INDIA.

Colonist, Volume II, Issue 108, 2 November 1858, Page 3

INDIA.

A oouresboxdent of the Calcutta Englishman^ of July 23, writes as follows:— "Your military correspondent, whose letters appeared in your columns of the Bth instant, has drawn up a formidable/catalogue of our offences against, and our violations of, the religious prejudices of the mutineers now in arms against the Government. Your correspondent appears to'be one of those who has learnt nothing and forgotten nothing. The native army mutinied upon pretence that the new cartridge would, if bitten, take away their caste. Every means was taken to remove the supposed impression upon their minds, and it was proved to them that no substance inimical to their prejudices was used in making up the cartridges. They resorted, however, to other objections* proving thereby that they were merely seeking cause of offence, having made up their minds to mutiny. Up to this time I challenge anyone to dispute that the Indian, or rather the Bengal army, was the best-treated army in the world—absolutely spoiled, alike by the Government and their officers. What was their return for this good treatment ? The entire army mutinied, and almost the entire army murdered their officers, their wives and children; with torture, violation^ and mutilation in many gases. They also murdejred^every Christian they could lay their hands on, and they did all this under the pretence of religion. ' Deen' was the war-cry. And this cry was raised alike by the Hindoo and Mahommedan, although the Mahommedan professes to look j upon the Hindoo as an idolater, altogether accursed and cast away. This proves that the bond of union between Hindoo and Mahommedan is no other than hatred to Christianity and civilisation, and this is the ' religious prejudice' that Christians are expected to pander to. These blood-stained brutes are 'to return to their homes without fear of punishment,' after having gone red wet-shod in Christian blood, and committed nameles atrocities upon the helpless! They are to sit secure at their own doors, and relate to the rising generation how they dishonored the feringhees! What is. this but sowing the dragon's teeth for a future rebellion ? As for the righteous retribution practised by the gallant Neill, he merely made the high caste Brahmins wipe up the,flood which flowed in torrents from the stricken women and children whom they hewed from limb to limb for the crime of being Christians, amidst the rapturous applause of all not totally emasculated and degraded by Oriental predilections. The retribution was most appropriate, because the fiends who committed the Cawnpore massacre did so on the false pretence that their religion had been attacked. They gained nothing by the motion. ' " Your correspondent is evidently quite impartial upon religions matters. I cannot lay claim to that qualification for Indian officers, not having got rid of my Christian prejudices. Your correspondent likens Sir John Lawrence's making a Hindoo drink water out of a mussock to making a Roman Catholic spit upon the host. He might have said making an Englishman spit upon the sacrament; but then he would have lost the advantage of thegeneral prejudice among Protestants against Roman Catholics, and would have shocked all Englishmen .of proper feeling. But how can the fancied pollution "pretended to be caused by contact with a leathern vessel containing water be compared with deliberate insult offered to the symbol of the most High God when he dwelt on earth to redeem us ? The symbol of that sacrifice which is the greatest event of our time. ■" Your correspondent disproves of our assuming the office of educating the people. Is' it not our duty ? For what purpose do we hold the country, if not to enlighten and civilise it ? No doubt barbarous races dislike education and civilisation at first; but if we do not introduce both, for what: are we here. As for making Hindoo sepoys embark on board ship, no man ought to be enlisted who has any objection to go wherever he is ordered. The Bombay and Madras sepoys are sent by sea~when necessary, and they are assisting to put down the revolt. As for what your correspondent styles a 'Mlecha's Government insisted on arranging and interfering with the marriages of the self-styled pure Hindoos,' we did so when we prohibited ' Suttee,' and interfered with ' Rajpoot infanticide.' The position of Hindoo widows caused wide-spread illicit intercourse, with aborrion, if not infanticide, to conceal it; wherefore their marriage was legalised 'in the interests of humanity,' as the French would say. " But one argument of your correspondent's will bear discussion, that 'we cannot afford to carry on protracted war with India ; that at any moment we may be involved in hostilities with France.' I admit the cogency of the last consideration. Let us therefore make root and branch work of it while we have time, and leave no dragon's teeth to spring up. "It is wonderful what different conclusions different people draw from the same premises. The cartridges were not the cause of the mutiny.. The Kings of Delhi and Oude, set on by Russia, got it up. Russia, has thus revenged herself for the destruction of Sebastopol. If the worm was not in our military institutions—-z.e., the military institutions of the Bengal army—how came it that neither the Madras nor Bombay armies revolted ? The Bengal army was rotten, and therefore it went to pieces. All power was takeri from regimental officers, and centralised in the hands of red tapists at head quarters; and hence the emissaries of Delhi and Oude found it easy to seduce troops so demoralised from their allegiance. The red, tapeworm destroyed the structure, and the parts fell asunder. And now it seems that a new building is to be erected on the old pattern, and red tapists are to be the delineators. Give me an army that will drink out of the mussocks and come again for more. There is nothing like leather. All mutineers must be accounted for either by transportation or execution. Our prestige is gone if any are allowed to return to their villages in safety."