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this? What has been the principal means of her doing it? Why, by knowledge or science put in practice, because knowledge is power; and it is by the power of knowledge alone, and not by the power of arms, that she has so many means of attracting the world to her, and extending the spread of her manufactures; however, this is a digression--we will speak of it another time and now return to our voyage. Another steamer arrived the next day, and we were taken to Gravesend by their joint efforts. Thus ended our voyage, and we returned thanks to our Creator in thus conducting us safely through the numerous perils of the ocean."

From Gravesend our travellers proceeded to London in a steamer, quite delighted with the first trip they ever made in such a vessel, and quite the observed of all observers." In fact wherever they went, their oriental costume attracted notice, and in no place more so than at Glasgow. The "douse folks" at the Bromilaw, crowded round them in thousands. Nor was this disposition to gaze and follow, confined to the commonality. Royalty herself, no mean distinction, condescended when promenading on the terrace at Windsor, to remark the dress of the orientals, and on their making, with the characteristic politeness of the higher order of natives, Her Majesty a salutation, she, whether struck by the novelty of the manner in which the homage was paid, or the peculiarity of the costume, sent, says the journal one of her attendants to enquire who we were and "from what country we came, which we "informed him, but he returned again to say that Her Majesty was pleased to know our names, and as we knew the difficulty an English"man has to pronounce our names, we gave our cards to him which he "handed to Lord Melbourne."

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For a few days after their arrival in London, Sir Charles Forbes, the staunch friend of the Parsees, was their guide. With him they visited the Diorama and the Geological Gardens. At the latter "the mild blue eyes and very sweet expression of countenance" of the ladies made quite an impression, for our journalists assert that they "saw here more female beauty in a few hours than they had ever beheld in all their lives." But admiration for every thing British appears with them to have been a predominent feeling. The only instance that we can discover in the volume before us, where their opinions do not harmonize with that of a large class of the leaders of fashion, and with by no means an indifferent section of the public at large, and where they venture to condemn, in gentle terms, the degeneracy of the national taste in patronizing an amusement capable of affording neither mental nor moral instruction is on the occasion of their visiting the opera house. It was the last night of Taglioni's appearance in England with Majesty as a spectator. The gentleman who accompanied them, and who seems to have been an ardent admirer of the celebrated danseuse, was anxious for their opinion which our readers will perhaps admire more for its manly good sense than novelty.

"We were very much surprized to hear that for every night that she had appeared upon the stage she had been paid one hundred and fifty guineas!!! Only think, -one hundred and fifty guineas every night to be paid in England to a woman to stand for a long time like a goose upon one leg

straight out, twirl round three or four times with the leg thus extended, to curtsey so low as to nearly seat herself on the ground, to spring occasionally from one side of the stage to another; and to get more money for that hour every evening, than six weavers in Spitalfields (who produce beautiful silk for dresses) could earn all of them, working fourteen hours every day in twelve months! It does appear so absurd that a dancing woman should thus take out of English pockets every night, for an hour's jumping, more than would keep six weavers of silk, their wives and families for a whole year. Had we not seen instances that convinced us the English were clever people, we should have thought them very foolish indeed thus to pay a dancing puppet."

Our journalists on two occasions visited the House of Commons, and once the House of Lords where they heard Lord Brougham briefly address their Lordships. Their first visit to the former was without interest, in consequence of no one accompanying them who could point out the different members: on the second they were more fortunate and had a good opportunity of forming an estimate of the senatorial capacity of the leaders of the Government, and the opposition, as the bill to be discussed was Lord Morpeth's relative to the Irish Parliamentary voters. Sir Robert Peel they thought a great speaker, but his "actions were odd, as he kept thrusting one of his hands out between the flaps of his coat and swinging himself round." This peculiarity, if we mistake not, is prominently noticed by the author of "Random Recollections." Of Lord John Russell they give no opinion beyond that he "was a pale looking man with a tolerable loud voice, but not harmonious, and his action, although energetic was not altogether pleasing." But the great Irish agitator seems to have attracted their attention most from the energy of his manner and the forcible appeals he made, during his oration, in behalf of his country. There is nothing singular in this; for Mr. O'Connell's powers as a speaker are admitted, though there is more of self complacency, or rather an assumption of importance, in the following than we find in any other part of the journal:

"We fancied," say our Journalists, "once when Mr. O'C. was speaking that he observed and alluded to us. He was looking toward us, and at that time in his most forcible manner he said: Mind what you are doing, the eyes of the whole world are upon you, or words to that effect. It might be fancy but such was the impression at the time."

From the days of Blackstone, who is admitted to be the greatest defender of every thing, he found established in English jurisprudence, we have been accustomed to hear the highest eulogiums passed upon those safeguards which the genius of the British Constitution has devised for the protection as well of the accused as of the society which arraigns him. With such powerful advocacy in favor of our laws, we were anxious to read the impressions which a visit to our Criminal Courts produced on our Parsee travellers. Though the cases investigated were of an unimportant character, the "quality of justice" suffered nothing by the circumstance, if any thing its superiority was augmented. The cross questioning and badgering of witnesses by the "gentlemen of the long robe," however, amused our journalists

much, and led them to the not unnatural supposition that "the object of the court was to inquire into the respectability of the witness under examination, and whether he was to be believed upon his oath rather than to ascertain whether the prisoner at the bar was guilty or not guilty."

We shall pass over our journalist's minute observations on Chatham, Sheerness, Portsmouth, Plymouth, and other dock yards,-their visit to Windsor Castle and Frogmore Lodge, at which latter place they had the honor of being introduced to Her late Royal Highness the Princess Augusta, and come at once to what we conceive will prove more interesting to our native readers, to wit, the sentiments entertained by our authors of that body to whom is delegated the high and responsible duty of directing the Government of our vast possessions in the East. The reception they received was of a nature to unbend, in some degree, a disposition, however prone to be captious. It was flattering in the extreme. The Chairman and Deputy Chairman tendered every assistance which could, in any way, lead to the consummation of the objects for which the journey to England was undertaken. Sir James Rivett Carnac, the late Governor of Bombay, to whom they had letters of introduction from a native friend, was marked in his attention; and it was through his instrumentality that our authors were brought to the notice of the Earl of Minto, Lord Glenelg, and other distinguished gentlemen of rank and influence. Gratitude, for so much kindness, was a natural feeling; but we very much fear that under the excess of its influence discrimination ceases, in a majority of cases, to exercise its legitimate control. This is a general admission, and the following extract, we are of opinion, will not be found an exception to the rule:

"Before taking leave of the India House, we must endeavour to remove an erroneous impression under which many of our fellow-brethren in India labour; we think we should be doing great injustice to our own feelings, and fail in duty to our country, did we not touch upon this subject. It is thought in India, that there is a disinclination on the part of the Government to give offices of trust and emolument to the natives. We are quite prepared to say, that this is a great mistake, and we could by our own experience as well as what has passed in England before our own eyes, prove that no such feeling is in existence among the Court of Directors, or, we may venture to say, among the members of the several local Governments in India; we have been in England a sufficient time to form an opinion on this point; we studied under the patronage and protection of the Hon'ble Company, and during the whole time we have been in England, have received from the Hon'ble Court of Directors, individually and collectively, uniform encouragement, kindness, and facility, towards accomplishing our object, and we can assert that there is every disposition to encourage native talent and genius, to give our countrymen situations of honour and trust, and to promote in every way the welfare of the nativesto prove it, we would point out our cousin Ardaseer Cursetjee, whom the Hon'ble Court appointed chief engineer and inspector of the steam foundry at Bombay, in August last; we think every native ought to rejoice at this, it will convince them that talent alone is recognized, without any regard to dress, colour or religion."

The Imperial Legislature, with a liberality that must have confounded the disciples of the Cornwallis School, removed by Sec. 87 Will. IV. 3 and 4 Cap. 85, the restrictions which had hitherto prevented persons other than British born from holding offices of trust and responsibility in India. In accordance with the letter of this Section, and with the privilege that belongs to the President of the Board of Control, Sir John Cam Hobhouse appointed the adopted son of the late Rajah Ram Mohun Roy, a writer in the East India Company's Civil Service. We know not the reasons which led to this selection, but the appointment at all events pre-supposed the existence, in the nominee of the necessary qualifications. The opponents to the liberal principles inculcated in the section may here join issue; but it appears to us, that an independent minister of the Crown is as competent, if not more so, to decide on the qualifications requisite in a candidate for civil employ in India as a Director in Leadenhall Street. Be that as it may, the very body eulogized by our Parsee journalists, in such unqualified terms, opposed the nomination on grounds which left no doubt of their illiberality. Before this Conservative opposition the liberal principles of the President of the Board of Control easily gave way. The appointment was cancelled, and the unfortunate youth thus lost an opportunity of surmounting a barrier which a close borough system had so long erected, but which the generosity of the English Legislature intended utterly to demolish. The section remains to this day in the statute book unrepealed; but we have yet to learn that, so far as the natives are concerned, the Directors in Leadenhall Street have made any effort to give it universal application. The ready apology for their sectarianism is that the qualification of the native is both morally and intellectually below the requisite standard. But supposing this, from the adverse circumstances in which the natives are placed, were true to a greater extent than we are willing to allow, it ought only to furnish a stronger argument for the employment of more effective means towards the removal of the causes of such disqualification. To upbraid a man when he will not take advantage of the door of preferment that is open to him is a proceeding that is both intelligible and just; but to close the door with something like a determination, be his recommendations and qualifications what they may, to exclude him, and then upbraid him with incompetency is neither kind nor just. This seems to be the system still too much pursued. Beyond a few offices in the judicial and fiscal branches of the uncovenanted service with comparatively small emoluments, but with ample opportunities for the practice of extortion upon a race notorious for their moral cowardice, there is little to stimulate the ambition of the really respectable native and induce him to take part in the glorious endeavour to augment the prosperity of his country. But let the system undergo a slight modification. Let there be infused into the present circumscribed mode of dispensing India-house patronage, less of what is calculated to draw a palpable line of distinction between the conquerors and the conquered, and more of the spirit that pervades the Charter Act, and then some estimate may be formed of the effects which a prospect of superior employment will

produce on our native gentry. It must stir up their ambition. It must encourage them to send their sons to Europe, where alone they can be indoctrinated in all those enlarged principles of political wisdom, and be imbued with all those high toned feelings which pre-eminently qualify men for the discharge of responsible functions, and where, as well from the wide field that lies before them, as the force of example, they will be trained, to use the language of the President of the Council of Education, in his recent address, "to apply on their return to their native country the great and beneficial principles of law and jurisprudence to the complicated affairs of a busy and improving community." If the liberality of Leadenhall Street does not produce such, or even approximate, results, then let the charge, which has so often been brought against the natives, rest in the right quarter. Under the present constitution of things it remains with the Home authorities; and it has surprized us not a little to find parties, who are proscribed from all superior offices in the different services of the state, thus deliberately eulogizing, as our journalists have done, those who have placed them under so tremendous an interdict.

We have ventured to offer these few remarks, not from a feeling of hostility to the Government of the Court of Directors, which we would be sorry to see transferred to the Crown, but from a desire to point out to our native readers the danger of taking for granted general assertions which, like the present, have, we fear, been propounded more from a sense of gratitude for past unexpected favors than from a careful and impartial examination of facts. The Court of Directors, notwithstanding all that Burke, and other political opponents have urged to the contrary, have, unquestionably by their general administration, effected much good to the country; but that they are entitled to eulogy, for any manifestations of liberality they have as yet exhibited in the dispensation of their patronage, is what we are not prepared to admit. One fact is worth more than a thousand magnificent conjectures, and general assertions, and this one fact is still wanting to make good the truthfulness of the decision at which our journalists have arrived.

We shall offer but one extract more which is of a suggestive character. It is on a subject which has hitherto, from religious prejudices, been much neglected by the natives, but which of late has demanded, from a few philanthropists, an attention by no means commensurate with its importance. We allude to the Cimmerian ignorance with which the native female mind, is enveloped. After giving a faithful picture of the manner in which a family in the middling classes of society in England educate their children our authors proceed:

"We have thus given the particulars of the acquirements and education of young females in England, in order to induce mothers in India, the wives of natives, to establish some such system to educate their children. Why should they not have boarding-schools conducted as the English ones, always of course having female teachers therein instead of males. For oh ? if they could but know the host of amusements and recreations that by education are afforded to females. They can read in two languages generally, and how many hours does not this pass happily away. It teaches them to think rightly and well upon most subjects. And then, drawing; how de

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