The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-08-02
proved. 1t was in vain that in the earlier

proved. II was In vain that IN the earlier
stages OF the mutiny Gen. Heaisoy. an accom-
rlished lInguist addressing tho fipnhs In
their own language, told them tina, such cheat.
Ing methods OF conversion were essentially
foreign 20 the Christians conception OF his re-
lRion. They heard. hut heedel not. The
consrirators had done their W rk too well.
Io'orO The hot s"ason 81 1857 la st IN there
were but few sipah In the Bengal Presidency
who were n { frmly convinced that the
Ereascd cartridge was tho weapon 10y means
Of which their foreign masters had resolve 10
trick them out OF their religion. No sooner
hud IL become certain thnt thi. idea had taken
q firm root. than chipaiiS ris4cd from village
to village In the rural districts OF tn north
west provinces announcing 10 tho population
that crave events wee Mt hand. Then fol-
lowed tho outbreak at Dnrlampur. tho revolt
Mt Mirnth the march o. tho Insurgents upon
Debit. and the formal recognition 81 tie NIL
tlnecrs rs the champions Of India by ths rep
rescntn Two OF tho Mogn' E,nnorors. With the
measures taken By tho Eng,ish to uuell re-
Not which they ought to hnvo ayerted--ihe
rccapture OF rehi tho recovery OF Knnhrur
tho relief OF Lnkhnao, the various operations
In Bengal and the northwest provinces. nnl
tho final publication OF Oudh-the rea Ter Is
sufficiently familiar. IIn woull rot care to
honr II twice told tae. What here concerns us
arc the deductions drawn from The story OF Tie
mutiny BY m ., Q witness. who IL also q mi.i.
tary critic OF undsputed authority.
Ill.,
before summing M the lessons ana warn
INKS OF the mutny. Coz! MaiioS IN SAYS II word
or two about tho Impression formerly current
that there was something peculiarly atrocio IS
ha mi n nj pt a MT IN ho
rebels bv tho Eri;ish soldims 10 tn, hour OF
their triumph. lie has personally exam nod
all the grounds for that Impression. aud he de-
clares enphatica!ly that not only was the
retaliation not excessive. but 1t did not exceed
the bounds indispensable to insure the sale'y
OF the conluerrrs 1t was limo ss!bls. he saws.
to give quarter. The granting Of quarter would
mean. as was proved over and over agnu. the
pacing In the hands Of nn eaemy the l,owsr TO
take fe trsacherously. II wa vol under
stood by both sides that at the storm ny OF
cities no quarter would be granted. He In
sists. however. that boy ond the deaths lntl ctrd
In fair light the British soldier perpetrnted TO
unnecessary slaugh er 1t has. indeed. been
asserted that In certain cases n new
kind ~ death was invented Tor convicted
rebels. and that the punishment Of blowing
them from guns wa, intended 10 deprive
them OF the rites. the want OF which would in
their Wow dom them to eternal perditon.
Col. Malleson declares that there is absolu tcly
no Foundation for tho statement. Tho punish-
mont itself was no now ono IN India. 1t was
authorized By courts martial. the members OF
which were native officers Its infiiciion did
not necessarily deprive the victim OF all hore
o; happiness In a future lite. Tao fact moro
over. that tho Government OF Iudin jealousy
careful never to Interfere with the religious
beliefs this natives. sanctioned 1t should 10
quito sufficient, in Col Maliesons opinion. to
dispel the notion to which We havo referred.
The BLOWN. away Of criminals from guns was
q punishment which was resorted to only
when 1t was necessary TO str Ike a terror which
should act rs deterrent. 1t was with this aim
that Col. Sherer had recourse 10 1t at Jalpai-
guri: and It Is indIsputable that he thus saved
thousands OF lives and possibly STAYED Off a
great catastrophe.
Col. Malleson thinks that marvellous as was
the conquest Of India by q company Of mer-
chants the achievement sinks into nsgnif-
canoe when compared with tho reconau-st OF
that magnificent empire in 1878. There is
no doubt that the Eng.i h garrison was sur
prtsed. There wore not dozen men in the
country. who on Muy l, 1857. believed that q
catastrophe was impending which would shnke
British rule 10 Its foundations Throughout
the first 1--WE weeks the situation was full OF
lhls0 WON0 "lxut nave lO6I n.
Most masters OF strategy would have said that
the English wee too few in numbers and too
scattered to attempt ofrsnaive tactics 1t 10
to their glory that, disreearding the strictly
scientific view OF their position. thoy did take
the offensive. The M than governing British
India recognized at glance that a merely
passive defence would ruin Thorn. They dis
played. accordingly. the ,ruest forecast when
thor insisted that tho resources still available
In the northwest md In the Pun!ab should be
employed In I'M offensive movement against
Delhi. That offensive movemen. saved them.
Though Delhi offered a resistance stretching
over four months yet the penninR within her
walls OF the main army OF the rebels gave to
the surprised English the time necessary to
improviae resources. to receive reinforce.
ments and to prevent the infection OF revolt
from spreading to other portions of the empire.
The author repeats In his concluding chnpter
the warning with which he bsgan. that the
determining cause OF the mutiny o: 1857 was
tho attemp, to force Western idens upon an
Eastern peops. Tnis. as We have sesn. was
especially the case in tho northwestern pro-
vinces. where the introduction OF tho Thomas.
oman laud system unsettled the minds OF noble
and peasant 1t was the cass in Oudh. whele
the same system suddenly superseded the con-
genial rule OF the ex-king. Nowhere else in
India was the rebslli' n more rampant and
moro persistent than 10 those provinces. 1t
is scarcely too much to say that in them the
hand OF almost overy man Was against the
English rulers.
IL seems to Col. Malleson that his book may
serve . political IS we'll as educational rur-
pose; that, in other word. the time has come
to press home to his countrymen The lessons OF
the mutiny. Once more. alter the lapse OF a
generation we witness In India u persistent
m n n fOrrA " sar n III, II m Itoa