The Sun. — 1857-09-12 (London, England)

HENLEY ON INDIA.  In acknowledging the toast of " County Members," at the meeting of the Thame Agricultural Society, on Thursday, the Right Hen. Mr. Henley said, speaking of the Indian revolt : " Whatever cause of complaint against our rule tht re may have been, it is impossible to suppose that there was any real connection between it and what has taken place. An army of 80,000 or 100,000 men, without notice, without grievance, without rhyme or reason, have turned against those whose salt they have eaten, whose pay they have taken, and in the 'nest treacherous manner have not only murdered their officers, whom they were in duty bound to protect, but have either in their own persons wreaked, or have permitted others more wicked than themselves to wreak, the most horrid barbarities on women and children, before the very eyes of those most nearly connected with them, who were spared from butchery only long enough to see thwe most dear to them ill-treatad and butchered, and ware then destroyed themselves. I believe that history does not furnish so terrible an example of what man is capable of be coming when once he bursts the bonds of decency and forbearance. Now for all this there must be a day of reckoning. (Cheers.) They are English men, and English women, and English children who have been thus used ; and it is not in the nature of English. men to allow those dear to them to be treated in this manner without exacting a terrible :submit: (Cheers.) If the 20,000 or 40,000 men who have been sent out to set tnis matter straight are not sufficient, I feel sure there will not be wanting 100,000 men te rectify this terrible and grievous wrong. It is a metier which sets aside all social questions for a time. We have a mighty wrong to redress. But we must not be impatient in this matter. I believe our best chance of the mutiny being put down is that these black vagabonds should continue to herd together in Den,. I call them vagabonds, for the first thing they did was to throw open the gaols and let loose all the thieves and cutthroats they could find. In all revolutions you find that if men are not honest the first thing they du is to let loose others who are worse than themselves. Honest men do not want such help as that. Now if these fellows are all banded together in that city of Delhi, I hope they will stay there till October or November, when our reinforcements will arrive in the country, when they will be like rats in a trap, and a good account will be given of them. If by some mistake we were to march in at one side and these blackguards match out at the other, we shall have a great deal more trouhle to catch them. Therefore, instead of regretting that we have not yet accounts o' this city being taken, I believe it will be better to let the thing come to a head. My experience in killing all sorts of vermin is that it is much better to get then, into a corner than to hunt them all over the field. I believe our permanent chances of success would not have been so great if the city had been taken, and therefore there is nothing to be disappointed about, great as the crisis is. We have had greater struggles than this before now. It is not wise to say it is not a great evil, to be grappled with and overcome, but if I know anything of the spirit of my countrymen, it is precisely when difficulties are to be overcome that you find out what Englishmen are. (Cheers.) In prosperous times nobody would believe how Englishmen, when the hour of trial conies, will throw aside all differences, and, seeing what is to be done, will set shoulder to shoulder, and hang tcget'er to do it. (Cheers.) It is just 100 years ago since a few of our countrymen won this empire, and now, with our power so much increased all over the world, with the means of communication three Ones as rapid as they were, I will not believe but that we cannot only con quer again, but keep it with the utun et posoible safety. (Cheers.)