CONTENTS. The Story of the greased Cartridges.-Government warned, but PAGE State of the Defences of Bengal.-The Government urged to obtain The Siege of Delhi.-Want of Guns.-Defective Intelligence.-- The First Troubles in Oude.--Weak Behaviour of Govern- The Revolt of Benares.-Panic amongst the Sikhs.-Defenceless The Gwalior Rising.—Contradictory Conduct of the Mussulman CONTENTS. The Indian Press.-Its Isolation, and natural Antagonism to the Indian Government.-Hypocrisy of its Assailants.-Lord The End of the great Company.-The Financial Difficulty.- The Nobles and Jaghiredars of India.—Their Wrongs and The Responsibility for Conquest.-Republican Notions of the Rights of Mankind. The fighting Instinct universal in all The Religious Question.-Noble Lords upon Christian Rulers. —The Despotism of Knowledge.-The wise and good Man T The Land Revenues of India.-Explanations of the various Modes of levying Taxes on the Soil.-The Zemindars and the Socialist Doctrines of Lord Harris and the East India Com- The levelling Character of the Company's Rule.-Their Influence "The Condition of the Madras Ryot described by Authority.— Folly of attempting to invest Capital in that Presidency 331 The Remedy.-Impossibility of raising more Revenue under the present System of Government.—Difficulty of obtaining cor- rect Information.-Cost of Cultivation and profitable Culture. THE SEPOY REVOLT. CHAPTER I. THE ILLUSION. THE REALITY.MILITARY DEFENCES.-COOKING ACCOUNTS.-PRETENSIONS OF CASTE.-LORD DALHOUSIE AND HIS POLICY. IN the course of an article on the disturbed state of feeling in the native army, the Times of the 19th of May, 1857, had the following: "Now that the whole of India has been thoroughly subdued, and that from Affghanistan to the borders of Siam there is no power which even aspires to oppose us, we may be humane while we are politic, and be content to punish disobedience by loss of pay and pension, without a resort to artillery or a charge of the bayonet. It is reassuring, moreover, that the Mussulman, the Sikh, the Ghoorka, has no share in the prejudices of the Hindoo. The Government may always count on the votaries of Islam for support in any tumult arising from the teaching of an idolatrous creed. Still we could wish to see a larger number of European troops at hand on such an occasion. Our Indian empire is not what it was, and yet the number of white regiments remains pretty nearly stationary. Within the last fifteen years we have annexed Scinde, and the Punjaub, and Pegu, not to speak of Oude and half-a-dozen protected or tributary districts. The cares and duties of the army are therefore largely increased. Although the European force is costly and sickly-although every man sent out is said to cost 100%., and many are only sent out to be laid, before long, in the |