The Sun. — 1858-02-06 (London, England)

XVII. of 1857, by which cognizance was the first tittle given to them of offences of a purely military character. " First, in regard to men belonging to regiments which have not mutinied, the civil authorities were directed to punish as deserters those only who were found with arms in their hands. If guilty of rebellion they child be punished as rebels apart from their military character ; but if charged with or suspected of desertion alone, and not found with arms in their possession, they were to be °cut back to their regiments, or detained in prison pending the orders of the Governtn,nt. If sent bask to their regiments they would of course be dealt with by the 'Mihaly authorities according to their guilt or innocence.  " Second, in regard to men belonging to regi ments which have mutinied but which have not killed their officers or committed any other san guinary crime, or whose regiments cannot be ascertained, the civil officers were directed to punish as mutineers only those who were found with areas in their possession, or who were charged with a specific act of rebellion, or whom for special reasons it might be necessary to punish forthwith. All others were to be sent to Allahabad, or to such other place as the Government might order, to b 3 dealt with by the military authorities. " Third, in regard to men belonging to regiments which have mutinied and killed any European, or committed any other sanguinary outrage, the civil authorities were directed to try and settence as mutineers all such persons, and to punish forthwith all who could not show either that they were not present at the murder or other outrage, or that if present they did their utmost to prevei,t it. Th se exceptional cases were to be reported to the Government. "29. It hasnot been found that these orders ara difficult of execution, or that they have tended in the least degree to weaken the hands of the civil power in dealing with those who have bean really guilty of mutiny or desertion, to say nothing of graver crimes. If they have saved innocent men from unjust punishment their object has been so far attained. Upon the action of courts-martial, or upon the proceedings of any military authority whatsoever, they neither were intended to have, nor have they bad, any restrictive effect. Their tendency, on the contrary, so far as military tribunals are concerned, is to extend the jurisdiction of those tribunals and to transfer to them cases which.in ordinary course would hey° been dealt with by civil officers. They impose no labour upon the European troops, the transport of the arrested men to Allahabad er other miliiary stations being assigned to the police or locel guards. "30. In regard to the treatment of rebels not being mutineers, we warned unquestionably thecivilautlio ee authorities to whom the power of lif)etatondiediteoartehorhdaedr beenin a district starurystieldi litiehafitrtsthoautgtleiniiti is , in which the civil authority had been. entirely overthrown to adiniuister the law with such promptitude and severity as will strike terror into the minds of the evil-disposed among the people, and will induce them by the fear of death to abstain from plunder, to restore stolen property, at ,d return. to reaceful occupations ;'yet, thist)( object was once in a great degree attained, that the punishment of ciiines should be regulated with discrimination and in the I.oth paragraph, after pointing out the difficulties that would prob tbly be caused by the administration of the law ire its extreme severity after the requ'isito impreision had bcen made upon the rebelliou and disorderly, and after order had been partially restore', we desired the civil authorities to encourage all persons to return to their occupations, postponing all minute inquiry into past political offences, to punishing the principal offenders, and making examples of those who aler the partial restoration of order might be guilty of serious outrages, or ce promoting the designs of the rebels. "31. We cannot bel.eve that these instruotions need defence. They are addiessed only to civil authorities ; to men who, scattered far and wide