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    ' - . THE lEADEK. fNo. 380, Jt jIjY 4,18...

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    * With, roforcnoo to a Letter which appe...

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    THE DEAD-HOUSH. A ba.ni> of Irish member...

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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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    The Bengal Mutiny. I^Sr Our Last Paper O...

    thorities . The partis explanation adopted , fcs ' we understand , by the Indian community , is / that both the General and Brigadier were enioying themselves in the Hills , * . at the period of the disturbance breaking out . If this were really the case , what more decisive evidence could be adduced of the fact that the Indian Government was , in spite ot all ^ -warnings , completely taken by surprise £ In the absence of the regularly appointed chiets , 'Colonel Firais , it is said , held command , as next in seniorityThis gallant officer fell at

    . bis post , in the first moments of contusion ! and it is perhaps to this unhappy circumstance t hat the want of energy or consistent purpose may be attributed which so plainly marks all subsequent proceedings taken against the mutineers on the evening of that fatal Sunday , the 10 th of May . The European troops of all arms , infantry , artillery , and dragoons , though numerically superior to the rebels , were so slow in turning

    out , that all chance of saving lives and property was sacrificed by their unseasonable delay . But the , opportunity for striking a vigorous blow was not yet wholly lost . The insurgents had evacuated the blazing cantonment , and it was certain they would take the road to Delhi . To pursue , and if possible , disperse them , was an obvious duty . The attempt was accordingly made : but made after such a feeble fashion that no results

    ensued . On the contrary , it is quite clear that the Meerirt mutineers must have reached Delhi cantonment in the full flush of triumph . Common instinct would otherwise have interfered to prevent the Delhi regiments from fraternizing with a band of dispirited and disorganised fugitives . Once arrived at Delhi , the insurgents had everything their own way . Again and again has the Indian Government been warned

    that some great disaster was ever liable to ensue , from the very fact of the titular successor of the Moguls being allowed to retain his state in the midst of a turbulent population unawed by the presence of European troops . Again and again has wise counsel fallen on deaf ears—and behold the upshot . A puppet-monarch on the throne of Timour , and raised to that bad eminence by the rabble voice of a rebellious soldiery . There are those , we hear , who fancy the poor King of

    Delhi to be implicated iu this deplorable mummery . Nothing can be further from the reality . The case is simply this . An officer of the East India Company ' s Service holds the appointment of ' . Commandant of Palace Guards at Delhi , ' has quarters furnished to him within the palace . These ' guards ' have no existence as an independent body . They are merely detailed , week by week , from the neighbouring cantonment . Hence the mutineers without had merely to request admission of the mutineers within : and all that

    remains of the throne of Delhi was straightway at their mercy . We are happy to believe that his Majesty not only received the overtures made to him with scorn , but was himself the first person to transmit to our Xiieutenant-Governor at Agra a faithful account of all that took place in the other imperial city . The next Indian Mail will no doubt bring us intelligence that Delhi has been recaptured . It is , indeed , utterly beyond the

    power of the rebel garrison to offer any effective resistance ; and , in all probability , they will have made their escape in twos and threes ere the place can be closely invested . But

    we cannot avoid app rehending that furthe r evil tidings must at the same time be looked for , since it is clear that the Mutiny is universal throughout the Presidency of Bengal and its dependencies . We do not believe that the faith of any single native infantry regiment can be safely relied on . Witness f th h

    the extraordinary circumstance o e 9 t Regiment , both at Allyghur and Etawah , displaying the most marked devotion and loyalty up to a certain date . Tet , within a few days , we learn that the Allyghur wing has mutinied , burned down the station , and plundered the public Treasury . And that a like result will have ensued at Etawah is

    almost morally certain . " We are sorry to note that in some circles the misconduct of the Sepoys is commented upon , in a style and tone unhealthy and mischievous , as , for example : " Oh , you see it wasn't so bad , after all ! They didn't murder the women and children : 'twas the rascally bazar people . Indeed , tliey rather seem to have protected their officers than otherwise , " & c . & c . Mutiny , then , is nothing ! plunder

    of the Revenue , vv et armis , a mere eccentricity ! fire-raising , a playful joke ! Away with , sickly sentimentality . Public security demands that no mercy be extended to armed conspirators against law and order . Let us rather hope that as few as possible may escape the doom iu which so many hapless beings have been involved through their criminality . We cannot fail to observe that there exists in more than one quarter an evident desire to misrepresent the causes

    of this mutinous explosion , and to throw the burden upon other shoulders than those where it should justly rest . It is alleged that the discontent of the Army is not peculiar to that body ; but that the population of India at large is equally discontented , and that the Sepoys represent public feeling . The next Mail will answer that objection , or we are much deceived . It is hinted , that the officers ( besides being in all other respects of indifferent quality ) neglected and misused their men . This is already disproved by fact . The Sepoys had indeed been educated , by the

    Government they served to disregard the officer ( as such ) , but , with rare exceptions , it has not appeared that they disliked the man . Had it been otherwise , no officer of a native regiment would have escaped , either at Meerut or Delhi- We have full confidence that all these matters will ere long be satisfactorily cleared up . In the meantime , the best good that can come out of evil will be the just reward of all who shall appear to have done their duty in the late lamentable passages , and the no less just censure of those who were found wanting in the hour of trial .

    ' - . The Leadek. Fno. 380, Jt Jijy 4,18...

    ' - . THE lEADEK . fNo . 380 , Jt jIjY 4 , 1857 . n An ¦ ¦ ¦ - ¦ - - — — ' ¦ — ¦ ' ¦¦ ¦ - ' ¦¦¦ - ¦¦ —_^ lj ^ h _^ — l ^ : —

    * With, Roforcnoo To A Letter Which Appe...

    * With , roforcnoo to a Letter which appeared in tho Times of yostorday , we have no desire of prematurely acouaing General Hcwcft . Tho Hill station of Muasoorio lies within Moorut Division . If Government allowed ofllcora to bo absent from thoir posts , at such a Juncture , wo simply infer that the Government was ill advised , and ill informed .

    The Dead-Housh. A Ba.Ni> Of Irish Member...

    THE DEAD-HOUSH . A ba . ni > of Irish members once brayed aud hooted during the speech of a noble Lord . They then began to laugh , and the noble Lord observed , " I rejoice to hear you laugh , for it shows that you have one human faculty . " The new House of Commons has at least one parliamentary faculty . It votes . But on a political question it has nothing to say . There are debates on parishes and medical monopolies , on six-inch surveys and the removal of Irish paupers ; but Parliament is

    not supposed to meddle with politics . The debate on the Ballot was an exemplification of tho inanity that has seized upon the body of Liberal members . They vote when they must , but they are as dumb as French deputies . The history of Tuesday evening was this : — Mr . Beijkkley made his annual harangue ; Sir John Shelley seconded him | the Government , for tho sake of form , spoke in the mythological language of Sir Oobnewall Lewis ; Mr , Gheisr gallantly put in a remark : and

    Lobd John Russell delivered a daraag speech . Whereupon , nobody getting up wrestle with that Whig , Mr . Berkele y plained , and the House thronged into 1 lobbies . This may have been a very pro ] course of proceedings , btit among the speei less voters we find the names of gentlen whowere expected to do better service . Aim the new ( or revived ) and popular there we ]

    Aybton , Coninguam , Cox , Elton , Gix , i > Hackbloce :, Kinglake , Locke , N " Rottpell , Thompson-, The lawny , a Watkins . Some may have had good r sons for abstaining ; but surely not i They suffered themselves to be beaten wi out the least effort to strengthen th cause . They voted , of course . But think thirteen of the King of Oude ' s j fiuliar institutions would have done as mu

    If ' ayes' only are wanted , why , the Libe constituencies have only to fix upon such in as will counteract by their votes the votes the voiceless Whigs and Tories . TnUi alphabetically the list of those we hr named , the result is not very creditalj Ayrton ' s ' ay' was an equivalent to Ik

    dero ' s ' no ; ' Coningham ' s to Caenac Cox ' Clinton ' s ; Elton ' s to Cxivk ' Gilpin ' s to Goddabd ' s ; Hackblock ' s Hennikeb ' s ; Kinglake ' s to Habbisox Locke ' s to Lisbubne ' s ; ] N " eate ' s to Ke xVBk ' s ; Roupell ' s to Ritshout ' s ; Thoaj son ' s to Tbejttjsis' ; Tbelawny ' s to Tiu lope ' s : Watkins ' s to Wynne ' s .

    The member for Penrhyn Castle and qu ; ries was exactly as distinguished as t member for the greatest borough . The seemed to be some shame in thejtlouse tl Lord John Russell ' s plausibilities shot remain unanswered , and a call was raised f Mr . Roebuck . But the Incorruptible a the Fearless kept quiet . He might havegain some votes for the Ballot by tearing up t tissue of Whig sophistication ; but he ni

    destly bushelled the light of Sheffield and a hered to the instructions of his patrons , or 1 conscience , as the truth may be . Certain , it however , that his position in the House Commons is beginning to be uncomfortab When he presented a petition referring to grievance before the Ballot debate came c and said ' he did not intend to do anytliin ; the House laughed , ' of course not . Nothij is ever done by the patriotic member f Sheffield . '

    It is perfectly useless to review the diseu sion that took place . The question , as question of reason and necessity , is settle The arguments of Lord John Russell iu the Ohanoellob op the Exchequeb t » igl have been blown to shreds had the Liber party commanded the facilities of a aing orator . The morality of Parliament has bee debauched by one influence or another ; tl Reform party is dead ; a majority of tho ii dividuals who went in as Reformers at tl

    general election are too indolent , t ( cowardly , or too insincere even to raise vigorous debate upon an important politic motion . The consequence is , that two < three Whigs almost monopolize the atteatic of the House , that time-serving joumiilis pour out their tepid sophisms in a stylo audacious facility , and that the question gibed and jeered into limbo .

    But while the Liberal party is drifted iu sections , tho Whigs unite . The star tin twinkles over Woburn Abbey begins to me its beams in the sunliglit of Tiverton . AVhe Lord John Russell rose on Tuesday , son members expected a great Parliamentaxy bi and a declaration for the Ballot . It wns n < impossible . Russell had formerly threntene to bonnet the coercion landlords with tl Ballot-Box . But , instead of this , he spoil to the heart of Toryism . The territorial it

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), July 4, 1857, page 636, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/ldr_04071857/page/12/