เ CHAPTER XXXIII. LORD CANNING-THE SEPOY MUTINY. A.D. 1856-1862. § 1. The Sepoy Mutiny. § 2. Abolition of the East India § 1. The Sepoy Mutiny.-Lord Canning was appointed to succeed Lord Dalhousie as Governor-General; and he arrived in Calcutta on the 29th of February 1856. The history of his administration is chiefly connected with the Sepoy Mutiny,' which broke out in 1857, and which resulted in the abolition of the rule of the East India Company, and in the assumption of the direct Government of India by Her Gracious Majesty Victoria, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, and Empress of India. The events of the great Mutiny are still so recent that I shall not attempt to give more than a very brief outline of them. The broad general points that should be remembered by the student with regard to the Mutiny are-(1) Except perhaps in Oudh, the rising was strictly a mutiny, not a rebellion—i.e. it was an insurrection of traitorous soldiers of the Native Bengal Army, and was rarely joined in by any other part of the population except through fear or under compulsion. (2) The majority of the princes and chiefs of India displayed, throughout this perilous time, a noble spirit of patriotism and of fidelity to the British Indian Government-in many cases arming their retainers and giving every assistance to the authorities in resisting the outrages of the mutineers. The most prominent amongst these loyal chiefs were the Mahárájá Sindia of Gwalior, the Mahárájá of Jaipur, those of Kapurthala, Patiála, and many other great Síkh Rájás and Sardárs. (3) The chief leaders of the mutinous soldiers, who instigated them to commit so many atrocities, were those who hoped to gain by the anarchy and disorder which would follow the subversion of the British power; amongst these the most active were the miscreant Dhundu Pant X (called the Náná Saheb), the adopted son of the last Peshwá, afterwards infamous as the author of the Cawnpore massacre, who hoped to regain the former power of. the Mahrattas; whilst the old King of Delhi and his sons entertained a foolish hope of being able to restore the glories of the Mughul dynasty. These misguided men endeavoured to effect their purpose by circulating the most absurd rumours amongst the regiments of the Native army and amongst the ignorant country people. They pretended that the British Government was determined to annex the whole of India, and to dispossess all the native princes; above all, they pretended that the Government wished to destroy the religions of both Hindus and Musalmáns, and to force all to become Christians. Of course no educated persons could be so foolish as to believe these silly stories; but the ignorant and uneducated sepoys were easily led to think that they were true. Early in 1857 a new kind of rifle was introduced into the Indian army, of which the cartridges had to be greased before they were put into the rifle to load it; and the sepoys were falsely told by these traitors that the cartridges had been greased with the fat of pigs and cows, so as to defile both Musalmáns and Hindus. At length the mutiny suddenly broke out in all its horrors at Mírath on May 10, 1857, and rapidly spread throughout Hindustan and the neighbouring provinces. The chief events were the following: (1) The outbreak of the mutiny, and the massacres of Europeans by the sepoys at Mírath, Delhi, Cawnpore, and elsewhere, in May, June, and July 1857. (2) The siege of Delhi (June to September), and the storming of that fortress by the British troops in September 1857. (3) The defence of Lucknow by the English residents, and its first relief by the troops under Havelock and Outram in September 1857. (4) The second relief of Lucknow by Sir Colin Camp bell (afterwards Lord Clyde), and the final suppression of the mutiny in Oudh and the neighbouring provinces of Hindustan during the latter part of the year 1857. (5) The suppression of the mutineers in Central India by Sir Hugh Rose early in 1858. The story of this 'Sepoy War' is adorned by many instances of the most sublime self-sacrifice, of the most noble fortitude and endurance under circumstances of terrible suffering, of the most wonderful valour in fight on the part of the comparatively few Englishmen who were scattered over the country. Many natives, too, who were loyal to the Government in time of peril, displayed the most remarkable devotion in helping Europeans, and often endured very great sufferings in the discharge of their duty. On the other hand, the story is saddened by instances of the basest ingratitude and treachery, the sepoys often murdering not only men but also large numbers of helpless women and innocent children under circumstances of the greatest brutality; and it is fair to add that the righteous punishment that was justly inflicted on these atrocious murderers was sometimes (I hope not often) sullied by fierce revenge and unnecessary cruelty on the part of the conquerors. Altogether it was a time of great misery for the greater part of Northern India. Fortunately the Punjab was saved from these horrors by the promptitude and determination of the noble band of statesmen and soldiers who were governing that province under Sir John Lawrence. Of these perhaps the greatest was John Nicholson, who afterwards was killed whilst leading the assault on Delhi, and of whom Mr. Temple (now Sir Richard Temple) declared, 'Without John Nicholson, Delhi could not have fallen.' The central scene of the mutiny was Delhi, where the mutinous sepoys had collected in immense force, and where for some time they sheltered themselves within its stupendous fortress, furnished with inexhaustible supplies of am munition and stores. Every loyal person in India was, therefore, glad to hear that its fortifications had been taken by storm on September 14; and the whole city was captured by September 20, 1857. Thus was this great siege successfully carried through by the English troops, aided by some brave Sikh regiments, before a single soldier of the many thousands who were hastening from England to uphold the British power had set foot in India. The old King of Delhi was captured, brought to trial, and transported for life across the sea to British Burma, where he afterwards died. Two of his sons and a grandson were shot, and most of the leaders of the mutineers were shot or hanged. During all this time a struggle, perhaps the most glorious of the whole war, had been going on at Lucknow, where the Residency was defended by Sir Henry Lawrence, one of the best, most generous, and most heroic men that India has ever known, with a small band of Europeans and loyal natives, against countless hosts of rebels. On July 2 he was killed by the bursting of a shell, but the defence was still maintained with the utmost gallantry. At length General Havelock, after having thrice crossed the Ganges, and after having gained innumerable victories, forced his way through the besieging force, and got into Lucknow on September 25. The chivalrous Sir James Outram had been sent to take command of the relieving army, but he generously refused to supersede Havelock until the city had been relieved, and thus the latter had the pleasure of himself accomplishing that for which he had dared and endured so much. During the year 1858 the mutiny was gradually crushed in all quarters, and the few remaining bands of mutineers were hunted down; and on July 8, 1859, Lord Canning proclaimed peace, and July 28 was fixed as a day of thanksgiving to God for the happy restoration of order and quiet. Two short wars, one against Persia and the other against ABOLITION OF EAST INDIA COMPANY'S RULE. 309 China, had been waged during 1857 by British Indian troops. The English arms were, of course, entirely successful in each case, and the wars were only of importance because the conclusion of the one (that against Persia), and the fact that English troops were passing near India on their way to the scene of the other. war, enabled the Government of Calcutta to send early reinforcements to the North-West. § 2. Abolition of the East India Company's Rule.— One of the results of the troubles and dangers of the Sepoy Mutiny was that Parliament determined that the British Empire in India should no longer be left in the hands of the East India Company, but that it should be placed directly under the control of Her Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria, and should be governed by a Viceroy (or representative of the Queen) in India, and by a Secretary of State in England. In consequence of this change Lord Canning became the first VICEROY of British India, and every Governor-General now bears that higher title. A full description of the present system of administration is given in the Introduction, §§ 66–74. CHAPTER XXXIV. INDIA UNDER THE CROWN. 3. Lord § 1. Recent Events. § 2. Lord Canning's Viceroyalty. Elgin. 4. Sir Jonn Lawrence. § 5. The Earl of Mayo. § 6. The Earl of Northbrook, the Earl of Lytton, and the Marquis of Ripon. § 1. Recent Events.-The events that have happened in India since the abolition of the rule of the East India Company have not yet passed into the domain of history. In some cases the policy which dictated the action of the Indian Government is still a subject of dispute between rival authorities; in others the acts of persons still living |