined TO
have his whole possessions. lie visit
cd tie capital Of the doomed prince,
arrested him BY military force, and
When be- escaped and attempted resis-
taace. hastings assembled his army,
drove him from hi. home into life long
exile, and annexed his great empire
10 the British domuioIs. Beneheent
.ael ! Bai lhers IS .til another, ever
more beaeiceat. ip. Company cried
for more money aud Hastings must
furnish il OF luse his position. A ma.
tive prince wanted money as much as
the Company did, and was nearly as
unscrupulou, about lllr means Of OBJ
tanning il. So the Governor-General
Of Company Of christian philnthro-
pisis (such they claim to be) struck
hands with heathen ruler aud agreed
to plunder tlIird party. The persons
who were so fortunate as 10 be allow
ell to furnish money TO the East In
dia Company, in grateful return for
all the blessings il had hcaped upon
India, were no other Than the noble
ladies, princesses Of Dude. They RI
fused 10 disgorge. however, AT the
kind invitation OF the Governor-Gen-
eral But Hastings was not a man
10 be deferred by small obsiucles.--
His soldiers forced open the palace,
confined the ladies, and allowed them
food barely sufficient TO sustain life
Two servants who had charge Of their
household were confined in dungeon
and loaded with chains, in order 10
force a discovery Of The hidden treas
urcs Failing in this, the Governor
General gave them mp TO be tortured
The British solder who guarded the
door Of their prison received orders to
allow the torurers TO pass in and do
as they pleased. We wonder it, as
Hastings in his Old age sat musing IN
lis quiet room at Da, lesford over the
events Of his stormy life, there ever
opened to his view a dungeon in which
Two aged men were undergoing at the
bands Of heather iortusers, agonies and
anguish ;nconceisablc. Alter this
had lasted for moths, q sum Of twelve
hundred thousand pounds was extorI-
cd. But they had put Hastings TO SO
much unnecessary trouble IN getting
il, that he conhscated their lands as
we'll as their treasures, SO that the fu-
ture rents might atone for present de-
lay. No wonder that Cowper placed
the oppression Of India foremost
among those great national sins, for
which an ayenging God bad brought
defeat and discontinue upon the ar.
mics and nayies Of England. And
Burke speaks ihns Of the British rule
England has erected no churches, no
hospitals, no palaces, no schools. En-
gland has built no bridges, rsade no
high roads, cut no nayigations, dug
out no reservoirs. Were We TO be
driven oul of India this day, moth NC
would rem lin to tell that il had been
| posse, sed during the inglorious peri
cd of our dominions by anything bet
ter than the ourang-outang or the
| tiger"
The esents related thus far took
place IN the latter part OF the eigb-
leenth century, hut those which fol-
low occurred in the nineteenth century
Of tile christian era--the glorious age
Of religion and civilization, progres.
and liberty.
During the administration Of the
Marquis Of Wellesly, one hundred
and forty thousand square miles were
addedao the territories Of the Com,
pany. And under what pretext? Pre-.
/ texts were abundant. We doubt Il
there ever WAS a tire when British
/ government was unable 10 fad pre-
text for stealing or fighting. Some.
/ times il is religion; sometimes II il