610 
to whom they had given) a) wretched ,exis- 
tence, were in want.of bread, or paupers.on 
society, ~ whilst, the, parent, teyelled in 
luxury and.dissipation—, , 
«« Would look gay, and smile against his conscience,” 
 When.a youth, and returning from my 
first voyage to India, I was earnestly im- 
plored by a young gentleman of irreproach- 
able charatter to wait on his father, an old 
Indian of lar¢e fortune, at + Park; in 
the county of B ———, and represent: his 
distressed situation, with three legitimate 
children, and @ salary, as a cranny (clerk), 
of only sixty rupees a month. “He had 
attained, by his own industry, a good edu- 
cation; this, probably, in his distressed 
situation, increased, rather than assuaged, 
the anguish of his mind. On my arrival 
in England, I went down to the Park; it 
was not half a day’s journey,—but the 
affectionate father, the tender parent, was 
not to be seen. That rebuff would not 
suit the ardour of my temperament, and I 
insisted ‘upon seeing him, and at last suc- 
ceeded. | After # short) private conversa- 
tion (for he did not wish his dear wife and 
dear: children ‘to know of his. misdeeds. in 
India), ‘he, made an engagement to meet 
me. in Baker-street; to this he honourably 
pledged himself, and as honourably broke 
his engagement. I did not fail, young as 
I ‘then’ was, 'to favour him with my senti- 
ments, On my return to India, finding the 
ill suecess of my mission with the other, 
his son retired from the room where we 
had been sitting, and blew his brains out 
with a pistol.—I will give another instance 
of baseness and cruelty; and I am not 
without hopes that these facts may lead to 
a beneficial and practicable result. A per- 
son of large fortune (it would be an insult 
to humanity to say a gentleman) was retir- 
ing from India; and his son and daughter, 
having received their education in England, 
had imbibed with their knowledge some 
portion of our spirit, and they insisted that 
their fond and doating parent’ (in) which 
character ‘he chose to: appear while in 
India), shouid leave 40,000 rupees; for 
their joint lives, in ‘his agent’s hands, the 
interest of which they were! to draw for 
their mutual benefit monthly. This was 
regularly done for a year and upwards ; but 
the young man having obtained a trifling 
situation, and the father in England finding 
that his dear English wife spent his dear 
sicca rupees rather fast, he drew out of the 
agent’s hands the 40,000 rupees, and wrote 
to his dear'son, ‘ that now he had got em- 
ployment he could maintain himself and 
sister genteely.’’ Great God ! will mons- 
ters like these have the impudence to eall 
themselves Christians and gentlemen /” 
The proposal. of Capt. S. with 
reference, to, this subject does him 
honour... Those, who have the, power, 
are dishonoured if they, do not adopt 
atites i 32 f 
_ A Short Extract from, the, Life of General. Mina. 
or.judge; or a.general, a licens 
any other, person,) shall be. allowed to’ take 
his final leave of India until he, has, to’ 
satisfaction, of the gayernment, mailé at 
provision, according to, his means, for his 
offspring by native. women. 
We will close our quotations syith a. 
paragraph or two upon the, subject, of 
the native troops. naa 
“ Tell them ‘that: it was the decided 
intention of their rulers: tocconvert/them,to 
Christianity, and. they would,instantly cut 
the throats of the yery officers whom, they 
now love and respect ;”?. if.this was not.the 
case, I would forfeit every.thing I possess 
on the issue.”’—** The Siphauees love their 
officers ; they are regularly paid, humanely 
treated, and their religious customs respected ; 
no jnsult is ever offered to their’ women, 
and in their old age they have a ertain ‘pro- 
yision. But that which most excites their 
admiration, is that they know) :even)-their 
European ofiicers are liable to be tried and 
punished for any |. axbitrary,, act towards 
them, or misconduct in, the discharge, of 
their duties. With the natiye princes they 
knew they were certain, of nothing but 
oppression, and being robbed of. their 
miserable pay by some knaye or other’ in 
office. Of their courage and faithfulness 
we have bad repeated proofs, as far back’ as 
Lord Clive’s time : when his’ Europeans 
deserted him, the native soldiery remaimed 
faithful. At the late battles at, Poonaand 
Nagpore, both of which were sanguinary, 
and their result doubtfulfor two days,,.our 
Siphauees remained firm ; and it cannot be 
too often repeated,, that at neither of these 
places was there a single soldier of his 
Majesty’s army; all were our own native 
soldiers, and the odds were 100 to 1 against 
us. With the Peishwa the battle was, if 
possible, more admirable ‘for the honour 
and character of the Bombay-army; the 
majority of the troops were his: own subjects, 
recruited in his own: districts ; to these. he 
offered rewards and inducements) to, quit 
their colours, nay, he went so faras)to, vow 
vengeance against their wives and. families 
resident in his own villages ; but. it, was all 
unavailing,” in .yttitel 
io That no, European, (be he. a gpverno 
IIDOTISG 
The most interesting parts of this 
book, in our estimation at least, are the 
slight incidental glimpses we catch in it 
of native Indian character... .:.).4 
véoke reiaibinaal 
A short Exrract from the Lire. of 
Generar Mina... Published, by, Him- 
self. uit djiw 
ft bed this little volume>ofi-only:one 
hundred and ‘seven pages (ineluding 
the Spanish and English ‘versions is 
prefixed the following advertisement? 
<The sacred-objects to-which; I, destine 
the 
