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Leader (1850-1860), 13th February 1858, Edition 2 of 2, Page 6, THE ORIENT. chxna; Tub bombardment of Ca...

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      Special Letters From India. (From A Mili...

      selves mere slaves of the Feringhees , and that at last the Feringhees would destroy their caste and turu them into F eringhees body and soul , so that they might \> e no longer able to make excuses against going on board ship te fight against the Russians and the Burmese . With the exception of a few ' general service' or volunteer battalions none of the Bengal Infantry were engaged to embark on board ship or to serve out of India . Ho Brahmin or Rajpoot can preserve the strict rules of his caste on board of a ship . For years had taunts and sarcasms of this description been bandied about in every bazaar , for years had these matters been seriously discussed by the Sepoys themselves . They were left entirely to their own devices , and had a public opinion of their own , and aspirations , fears , iealonsies , aims , and a national pride , totally unsuspected and totally unconjectured by their English officers , very few of whom had ever in their lives sought acquaintance with a native , or met with one whom they were either able or willing to converse with on terms of equality or familiarity . Year by year the general execrations increased , until at last their own country , the birthplace of nearly one-half of the Bengal Sepoys , Oude , was annexed ; the King , their chief , the representative in their eyes of all the ancient renown of their native province , th 3 faithful and devoted friend of the English Government , even he was condemned to be a mere pensioner , and departed as a suppliant for justice from the palace of his ancestors , while his elephants , his horses , evem the contents of his wardrobe , were sold by auction at Cawnporeas state property . But immediately following this climax of annexation , touching the very hearths and homes of-the Sepoys , came an order of Government directing that for the future all recruits for the Bengal army should be engaged to serve in foreign parts , and to embark in ships whenever it should be necessary . It was true then ! All India had been conquered , and now the Sepoj's were to be sent to foreign countries . The order indeed was made only to apply to recruits , and not to Sepoys already in the service ; but who could believe that they " would long be spared ? The war with Russia was just concluded ; then came the Persian War and the expected war with China . . The greased cartridges followed , most opportunely ; and there could not be a doubt that the intention of Government was to qualify them all for shipboard and foreign service by treacherous ceremonial defilement , by loss of caste . They . were ripe for revolt , they were ready to believe anything . ; a few active ambitious Mahomedans now saw the opportunity , took care to fan the flame , and to spread a hundred inspiriting rumours of a general rising ; th « emmissaries of the Lucknqw nobles and officials did their best when the first mutinies took place , but I doubt if there evqr was a regularly organized conspiracy . The struggle must have taken place within a very few years ; it could not have been deferred much longer . The Sepoys were the first in the field , because they were the only organized collected body of armed men ; because they knew that no one would begin without them , anil also because the last insult and actually exciting cause of the outbreak , the supposed greased cartridges , forced them into the field . This has been no praetorian mutiny ; the Sepoys were led to expect that every native chief , and every man of the warlike castes , would join at their signal , and expel the cold ,, haughty , and grasping Europeans for ever from India . And throughout India , though all were taken by surprise—for the actual outbreak was not the result of a carefully arranged and premeditated conspiracy—there has been an almost universal sympathy for the rebels , and even those natives who well kneiv the hopelessness of the attempt , and the ruin which a local and temporary success would bring upon themselves , rejoiced at a blow at last having been struck at the pride of the British Government . In India , as in all other lands , the rich and prosperous are Conservatives , and there are many enlightened and loyal subjects in all classes but the very lowest ; but no one who has observed the signs of the times can doubt in what direction the hopes of the people at large , pointed . In my next letter I propose to examine the results , the loaa and gain to us of this rebellion ; tho lcseons to be drawn from it ; and the remedies for the state of things which keepe us Btill as strangers and foreigners in the midat of a population which has been ready to fall down and worship us far the last hundred years , but who does not like being kicked and spurned—remedies -which would muko India a source of strength und wealth to as . instead of weakness and expense , and which would inaugurate that human fellowship between tho pupil and the tutor races which alono can make India an Integral p « rt of the British Empire . E . Y

      150 The L Eader, [Ko. 412, February 13,1...

      150 THE L EADER , [ Ko . 412 , February 13 , 1858 .

      The Orient. Chxna; Tub Bombardment Of Ca...

      THE ORIENT . chxna ; Tub bombardment of Canton commenced at daylight on tho 28 th of Doodmbor , and waa continued during tho ¦ whole of tho day and nlglit . The assault , whloln waa Sn tUxeo divisions—two English « nd one French . —was made at Bix o ' olook on tho morning of tho 20 th . Tho heights within tho town wore in our po » sonsion by nine In tho morning . Dough ' s Fort was taken at two

      o'clock , pji ., and blown up . The advance within the city was but feebly contested , and tue damage to the town was very small . Captain Bate , of her Majesty ' s ship ActiBon , was killed . The number of English employed on the occasion was 4600 ; of French , 900 . Prussia , it ' seeing will be- forced into joining France and England in the operations against the Chinese . Prussia is bound by treaty to defeud ships under the Oldenburg flag ; and a vessel belonging to that State , which had been wrecked on the Chinese coast , having been plundered and the crew ill-used , the Oldenburg Government has called on Prussia to demand reparation from the Celestials . CIRCASSIA . It is stated in the continental papers that , after a succession of actions , which lasted from the 7 th to the 14 th of December , Schaniyl has been obliged to defer to the desire of the whole population of the Great Tehetchna , and give in his submission to Russia . JAPAN . Prince Tzi-Kuzen , the nephew of tlie Japanese Emperor , is about to visit Europe . He was to embark about the end of December at Simodn , with a numerous suite , on board the Dutch vessel the Samarnng , chartered for the purpose by the Japan Government . lie will visit France , England , Russia , and Holland , and return bv way of America . Among the persons composing his suite are two Japan engineers , whose mission will be to examine into the system of railways . An electric telegraph ( six miles long ) from the Emperor ' s summer palace to Jeddo , his capital , is now in successful operation . PEK 5 IA . The Hon . Mr . Murray , -our Minister at Teheran , is seriously ill from chronic dysentery . His jihysicians have recommended him to quit the country as soon as he can bear the fatigue of travelling . He has transmitted to Mr . Alderman Finnis the sura of 5001 ., contributed to the Indian Mutiny Relief Fund by the Shah , and 250 / . for the same charitable purpose from the Persian Prime Minister .

      Naval Letters From China. Thtj Following...

      NAVAL LETTERS FROM CHINA . Thtj following extracts of private letters from our fleet in China will , we think , be found interesting , although they are but a prelude to the latest news from that quarter of the world : — ff . 3 f . iS . , Canton River , Nov . 25 , 1857 . We had an alarm last night . The Chinamen tried to float a fire-junk down on top . of two gunboats , but made a mess of it . It burnt beautifully . We have had- a great disappointment to-day ; we were to have commenced the attack on Canton at the end of this week , but the Admiral has just sent to say that Lord Elgin has put it off for three weeks , as there is a chance of their coming to terms ; but I must say this is only humbugging us . tVe have been many months blockading this infernal river ( other ships longer ) , and nothing come of it yet . The Mandarins are trying , I think , to get us to hold on until the hot weather sets in again . U . M . 3 . , Canton River , Dec . 12 , 1857 . The mail goes home in a day or two , and as we are about to move up to Canton , I may not have an opportunity to write next mail . The Plenipotentiaries have been holding no end of conferences at Macao ; tho upshot is that the French fleet Have joined ours in the blockade of the river , and will join with us in the attack , with one thousand men . Wo get no news of tho intended operations ; nothing but shaves . However , we are ready for work , ami don ' t care how soon it begins . Two battalions of the marines moved up to our moat advanced point on the river yesterday , and also the Calcutta ' s boats , and good number of tlie gunboats , so it looks like tho last volume of th « History of Canton . Macao Fort , our most advanced guard , is about three miles from Canton city , which latter oun bo plainly soon from a pagoda in the fort . You must not confound Macao city with this fort , aa tho city id at tho entrance of tho river , and the fort eighty miles up . However , I suppose you will see ull tho authentic chit-elmt in the papers , bo shall drop tho subject . December 13 . —A flag of truce was eont in to Canton yesterday to call upon tho non-combatants to . withdraw , as tho bombardment will commence on Thursday next ( this is -Sunday ) . Tho Aduiirul comes up the river to-morrow for a . full duo , and wo bIiuII follow him immediately . The French attuuk tho eastern und l > f tho town , and the English the west . I am to command either tho Field Gun or liusorvo liiilo Company of this ship . Our equipment id us complete as can be oxpectod for iluhoB out of water . Your humble eorvunt mounts knapsack , & c , tho sumo as u soldier . I hope to .. fllmxgiiUM ^^ » . the Coluatial oitv iu my next .

      State Of Trade. Tuajjio At Manchester Co...

      STATE OF TRADE . Tuajjio at Manchester continued , during tho week ending lust Saturday , to show hopeful foaturua , Tho general transactions of Birmingham wore not brisk , but there wore signs of returning life , and a grout spring trade 1 * expected . Tho luce trade of Nottingham was vory quint , and the hosiery trade was unproceilontodly dull .

      Depression was still felt at Sheffield , but the workme n employed at Messrs . Beatson and Co . ' s ' Midland Ironworks ' , who recently struck in resistance of a threatened reduction of ten per cent , in the rate of wages , have given up the contest , on condition of receiving full wages " for the fortnight ending the 30 th ult ., which was agreed to . At Wolverhampton there has been a continuance of the steady improvement in the home demand for iron ; but the foreign trade ^ as yet , exhibits no signs of recovery . The same may be said of the hardware manufactures . The strike of the puddlers and mil ] men is v j r _ tually at an end , the men having shown a disposition to submit . Messrs . C . L . Browning and Jackson , proprietors of ironworks at Millfields and Deepfields , failed during the week , with liabilities supposed to amount to about 80 , 000 / ., and assets equal to a dividend of nine or tea shillings in the pound . The demand for wools at Bradford has been very linn ; but the other trades of the place continue to exhibit languor . Leeds , Halifax , and Leicester again show improvement in the leading branches of business . A letter from the Governor and Deputy-Governor of the Bank of England to the First Lord of the Treasury and the Chancellor of the Exchequer , respecting the enlargement of their issues beyond the limit iixed by the Bank Act of 1844 ( in continuation of correspondence presented to Parliament on the 3 rd of December , 1857 ) , has been publish-ed . We here read : —" The purposes to which the excess of issue should bo applicable having been prescribed in your letter of the 12 th of JS ' ovembe . to be to enable the bank ' in that emergency to mee the demands for discouuts and advances upon approved securities , ' it may be necessary to state what portion of the said 2 , 000 , 000 / . was actually made use of and empitted as directed in discounts and advances to the publie . The greatest amount issued to the public on any one day was 928 , 000 / ., and the Minimum 15 , 000 / ., or a daily average of 488 , 830 / . for eighteen days , the period during which any portion of the 2 , 000 , 000 / . was out of the hands of the Bank . The remainder was throughout unemployed , and was retained in the Banking Department till the whole 2 , 000 , 0001 . of notes were returned to the Issue Department on the 24 th of December , and the securities -withdrawn therefrom . The total reserve ou ' the previous day was 7 , 971 , 000 / . It may be observed that , as respects the position of the Bank of England accounts , an earlier period might have been selected ibr the return of the notes , as , in case of their becoming again necessary , recourse might be had to the Issue Department as before ; but the Court deemed it preferable that this partial , measure should be deferred till they could with prudence reduce the rate of discount below ten per cent ., by which the powers granted by the Act would at the same time be brought to a termination . " In the general business of the port of London during the week ending last Saturday , there has been little improvement . The number of ships reported inward was 183 , including 28 with corn , Hour , rice , & c , 13 with sugar , and 1 from China , with 12 , 811 packages of tea and 13 S 6 bales of silk . The number cleared outward was 107 , including 12 in ballast . Those on the berth , loading for the Australian colonies , amount to 47 .

      America. Kansas Appears To Be Progressin...

      AMERICA . Kansas appears to be progressing towards the solution of its difficulties . The Free State men have elected all their oilicers by small majorities , and they have large working majorities in each house . The military operations ugainst Utah "will be pushed forward with great vigour iu the spring . General Scott , Commander-in-Chief , will , it is expected , bo despatched to California , in order to arrange there an expedition which will attack the Mormons in tho rear . In the meanwhile , Colonel Johnston will be reinforced . Tho bills for increasing tho army have been introduced into Congress , but arc opposed by tho Republicans , who fear tliut tho enhanced military 2 > ower will bo used for tho coercion of Kunsas . The Sonato Committee on Foreign Relations have made a report ( Mr . Douglass dissenting ) on Central American affairs and tho Neutrality Laws , iu which they denounce tho species of brigandage culled ' Filibustering , ' and state that the Neutrality Law of 1818 id uuululont U > moot tho case of General Walker , as far as arrest ou tho high sous is concerned . They are of opinion that thu nrroat of Walker on Nicaraguau territory wad without wurnint of law ; but that , ua it was done with un excellent intention , voVbul censure of the net is ull that cun bo required . They nnully report a bill aiuonding tho Neutrality Law as far us rogardd tho bringing of oflendors to trial . From California wo hoar of the destruction by flro of tho town of Downiovillo , entailing a loss of about hulf tt million-dollaiM . —^_» - ^^ -, ——„ „—r _ „_ „ , The newt ) of tho death of Gonorul Havelook hud created great sympathy at Now York , and , no a mark of ruupect for that noble olllcor , tho iluga wore displayed on tho 2-lth ult . half-mast high . A donpatch from Mobile reports tho arrival there of Walker the Filibuster , and hid arrodt , but subsequent diaohargo , by tho nuthoritii'H . Another tulogrum from tho sumo city says : —« ' An onthiiHliidtlo mooting wns held horo on Monday night . Walker , in a spoooh , dis-

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Feb. 13, 1858, page 6, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_13021858/page/6/