66 1825.7 Letters on the Present State of India. No. 1. vanced before the Circuit Court. Perjury is extremely common." And again, They are probably somewhat more licentious than formerly; chicanery, subornation, and fraud, and perjury, "The are certainly more common.' lower classes are, in general, profligate and depraved. The moral duties are little attended to by the higher. All are litigious in the extreme, and the crime of perjury was never, we believe, more practised among all ranks than at present." It is somewhat surprising that a Nor will he who has al- 585 upon the authority of writers, who But a few more of the same gentle- clearly shown; whilst the moral instruction alluded to, has reference to the overthrow of native schools, which, among other effects ruinous to this country, our system has occasioned. But glaring as these misapprehensions on the part of our distinguished philanthropist are, his perversion of Mr Dowdsewell's meaning is even more extraordinary. "I quote the following passage from Mr Dowdsewell's Report on the Police of Bengal," says he," in order to counteract that strange and most unjust persuasion, which has been attempted to be diffused, that the Hindoos are a gentle and humane people."-" Were I to enumerate only a thousandth part of the atrocities of the Docoits, (a sort of hereditary robbers,) and of the consequent sufferings of the people, and were I to soften that recital in every mode which language would permit, I should still despair of obtaining credit solely on my own authority, for the accuracy of the narrative." "Robbery, rape, and even murder itself, are not the worst figures in this hideous and disgusting picture. Volumes might be filled with the recital of the atrocities of the Docoits, every line of which would make the blood run cold with horror." Will the reader believe that these very sentences, which are quoted as conclusive proof of the natural cruelty of the Hindoos, are in reality no more than parts of a chain of reasoning, the purport of which is to show, that by rudely destroying the native institutions, and introducing nothing effective of our own in their room, we have plunged the country into crime and misery? Such, however, is the truth; as will be clearly shown by and by, when the very same words are again quoted in connexion with their context; and supported by other authorities, who deliver themselves even more plainly, and therefore more strongly. I have already trespassed so much upon your time, that I will not add to that fault, by bringing forward, as I might easily do, a whole list of names, all of them of the highest respectability, and all favourable to the moral character of the Hindoos. Our own quaint but delightful old traveller, the Rev. Edward Terry, chaplain to Sir Thomas Rowe, when ambassador at Delhi, delivers himself very warmly on this subject. "For our living in East India," says he, "it is with as much freedom and safety in our journeys and tents when we travel; in our houses when we are more fixed, as if we were an army of banners appointed for our guard, or as if the vines and fig-trees under which we there sit, were our own." See page 170. "The truth is, that the people there in general, are very civil, and we never had any affronts or ill usage of them, if we did not first provoke them." He adds, indeed, "that if we did, they would not well bear it,” but even in recording an instance of offence taken, he records, at the same time, the great placability of the natives, and their readiness to overlook an affront which is unintentionally thrown upon them. Of their extraordinary fidelity to their masters, he makes mention in these terms: "I have often heard it observed of the Welsh, that they are optimi servi, but pessimi domini; ill masters, but good servants. I shall not further inquire into the truth of that proverbial speech: but for this people I can affirm, that they are excellent servants, who are as much at the command of their masters, as the people of Israel, after the death of Moses, were unto Joshua." Thus, " if they be commanded to carry letters of a sudden many miles distant, from one place to another, they yield obedience in this, as to all other the commands of their masters, without regret or dispute, but doing the wills of those who employ them." "Those Indians I named before, are as faithful to their trusts unto whomsoever they engage, to the English as well as to others, that if they be at any time assaulted, they will rather die in their defence, than forsake them in their need. So that I am very confident, that if an English merchant should travel alone with a very great treasure in gold and jewels, both or either, from Surat to Labror, which is more than one thousand English miles, and take those Indian servants only for his company and guard, and all they knew what he carried with him, he paying them their wages, they would be so far from injuring him of the least penny of his wealth, that whosoever besides should attempt his spoiling, must make a way through their blood before they should be able to do it." P. 183. In many other virtues besides these, the same author declares that they are habituated. "For the temperance of very many, by far the greater part of the Mahometans and Gentiles, it is such as that they will rather choose to die, like the mother and her seven sons, mentioned in the second of Maccabees, and seventh chapter, than eat or drink anything their law forbids; hating gluttony, and esteeming drunkenness, as indeed it is, another madness, and therefore have but one word in their language, (though it be very copious,) and that word is mest, for a drunkard and a madman." P. 148-9. Again, "And here I shall insert another most heedful particular to my present purpose, which deserves a most high commendation to be given unto that people in general, how poor and mean soever they be; and that is the great and exemplary care they manifest in their piety to their parents, that notwithstanding they serve for very little, yet if their parents be in want, they will impart at least half of that little towards their necessities, choosing rather to want themselves, than that their parents should suffer need." Mr Terry speaks in the highest praise of the industry of the Hindoos, their exactness in making good all their engagements, "their justness in trade," their fair dealing, &c. and sums up all by exclaiming, Surely for moral honesty it is most true, that even those heathens I have named marvellously exceed us." P. 255. The sentiments of M. Duperron correspond precisely with those of Mr Terry; neither are Mr Orme, Mr Halhed, Sir William Jones, &c. &c. backward in bearing testimony to the good qualities of the Hindoos ; whilst even the Abbe Dubois, though surely not prejudiced in their favour, speaks of their women, at least, as being "naturally chaste," and the marriage-tie between persons of the higher casts, as "indissoluble." All these writers, with numbers whom I have not named, may very fairly be opposed to Mr Wilberforce's authorities. But look we to the statements of official men in modern times; what say they touching the eligibility of natives to fill offices of trust? Sir Henry Strachey, in his answers to certain queries sent out by the Court of Directors, which will be found in Vol. II. of Selections from Records at the India House, page 52, thus expresses himself: "Let native judges be well paid, and they will do the duty well; of this I feel the strongest conviction. When I speak of a liberal salary for a native judge, I would be understood to mean somewhat less than one-tenth of the salary of the European judge." "It is my opinion, that all the judicial functions of Bengal might gradually be thrown into the hands of the natives, if such were the pleasure of the Company, and that the business would be as well conducted, under our regulations, by the natives as by the Europeans, in some respects better, and at one-tenth of the expense." "I am of opinion, that, with respect to integrity and diligence, the natives may be trusted with the administration of justice,-I think no superintendance of Europeans necessary." "If the natives are not qualified for these, or any other offices, I conceive the fault to be ours, and not theirs. If we encourage them, if we allow them to aspire to high office, if we pay them well, if we raise them in their own estimation, they will soon be found fit for any official employment in India. I beg to repeat what I long ago, in substance, said upon this subject, that the natives are depressed and humiliated, being confined by us to subordinate and servile offices. Although their education is most defective, and ignorance and credulity pervade all ranks, especially among the Hindoos, they are, nevertheless, found to acquire easily the requisite qualifications for the duties which we are pleased to intrust to them. From temper, habit, and peculiar circumstances, they are in many respects fitter for the office of a judge, than ourselves. But we place the European beyond the reach of temptation. To the native, a man whose ancestors, perhaps, bore high command, we assign some ministerial office, with a poor stipend of twenty or thirty rupees a-month. Then we pronounce that the Indians are corrupt, and that no race of men, but the Company's European servants, are fit to govern them." The sentiments of Mr Neave are in 588 Letters on the Present State of India. No. I. every respect the same. In reply to question 9, (See a volume entitled Court's Queries,) namely; " Are you of opinion, that the natives may, in respect to integrity and diligence, be trusted with the administration of justice?" that able servant of the Company remarks, "I am of opinion, that the natives, in respect to integrity and diligence, may be trusted with the administration of justice. Ally Ibraham Khan is an instance in point; he was chief judge of the city of Benares, and deservedly obtained a high reputation. There were also two other judges, Molony Omxoola, and Mahommed Nizir Khan, of whom I have every reason to speak well, during the time they came under my notice, as assistant to the President at Benares." I will refer you to but one authority more on the present occasion, lest both you and your readers should grow weary of the discussion; and when I name Sir Thomas Munro, I shall, I conceive, have done enough. That gallant officer and profound politician speaks, not in one place only, but everywhere, "of the quietness, the integrity, and the perfect fitness of the natives, to fill any office of trust." One of his observations is, that in many parts of the country, where our system has not operated, the morals of the people would do honour to any European nation; but as I shall have occasion to give you his own words in a future letter, I will not quote them here. I have now, I trust, said enough to vindicate my fellow-subjects of India, from the sweeping condemnation which is continually passed upon them. Of private anecdotes, I might copy for you hundreds, all creditable to the natives, and all well authenticated; but with such men as Sir Henry Strachey, Mr Neave, and Sir Thomas Munro, to appeal to, I will not weaken my argument by turning to authorities less exceptionable. Yet in spite of all this, I freely acknowledge, as every man who knows India must acknowledge, that a more melancholy picture of human depravity is nowhere to be met with. What has brought it to this?Sir Henry Strachey shall again answer for me. "Since 1793," says he, "crimes of all kinds are increased; I think most crimes are still increasing." "That crimes have not increased still more, is owing to the providential occurrence [May, calamity of season, I have no doubt of a number of years of plenty; in any crimes would increase to a most alarming The lower castes, who are almost the degree." "Drunkenness increases. only drinkers of spirits, are, I think, getting rather more licentious in their manners, and less scrupulous on the consider the laws as a part of their rescore of religion." "They no longer ligion. I do not even see that with us law and morality have much connexion. proceed from their poverty and ignoThe vices and crimes of the people likely to grow much richer or wiser, rance, and I do not conceive they are while the present state of things conto attend our cutcherries, get into bad tinues." "Persons who have occasion of the natives with Europeans, Sir habits." Speaking of the intercourse Henry asks, "whether the morals of by these causes; whether they have the people are in any respect improved not learned all the low arts of chicanery, imposture, and litigiousness, peculiar to an English court of justice, without a particle of plain-dealing, firmknowledge of any kind; whether they ness, independence of spirit, or useful good; whether they do not imbibe do not reap all the evil and none of the racter, which tend only to impair the those principles of the European chamildness and simplicity of their own?" he adds, "who, from their situation or "Moreover, I would appeal to those," habits, are accustomed to consider these have not, of late years, been introduced, matters with attention, whether there and extensively established, professions, heretofore almost unknown; namely, those of informers, intriguers, suborners, and false witnesses; whose sole occupation is that of preying on their fellow-creatures, and whose long honesty is the worst policy. And if career of impunity convinces them, that such is the case, can we doubt to whom we ought to attribute this change of character?" behaviour of the natives symptoms of Again, "Whenever I observe in the insolence, ill-nature, brutality, litigiousness, drunkenness, (which I confess I very seldom do,) knowing these al character, I cannot help entertainqualities to form no part of the nationing a suspicion, that they have either contracted them by their intercourse with low Europeans, which, in most situations, can hardly happen, or that 1825. Letlers on the Present State of India. No. I. our system, somehow or other, has a tendency to produce them." "Perjury," says this able and unprejudiced man," is still increasing;" and he thus accounts for it: "The objection of almost every Hindoo of credit and respectability to swear by the Ganges-water, which is insisted upon in the criminal courts, prevents their appearing as prosecutors or witnesses; whence, as I have already stated, it unavoidably occurs, that only the worst description of persons, those who set all moral and religious obligations at defiance, are found to frequent our courts of justice." I have now lying before me such a mass of official documents, all speaking the same language, and all attributing to our system of government the demoralization and misery of India, that I feel absolutely at a loss which to select. In due course of time you shall have so many of them, as will no doubt astonish the public. In the meantime I shall conclude my present letter with a long extract from a judicial minute made by Lord Moira; which bears date October 2, 1815. It will be found in a printed volume of Parliamentary papers on India affairs, from 1810 to 1819, at the 157th page. "In the review which the preceding remarks naturally lead me to take of the practical effect produced by our judicial system on the character and happiness of our native subjects, I am reluctantly compelled to confess, that its operation appears not to correspond with what was to be anticipated from the judgment of those who framed the machinery of our judicial administration, or from the uprightness of those who execute its details. We seem to have accomplished a revolution in the state of society, which has, by an unexpected fatality, proved detrimental to general morals, and by no means conducive to the convenience of our go vernment. Since the first institution of "If in the system itself, or in the prac- 589 duals; to have destroyed the influence of "The habitual disregard of the obliga- the idea, that a part of the community is "Another consequence of the indiscri- |
