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.&o. 441, September 4, 1858.]
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j&tmtm of tjie Wnk.
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, —v fpHE Court of Directors of the East...
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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.&O. 441, September 4, 1858.]
. & o . 441 , September 4 , 1858 . ]
THE ¦ LEIPElt . 891
J&Tmtm Of Tjie Wnk.
j & tmtm of tjie Wnk .
, —V Fphe Court Of Directors Of The East...
, —v fpHE Court of Directors of the East India Com-J . pany held its last meeting on Wednesday , and yesterday the new Indian Council met at the India House for the first time in the exercise of its great functions ; put together , the two events ^ g ivc the first practical indication we have had of the reality of the change which has been effected in the Government of India . Besides the name of Sir John Lawrence , the Globe of Thursday announced the names of three other gentlemen appointed to the
in Bengal alone . In Oude , the enemy ' s forces , thouglilarge in the aggregate , are thinl y scattered over i he whole country , and their condition is well described by a writer in the Bombay Standard : — " They are without hope , without a cause , without concert or leaders , and rapidly irritating the country people , whom they are plundering and oppressing , against them . " One of the best signs of our returning security is the attention which has been given to rewarding the services of some of the native princes . This labour has been magnificently commenced . New titles and splendid gifts of territory , confiscated from the rebel leaders , have been bestowed upon three of the most consp icuous of the princes who have remained not only faithful ,
of the massacre there were notoriously many who were quite the reverse . The visit of her Majesty to Prussia , though entirely of a private nature , has not been without political significance . Wherever the English Royal Family has shown itsel , it lias been saluted with a warmth of . popular respect and admiration that broke down all bounds of privacy ; her Majesty is the last person who would think of complaining-. Another most gratifying result of her Majesty ' s visit is that the Prussian press has spoken out freely its admiration , not only of the English sovereign , but of the system of government by which she rules her kingdom . The event , in fact , has given new hopes to the Liberals . There is now no doubt tu
¦ Council—namely , Sir Henry Montgomery , bir Probyu Cautley , and Mr . Arbuthnot . These appointments still further evince the desire of Lord Derby ' s Government to get the services of really competent advisers , and the circumstances of India are such that we shall not remain long in doubt as to the good or bad results of their counsel . In the mean time , the concluding acts of the East India Company arc highly interesting and important . The recent legislation on Indian affairs has not clearly defined the rights and position of the Company with regard to the future . The donbts raised on those points were submitted to the Attorney-General , the Solicitor-General , Sir Richard Bethell , and Mr . Wignim ; and at the last meeting of the Company , held for the purpose of co nfirming the vote of 2000 / . a year to Sir John
but have assisted us with men and money to stem the torrent of the mutiny : these are , the Maharajah of Putteeala , the Rajah of Jhcend , and the Rajah of Nabah . The services rendered by all these chiefs were of the utmost importance , and the wealth and honours that have been bestowed upon them byway of reward and recompense are not a whit too great ; the example , moreover , of our liberality to those who faithfully serve us will not be lost upon other chiefs who may be in a position to give us assistance . What degree of progress we have made in China is still only to be inferred from the news that has reached us concerning the doings of our ally . How it comes to pass that Baron Gros has communicated in brief to his Government the fact that a treaty had been e ntered into with China , while our
Governthe iiing is past return to huluuhlj , me j . « - ^ s « predilection , or rather pressure , under which he acted , is , therefore , less and less to be feared . The Prince of Prussia has always identified himself with the Liberal party ; and although a sense of fraternal duty restrains him from initiating any important changes in the policy of the Government during his brother ' lifetime , or at all events while his brother remains upon the throne , the party have confidence in him , and this confidence will be strengthened by a recent act of his . At the three hundredth anniversary of the University of Jena the Prince and Princess of Prussia presented to the institution busts of three of the most famous of its modern alumni—Schelling , Fiehte , and Hegel , the representatives of the most advanced opinions of " Young Germany / ' ' In England such a gift would have no ins umciii
Lawrence , the opinions of those high legal authorities were made public . The Company will continue to exist , after the loss of its governing power in India ; nay , according to the opinion of counsel , it is enabled to enter upon a new course of activity . " Upon the termination of their territorial government , " say the Attorney-General and his coadjutors , " the right of the Company to trade revives . " The legal advisers of the Company are of opinion , however , that , " from the lapse of time and change of circumstances ( since the powers of the Company were defined in its statutes and charters ) it would not be found that , practically , trade could be carried on with advantage under the present constitution of the Company . " The important point is , whether the Company shall ronew its trading operations at all , or whether it shall in future confine itself to the office of trustee for the holders of the twelve millions of stock . With reference to that s £ ock ,
ment has received no communication whatever on the subject from Lord Elgin , is a matter to be explained . There is no reason to doubt that a treaty has been entered into between the Emperor of China and the English and French representatives , nor that the terms of that treaty are pretty nearly hose that have been stated in the communications that have reached us by way of St . Petersburg and Paris . Russia and America , too , have , without doubt , niade terms for themselves . At present there is one circumstance connected with Chinese affairs , that exhibits in a forcible manner the peculiar condition of the Government with which we are dealing ; it is that at the very moment that we are signing a treaty of peace , under which the most intimate relations of commerce and of general intercourse are guaranteed by the Chinese Emperor , his representative at Canton is preparing to renew hostilities , with the view of driving us out of the
political signincance , m rruswa xcu . «> v-, there the Liberals think they see in it a sign of promise for the future , and take heart . The aspirations ' of Sweden at this moment are o a very different character , at least with-reference to its religious freedom ; by the voice of its Parliament it has decreed that it will have no religious liberty . The rest of Protestant Europe is at present shocked at the sight of six women—five of them marriedcondemned by the Royal Court of Stockholm to be I banished from the kingdom , and to be deprived of i their inheritances and of all civil rights , for having abjured the religion of their country and gone over to that of Rome . An address to Count Platen , the Swedish Minister at our Court , has brought the startling fact to light that Sweden , in opposition eyen to the desires of its Government , will have nothing to do with the religious liberty for which the rest of Liberal Europe has made such ceaseless WJ lvi 0 1
the counsel have also given an important opinion : it is that , in the event of the Company not demanding the redemption of the dividend within one year , it will forfeit the right to the dividend , which will in that case not bo redeemable till 1 S 7-1-, and then only with the consent of Parliament . Tho question of the Company ' s right to renew its trading operations with India is one of much wider importance , from tho bearing it may have upon the future of India . With its great knowledgo and : nulueiico , thp Company . would be in a position to employ its capital vastly to the benefit of India as woll as to the holders of its stook . Tho ono want of India , as wo have repeatedly urged , is British capital and British energy to bo employed in developing tho splendid resources of the land , and tho time is approaching when that development should bo commenced in right carnost . Will tho Company bo first or last in tho field P That all proooeds well in Indin , as far ns tho MlfVfill lf ^ fl T . ifm fir 4 11 « 1 AAmt i > u « n ~ a « . <• « ... « lnn .. l . . t .,. •] ! nn 4 ml ?
country ! The obvious reflection is , that the Governments concerned in the new treaties must themselves take measures for securing their fulfilment , if tho Imperial Government is unable to carry out its own stipulations . Something like a circumstantial account of the Jeddah bombardment has been published , but we have still to wait for the official explanation of the course pursued by the conmiandor of tho Cyclops . There has been , with reference to ihis affair , an ovqr . roadinoss to blamc . Govcrnmcnt for the hastiness of its proceeding , while nothing could bo more decided than tho cry which wns raised for prompt satisfaction for tho outrage committed by the fanatics of Jeddah . The Earl of Malmcsbury ' s explanation is said to be , that Cnptuin Pullcn acted under orders which had been countermanded , while the countermanding did not reach him until too late to avert tho mischief—if it is mischief . Supposing this to bo tho fact , Captain Pullcn ' s proceedings aro quito intelligible , lie was ordered to demand inuncdiato
C XiVJX L 9 « SUl ^ il Uiuuij UWJ . UVUW The announcement of a " gentleman from Canada , " on a mission to our court for no less a purpose than to invite the Queen to pay a visit to his country , or at least'to induce the Prince of Wales to inaugurate the Canadian Industrial Exhibition , which is to be opened on the 1 st of next month , was startling as well as interesting . Of course her Majesty will not go to visit her American colony at present , whatever she may do in the time to coine , nor is it likely that the Prince of Wales will " loan " himself as a substitute . Tho loyalty of the idea is , however , pleasant to contemplato , and is not impossible of realisation somo fine day . Meanwhile , if tho Canadians continuo to long for the company of an English prince , there is ono who may , in the natural courso of ovents , find himself in North Amorican waters . This is Prince Alfred , who has commenced his naval career , after passing a creditable examination on all tho points of knowledge which a naval cadet is rcquirod to bo up in . Ho is entered ou board tho good ship Euryalus , Captain
¦~ - ~~~ jr * -r"nr > rnv * vu * wj ^ wua * vuuuui'j ^^ uco ;~ ia ~ uiutuuy ~ iam'iv 7 uuuvi ~ by tho latest news . Everywhere tho rebels in tho flold aro oithor beaton or pressed upon by tho British troops , and the prospects of tho next campaign aro oxtremoly hopoful . Lord Canning and Lord Clyde wore at Allahabad concerting measures , and by tho timo tho cold weathor arrivos , it is caloulatcd that tho Commaudor-in-Ohiof will hnvo an army of 40 , 000 Europeans and 30 , 000 Sikh troops
met with what appeared to him to bo unwillingness on their port to give tho satisfaction required . It remains to be proved that he was not right in hie impression j and in thu mean timo there is much roason to doubt whether many of tho most guilty of the murdorous crowd have not bpen screened on account of their wealth nml position : all tho sixteen , mon condemned were poor ; among tho leader **
J . W . Tarlctou , C . B ., and 'in a month ' s time will join for permanent sorvlco . He will moss with tho midshipmen—rough it , iu faot , liko a real sailor ns lie is to be . His sea-cduoation will bo that o £ the Duke of Clarence , his uuolo , thoroughly pmo- . . tical j let us hope that he may turn out as great a favourite both afloat and ashore Moan \ vhuo , ~ - lot us hope that tho French precedent will bo followed , and merit bo the o nly oritwwaol promotion .
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Sept. 4, 1858, page 3, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_04091858/page/3/
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