ENGLISH NEWS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume I, Issue 46, 22 November 1851, Page 2

ENGLISH NEWS.

The notorious Dyee Sombre is dead. The papers have, man)' of them, contributed their various quota to his eventful but degradingfamily history. The Examiner, speaking of his maternal grandfather, states that he was a French adventurer of the name of Eeynard, who, for his sullen look, went with his countrymen under the name of Sombre, or " the gloomy." The natives, who could not make the two consonants at the end of the French word to coalesce, dropped the b, and, adding a Towel, the word became Sornru, which our English orthography writes Sumvoo. Such is the origin of the patronymic of the Sumroos, to which is prefixed the snrname of the Caledonian grandfather—to wit, Dyce. Eeynard engaged, in the service of Meer Cassirn, Nabob of Bengal, when he was concerned in hostilities with the English. In revenge for the capture of one of his fortresses, the Nabob resolved on the massacre of his English prisoners, and accordingly put, it is supposed, about two hundred to death. "He found," says one of our Indian historians, "a fit instrument in a renegade Frenchman, of the name of Sumroo." He ought to have added that all the Indian chiefs had refused to perform the part of executioner-in-chief. This happened in October, 1763 ; and a month later, Patra, where the massacre took place, was stormed and taken by the English. Eeynard, of course, fled, to escape being hung or shot; and, being a man of great courage aud enterprise, he, in due time, succeeded in establishing for himself an independent principality in the north-western part of India, at Surdhana, some thirty miles from Delhi. This -was not a difficult achievement at the moment, which was that of the dissolution of the Mogul empire. An Irish cabin boy from the fleet of Admiral Hughes, George Thomas by name, did the same thing, even on a larger scale, not long after. Eeynard fell in love with a Cashmerian dancing girl, married her, and made a Eoman Catholic of her. This was the celebrated Begum Sumroo, the word begum meaning, in the Persian language, " a woman of rank." The Begum had no children by Eeynard or any one else, nor is it, indeed, very usual that persons of her j early profession should bear children. He had, however, by a Mahommedan concubine, a daughter, who was adopted by the Begum as her own child, according to the laws and customs of the East. This daughter the Begum married to Mr. Dyce, the half-caste son of Captain Dyce, of the Indian army, and the late Mr. Dyce Sumroo, or Sombre, was the fruit of the marriage. The Begum, having succeeded to her husband in the principality, after, by a piece of extraordinary treachery, she had made him perpetrate his own murder, administered.it with great skill for nearly a century. In 1803, she fought against the English forces at Assaye, as an auxiliary of the Mahratta chief, Scindiah ; and after the defeat, she fled to northern Hindustan, and made her peace with the Marquis of Wellesly, entering into a treaty with him, by which her principality, on her demise, should lapse to the British government, her personal property to be at her own disposal. Mr. Dyce, her adopted son, was to have been her heir, and he commanded her army ; bin in her extreme old age she detected him in an intrigue, imprisoned and disinherited him, substituting1 his son in his room ; and thus the late Mr. Dyce Sumroo became the inheritor of a French nick-name, and of a half a million sterling, which was paid over to him from the Anglo-Indian Exchequer, where it had been deposited. Another account states that—" Young Dyce was educated by a clergyman of the Established Church, though the Begum herself became a most enthusiastic partisan of the Pope. Exquisitely selfish, she founded a splendid mosque to secure a Mahometan paradise, should there be such a thing ; while, with a keen look-out in another direction, she built a large Cathedral, with endowments for a Bishop and friars, at the suggestion of a nondescript Portuguese Padre, the companion of her convivial hours. Her adopted son, Dyce, would have probably become a fitting representative of his benefactress and made an equally respectable member of Indian society ; but he was induced to make England his residence, and his career became a sort of anachronism. A French newspaper, describing the arts by which perfidious Albion seduced him into his fatal step, for the purpose of profiting by his opulence, places this phrase among other persuasive arguments— "Nous avons eu un Prince

noir, nous serous charmes d'avoir un Prince Sombre." On his way hence, he visited Rome, and ordered the famous cenotaph—a marble group of angels, sepoys, elephants, and cannon, surmounted by the Begum smoking her narguille—to be executed by Taclolini, which has been forwarded to the banks of the Ganges. Not content with this tribute to the octogenarian Semiramus, or Messalina of upper India, he offered a large sum for a solemn high mass to be chaunted in the church of St. Claro Borromeo, and caused the construction of an immense wooden catafalque to sustain the funeral bier and the mortuary decorations, while Dr. Wiseman's eloquence was procured to lavish the flowers of Oriental panegyric on the edifying life of this horrid woman, of whom all India had told of her coolly smoking her hookah over the fresh grave where a rival dancing girl had been just buried alive. The sermon was printed and the catafalque figured some years afterwards in the church of St. Andrea, the Begum's insignia being painted out to receive those of Mr. O'Connell. With.the European portion of Mr. Dyce Sombre's career every reader of the daily journals is conversant. It is only necessary to remind the electors of Sombury of the crowning triumph of their borough, when they selected him to close a long succession of Parliamentary glories.

The Exeter Synod.—On the second clay of the sittings of the Synod, the Lord Bishop, having taken his seat, said that the great business of the day was the consideration of the declaration on baptism with certain modifications, which he had had printed. The synod then proceeded to the consideration of this document. The discussion upon it was very brief, and most harmonious, having relation merely to the phraseology in the first and second paragraphs. Eventually it was carried unanimously, on the motion of the Rev. Prebendary Oxenham, seconded by the Rev. Mr. Downall, of Oakhampton, and supported by the Rev. Prebendary Hole. It sets forth the doctrine, that baptism gives unconditional remission of original sin, and of sins committed afterwards, conditionally on faith and repentance. " The thrill of solemn delight" says, the Morning Chronicle, "which pervaded the synod on the adoption of this important declaration, stamped by the bishop rising from his chair, and solemnly pronouncing*" God be praised;" and followed by the unanimous " Amen/ is a scene never to be forgotten." The next subject for discussion was that of education according to the principles of the Church of England, including schools for the poor, middle schools, the training college for the masters at Exeter, for mistresses at Truvo ; and inspection, and diocesan operations, were particularly recommended by the synod. Thus (remarks the above paper) ended the proceedings of the second day, and and anything more successful and more harmonious, it would be impossible to conceive. Every member of the synod seemed possessed with the most ardent desire to further the great work of the Christian ministry in which he Avas engaged. Everything said* and done was of a most real and healthful character; not a question, not a speech, but had a practical purpose. The real work of the clergy was discussed—experiences interchanged—plans modified, approved, or criticised. The bishop throughout encouraged discussion, and a most business-like and practical discussion took place. The synod, which commenced at eleven, sat till three ; then adjourned for evening, and sat till past six. We can now distinctly congratulate the church upon the success of this great experiment, far exceeding the most sanguine anticipations of its promoters. There can be but one opinion on the matter." On Friday, the third day, after divine service in the cathedral, the synod re-assembled. A discussion took place on the pastoral superintendance of youth after leaving school, which was warmly recommended. It was also resolved " that the whole matter be referred to a committee to be forthwith nominated by the lord bishop, and to report to his lordship." The bishop then nominated the committee, and it was resolved further that the committee be requested to confer with the diocesan and local boards in this diocese on the subject. A resolution moved by the Rev. Prebendary Oxenham, and seconded by the Rev. Dr. Cornish, in favour of restoring a " permanent, or comparatively permanent, order of deacons, under proper restrictions," was carried with only five dissentients. The next resolution referred to procuring the aid of lay parishioners, especially by encouraging voluntary association

for good works, " provided always that cave be taken not to transgress the discipline of the church," which was carried unanimously. The last resolutions adopted were in favour of a " stricter attention to the several orders of the church in the book of Common Prayer, and in the canons respecting the saying daily of the morning and evening prayer, and the due observance of holy days."