The Carolina Spartan. (Spartanburg, S.C.) 1852-1896, March 20, 1856, Image 1
THE CAROLINA SPARTAN.
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VOL. XIII. SPARTANBURG, S. C., THURSDAY, MARCH 20, 1856. " % ' NO. 4.
THE CAROLINA SPARTAN.
BY CAYIS & TRIMMIER.
T. 0. P. VERNON, Associate Editor.
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A WARRIOR AND REVOLUTIONIST.
Anion? the prominent volunteer chief)
and lenders who rendered themselves con
tpicuous nt the baillo of New Orleans, for
their conduct and gallantry, was General
Humbert, the victor of Casllebar, and lender
of that desperate and chivalric expedition
from Franco to Ireland in 1798. lie
was often detached by Gen. Jackson on
couting and reconnoitoring service, ai d
rendered himself highly useful in many ol
the more important arrangements that required
a knowledge of military service and
art. The following sketch of this eccentric
gentleman is from Wall leer's "Jackson and
.New Orleans:"
lie was a slcrtt soldier, familiar with the
routine, as practised iit the host disciplined
armies, a firm believer iit the potency ol
science, as applied to the conduct of war,
an exacting martinet in all the tu'esand
punctilios of the profession, lie was a
tout, squarely, and compactly built man,
of the most rectangular uprightness of carriage
and rigid exactitude of movement.
His air was thoroughly military, and hi>
dress treat and well titling. To the day of
his last sickness, he never abandoned the
old uniform of a genera! of the French republic.
It is within the recollection of
many, now in the bloom of life, what a
great sensation the veteran general was
urntil l.-t ovi'i'.i ttmiixr t) i > ov-ddi ills of tin'
old square of New Orleans, as every day
nt noon, clad in the same old, we!I-preserved
military frock, with the thnpeau of the
French revolution on his head, and the
word of a genet nl under his arrn, ho would
inarch with all the port and preci>iuu ofaa
officer on duty, to an ancient cafe kept by
an old comrade in arms, on the leveo. inar
the French market. On arriving at the
cafe, lie would salute his old conn ado with
* grand air militaire, and then, laving his
sword on the table, would proceed lei-iiiel\
to arrange the dominoes f.?r a game at that
ery quiet favorite diversion of elderly
Frenchmen, with any lounger who might
happen to be present. A glass of cogniuc,
frequently replenished by bis faithful
friend and host, would serve to give spirit
to the game.
Thus would the veteran spend the great
?r pail of the day, now and then relieving
us u-tiium uy vivacious conversation, ami
exciting reminiscences exchanged \\ii!? lib
admiring coincide, until hi > prolonged po
tation*, producing their usual effect, would
arouse hint to m -re active, hut less diglii
fied, demonstrations of his natural aid or
Mid military enthusiasm. Then lie would
appear in the character which atlracte 1 tin
admiration and curiosity of the little Greoh
boys, who, fired w ith military piide and
ambition, wculd regard with intense interest
4,le grand gencial de la Kcpub!i?pi<
Krancaise," as, fiourishing his sword. In
walked down the streets, shouting, at the
top of a powerful voice, snatches of tin
Marseillaise and of the Chant du Depart
and other revolutionary airs.
Alas! the poor old Gaol had outlived lib
generation, lie had descended from timer
of military emprise and ambition to an era
of trade and money scrambling. Mammon
bad long since displaced Mars in the world
mound him. If, thus isolated from the
hustling crowd, ho was driven to the Use ol
that oblivious antidote, bv which the
gloomy present could be momentarily ban
' is.ued, and the glorious past, w ith all its exciting
scenes an t noble associations, brought
vividlv to mind, due allowance must In
J
made for the weakness which ciicuiiistnn
cos forced upon a gallant and sturdy old
soldier, who, in his day, had played a com
epicuous part in events of great moment
Yes, Ibat old soldier, who died twenty
years ago, in poverty and destitution, whe
was indebted to an old tpiadroon womai
for his only attendance in sickness, ami
was hnried a? the public expense, had onct
been a proud general of the French repuh
lie in its palmy days. To him was intrust
^ cd the com nnnd of the expedition to email
cipate Ireland from English rule, in 1708
A more desperato enterprise was never con
ceived. Its character, events, and results
have found a parallel in the expedition o!
Narcisco Lope/, to Cuba, in 1851. For ji
long time, this design had occupied the
most anxious deliberation* of the French
republic. The presence in I'aris of scvera
prominent Iiish patriots served to kee|
alive this feeling, and encourage the plar
of sit iking "perjide Albion" in this hei
weakost point. The French never doub.ci
the assurance that tho Irish were nailer
and harmonious in their devotion to re
publican liberty, that they wcro t.s hoslih
to the Briti-h dynasty as tho French wen
to tho liourbon rule. Various plans of in
rasion were proposed, and gicat prepara
tions were made to carry them out. Fail
uro apon failure, disaster after disaster fol
lowed, n?d frustrated all the efforts of the
Irish patriots to otgaui/.o an efficient expo
dition to proceed from Franco. One great
difficulty was to obtain a leader in the
Frenc}i army of sufficient experience ami
prestige to take charge of such an expedi
tion.- They were all willing to go with u
large army, but none would venture with
a mare experimental force. It was in vain
the Irish patriots, Tono add Sullivan, rep
resented that the Irish ptv plc were united
iu tbo cause; tb<x they on I; needed n small
EPhir' *
disciplined force and arms to give direction
to their unconquerable ardor; that a largo
army might either create that jealousy
which all people nre prone to feel towards
I foreigners, even when acting as allies, or
i might imluco an entire dependence, upon a
I; force which they regarded as sufficient to
accomplish the object without their aid;
i that a peoplo, to appreciate their independence,
must achieve it themselves. These
; nre precisely the arguments which cncournged
and emboldened tbc companions of
Narcisco Lopez in his expedition to Cuba,
I in 1851.
I Franco was then (in 1708) crippled in
i power and means, with tho old world nrI
rayed in arms against her, and constantly
; threatened with internal revolution,changes,
1 ' and discord. About this time, too, the l)i
, I rectory, composed, as it then was of a more
philosophic and conservative class of repub;
licans than had wielded tho destinies of
i; the nation for some years before, began to
adopt a inoro pacilic and prudent policy,
i Still, it could not hazard its popularity by
i discouraging, even if it did not afford material
aid, to the cntcrpiiso of liberating
i "oppressed Ireland." Officers and soldiers of
i ' the ariny were, therefore, allowed to voluni
tecr for the expedition, and aims and mu,
lions wero furnished to them. At this mo'i
meat, Humbert stepped forward to volunteer
to lead this for lorn hope. He had
; served with distinction on the Khinc, under
! Pichegru, Moreno, and Dutnourier, and was
i an officer of acknowledged courage ami en'
crS>'- Hepaiiing to Kochcllc, he immediatei,
ly set to work, in conjunction with tho
Iiish patriots. Tone, Teeiing, and Sullivan,
to organize an army out of a heterogeneous
in:i??s of ad venturers, who had assembled
there, composed of straggling French sol-,
diers, lii-.li volunteer!', Ihitish deserters,
and a few corne t enthusiasts in the cause
of universal freedom and republicanism.
I *r.? I O ^ ..
i <.> <;imii111 uiuiiin niui Mippuis icr ine expedition,
lluiiibeit was driven to ll:c expedient
of a military reijuisitii n on tlio inrr.
chants of K H-hcllo, who were glad enough
j to pay an illcg t| tax to l?c rid ol so discordant
and adventurous a free. After a
thousand annoyances difficulties, and troubles
being compelled to shoot several of
liis men to enforce discipline, Humfcit
' succeeded in saiiing out of the poil of Itochcllc
with his motley band of "liberators.
, The Iiisli triumvirate, a-> they \v? re callel
I ? lone, Tei ling, and Sullivan? ncoinpn
nied him. They were in the highest spir,
its, and almost certain of victory and site
i cess. They were assured that the people
of I?chin I wcie ripo for a icvo'.utioa, which
was to rid the green isle of the Saxon. S >
coiilident were they ?'f this iCsult, that the
future government of the island, the whole
organi/. it ion of its civil administration, had
been di-cusscd and carefully digested and
I prepared. They looked even beyond this.
! When they had gained their independence.
, and extorted seiinitv for too future, thov
; wouM next deiirmd indemnity for the past.
They would require the \Ve>t India islands
a* c impeiisatioii f<ir the woe and povoitr
which English misrule had hrouglit on the
island. Humbert was impulsive, cnlhiisi
as tic, and eiedulous. He could not doubt
! such earnest assurance of his Irish confederate*.
He bated England with intense
I | earnestness. Treaelieiy, falsehood, pride,
, avarice, grasping eovetou-noss, and reckless
bi ut ility, were the characteristics ho as.-ign
1 ed to ttie English. De-pito these feelings,
. 1 I. .w..v..r .I....t.? .......1.1 r -...t.. -a ... i .V
^ V .VI, M'MII'I ?? V/VIIVI HVjUVIIUJ UV'UVI illf
bright piospecls of ihc expedition, so glow!
ingiy <1 ?into?l by tlio voluble an enthusiastic
11i. His impressions of tlio character
of Ins allies wcr s not elevated by an obser
vation of the conduct of liioso engaged in
the expedition. StilUic was embarked in
tli a enterprise, and determined to prosecute
, it with courage and cneigy.
Humbert elfected a landing at Kalinin, on
1 the souitliern coast of Iieland, in August,
' 1798. His force consisted of less than a
i 1 thousand men, including a battalion of
i Sfood French soldiers well ofiiccred. At
I . Killala, he arrested the Protestant bishop,
' and detained him as a prisoner, treating
I him with a respect and courtesy which did
i not please the excited and wild mob of
peasants that soon began to pour into the
town, greatly perplexing and embarrassing
1 his arrangements, rather than adding to
' his strength and resources. Ignorant of
their language, their peculiarities and Cits1
torus, Humbert was almost driven mad by
the tuilmlent and unruly character of his
confederate*?tlio oppressed race which he
' j had conic to liberate. They set at defiance
> all military subordination and discipline,
i and even ridiculed the still' carriage and
I neat appealance of the French regulars.
' W lien the officers assumed any control
ov<?r them, they rolled their eves, pouted
their lips, and cracked many a j<>kc at the
impudence of the ''interloping foreigners."
At last, however, having by dint of superhuman
efforts re litced his command to
I something like Older. Humbert com men , 1
f his march into the country. His battalion
i of regulars a Wanted in military order, but
s it was flanked, and followed, and surroundi
1 cd by the disorderly host of wild-looking,
I ragged peasants, with their long uncombed
?| hair hanging down their necks and shonli
ders, barefooted, with signs of starvation,
r i of poverty, misery, and oppression in their
1 countenance, carriage, and habiliments.
I And yet, they were full of enthusiasm and
1 patriotism, and marched gayly along,
5 ; swearing, hurraing, singing in the cxubcri
anee of their joy and hopo of the rescue of
"sweet Ireland" from the vile Saxon. Nor
was patriotis i their only inspiration on
this occasion. Whiskey, liio inseparable
' concomitant of all such enterprises, was an
> important element and agent of the revolution.
Its importance in this respect is npt
predated even in this enlightened age. The
i patriots of (villain celebrated their iinaginaI
ry independence, as too many Americans
; do that real independence which was doi!
clared on the -ttIt July, 1770, by getting
i ! drunk and falling by the road-side, so that
i Ilumbori's advance was marked by the
> | bodies of tho victims of alcohol, rather than
I by those of tho peifldions Saxons whom he
II had coino to annihilate. Ammunition
^ ??
carta were loaded with whiskey barrels, and ol
at every halt there was a general bibation. ot
Mingled with tho men, who thus encuin- ju
bered Humbert's march, were many wo- hi
mcu and children. Tho small, regular, cj
compact body of disciplined soldiers, look- ni
ed even smaller from being enveloped by pi
such a rabble. They were perplexed and li
astounded at the conduct of their allies ?
of patriots, who would bear no restraint,
submit to no discipline, who all wanted to i
be officers, chiefs, and leaders, who sneered ; ,.
at tho generous devotion of their allies, and
frowned on any assumption of authority by
them. Humbert saw at a glance tho folly ^
; and hopelessness of tho enterprise. t
"Wo shall all bo taken, and probably '
| shot," lie remarked to his aid; 4 but then !u
Franco will bo committed to tho enterprise, Jj1
. and will bo bound to avenge us. So i 1
1 Vive la llepublique! Vive la ll*j)ubliquc! ,
' En cvant! JSn cva>it.""
Ami thus tho enthusiastic and heroic ^
, Frenchman advanced rapidly towards Can|
tlebar. Here he encountered a considcra- .
; bio force of royalists, strongly posted with
J artillery. Tho French battalion steadily '''
: advanced on the royalists, but a few dis1
charges of tho English guns scattered in
! every direction Humbert's nuxiliaies. Char- I ^
ging gallantly with his Frenchmen, Hum- | *
I bort succeeded in putting the royalists to . ^
flight with considerable loss, and achieved I
i a brilliant and decided victory. He then p
' made a triumphal entry into the town of,
' Castlebar. Hero he was joined in greatly j .
I augmented numbers l?y tho peasantry of: ^
the country, who with scythes, pikes, and ^
j c>vcry r:ulc weapon imaginable, crowded i .
into the town and made it hideous with I
! their wild rcveliy. They imagined that jj
tho lasi blow had been struck, and that
Ireland was now free. Humbert was com- . '
polled to tairv here for the reinforcements ^
, daily and hourly expected from France, j
I These reinforcements were rayidly proceed- |
ing to Kitlala, but unfortunately the fleet j
under Hompard, which was convoying i ^
them, was attacked in tho bay of Killala
by the s<piadron of .Sir John Warren, and |
entirely destroyed. Thus was Humbert's j'last
hope annihilated. j
Meantime Lord Curnwalli*, with a pow- :i
erful army, was gradually surrounding |?
llumheit. as ho himself loul Iwah
i V V"V l'(
; ed by the I* reneh and Americans at Yoik- j>
| town, Virginia, some fifteen yeais before. I ,M
As t!ic rumors of the approach of the jj,
lSriti.-.li began to thicken upon him. Hum- |j(
| l?ert ? bserved his allies rapidly falling off, u
and slinking out of the town, until at la?l
lie was left in the village of ltoyle with hi ,
French veterans, and a few of the Iiish NV
leaders who were too fir committed to f(|
retieat. Humbert called a council of his C|
i officer'--, and proposed to light it out. oflcr- j,.
ing thenfrelves a sacrifice oti tlie altar of y>
Irish independence. His ofiicers, who had
been disgusted with the enterprise from ;
their landing and first acquaintance with
their allies were not so cuthu-iaslio and r
devoted. I'nder their advice iie deter- ^
mined to surr- nder. Accordingly, Lord |?
Cornwallis had the ratisfiction < ! rcccixing ct
the sword of the French general, an event t|
well calculated to remind that distinguish (,
cd ihiton of a tncmoiahlo scene in his own
military history. Ilumhcit was released t.*,
on parole, and finding no prospect foi j,"
i promotion in France, came with man) ,,
' other soldiers of the ol 1 French republican ft1
; school, whose republicanism was of too ^
, earnest and uncompromising a character
for Napoleon's views, t>? New Orleans.
When .1 n kson nriived, in 1S1-I. to as- ai
. suine the defence < f the city, Humbert was l!
one of the first to tender his set vices as a t:
volunteer, lie proved eminent!v seisin a o
hie during the campaign. Hating no "
regular command, he was always ready it
for any detached service, how peiilous and ?
! difficult soever it might he. Mounted on c
a huge black charger, it was his custom rv
every day to emerge from the American f<
lines, and trotting down the road to a ti
point within inu-kel shot of the llritish ti
outposts, to take a deliberate observation i f h
thcir camp through a field glass; after <<
completing winch, ho would wheel hi-. 1
horse ami leisurely ret 111ti to the American ii
encampment, disregarding tho halls w hich n
frequently rained around him from the a
; lirilish batteries nnJ it-port to Jack- n q
tho exaet condition of the enemy's camp, s
For these ami other services llumboil was p
highly complimented in Jackson's des ei
patches. Tho ol 1 Frenchman, in return, j
declared that Jackson was worthy to have
commanded the army of the Uhine -which l>
: distinction was alone necessary to complete Ic
his in litary greatness and renown. Hut e
| though thus eulogistic of Jack?on, tlio p
; vereran did not include it: his good opinion t!
the mass of the soldiers whom Jackson is
had tho "misfortune to command." lie vi
. could never he persuaded that the rude, ('
I dusky, awkward, slouching bush Hglilcis c
from rennesseo, with thoir careless, iinmil- c<
itary carriage, their reckless, undisciplined, ti
barbarian style of lighting, could be con- o
verted into soldiers. What particularly 1
annoyed him, was the habit tbeso ".?a!/? </ Ii
//e.t" bad of thinking for themselves ? ?lis- it
cussing the merits of their officers anil the a
) expediency of orders from their command- w
, ois, and assuming to rc i?on ami judge, it
when their only duty was to act and obey, a
1 A disagreeable illustration of this habit a
< was brought home to the general on a h
certain occasion, when, being ordered out
fi?r a recoil noissanco with a detachment of ii
Coffee's men, ho brought them under the ll
severe lire of a lhitbli redoubt?whereupon ll
theso independent, self-thinking soMieis, n
not relishing or appreciating the necessity a
of losing their lives in so unprofitable an p
undertaking, quietly wheeled their horse- <
and returned to tho lines, leaving the st
veteran cursing and swearing in tho field it
amid tho shot. When Humbert reported w
this "infamous conduct" to General Jack- it
son, the General could not refrain from a st
smile?hut seeing otto of tho men of the g
I detachment near his quarters, ho called o!
him, and frowningly asKed,"Why did you ; tl
i run away?" "Wall, Go?e?al," replied the . a
j bu"?h fighter, "hot understanding French,' k
and believing our Commander was n man 0
,
p sonsc, wo con strued his orders lo retire j The
it of reach of the cannon balls, and so we { serili
ist kinder countermarched. The General Tl
ml ftomo difficulty in interpreting this \ appe
ccuso to Humbert, who shock his head, j Chct
id continued to tho day of his death ' sanu
rofoundly skeptical of the soldierly quali ( Tl
es of tho Tcniiessccant. screi
The Use ol Torture in India. !
In the Edinburgh lie view for January, j [,rc;l,
ust published by L. Scott <iz Co.) is a re- ,)arl),
arkabio article on the uso of torturo in ! ,)0j?|
i.at part of British India known as the UTCn
adras Presidency. The facts are made ,,|ac(
uowii through tho oflicial report of coin- , ,nort
issioners appointed to make investigation tj10 j
to alleged cases of torture, "submitted to j |ieav
10 Governor in Council of Fort St. George, tjJC
i the 10th of April, 1835, and prcrented , jj
i Parliament by command of her Majcs- j jc|jv
This report forms the basis of tho .,oon
ticlo in tho Edinburgh Quarterly. The
viewer says that tho Ind an Govoiuinetit i|ien)
chargeable with something more than ! j]n?c
issivo acquiescence in the toituro system ] coln<
hich formerly prevailed under the nntive ' <j*j
jvernments; that in British India the hor- joiiu
?rs which formerly prevailed in Oinle have a sl0(
?on perpetrated; and that the British ad- uraj
inistrutioii of the land system, "although cj|>iy
r more merciful than that of the native c|0^|,
ivernmcnts, has not been meli as to put
i end to the traditionary evils which have tj10 (
tended the collection of the land revenue ^|ltf
every part of Indin." And ibis position j
ic reviewer proceeds to establish by the neck
cts narrated in the report of the coinmis- curj0
oners above referred lo. vj0lc
In a debate which took place in the j }loUr
ouso of Commons, on the 11th of June, jjOIl
354, for tho creation <>f this commission, tj(0 ^
was formally alleged that in the collec- pCna
>u of the land revenue in tho Presidency sjtij|,
Madras, the Government oflicials weie wq
tlie habit of employing t<>itiito. The nl- |e (
gnliou was denied and even ridiculed by | tjOI1
io Board ol East India Directors, l>y many ! Rl||,
embers of the House of Commons who i
id lesidetl in India, and woic supposed to ! ev"n
i familiar with the administration of the vjcj?
overnmcut there, and was disbelieved by ccr
majority of the House. The statement, n??'jv
jwever, was solemnly and earnestly re- j
jated and persisted in, and in the end the 'iq
r. o ,.r .1... ii 1 i < -i I
. v.imviiv vi %??\i i/u.kl vi vi vuhhui ? >13 cuiii' | ou^lv
filed lo give 1>is assent to the investiga- : |ia?j|
i'ii, though still declaring his own disbe- . U|ujc
i'f of the allegation; and the commission j.-j
as aj.pointed. The Government of Mad- ; tjie c
\i is represented to have cordially co ope- i 0f |(
Uwd with the commissi'n. Kveiything | -|s |U)
as done that could he done to ectiro a 10,,f
ill investigation. Lord Harris1, the Gov- [ j j
nor, who also disbelieved the statement, ! j^,
sued ordeis to all subordinates lo give soint
erv assistance in their p over, and the j 0f ,j
nplcst piovision was made for the expen- U)
is of i he in.juiry. ,
The land tenure which prevails in Madis
is peculiar. It is known a-, the "ryot <?nu1
erry system." Ihe ivot, or cultivator,
olds diicctly under the Government. The sj.ls
rlleeti n of rent, t i\\ or assessment, is in ^ ?
ic hands of Government ofliceia. The r;Ll0
oveiiiinelit, in fact, is the landlord. 1'he '
stem is similar in the holid ay Piosideu- l|lt. t
but there the tax or rent is lived b\ a < f m
eun.uient assessment. In Madias it is j
liver wise. There is no fixed assessment,1 ^0rtll
nd "the ryot is at the mercy of the colleo- ,t
>r as lo the amount of his land lax, as to ;
io cultivation of his laud, and as to the : js',?|
ernianencc of his tenure." lie is a ten- sjt;?.
at at-will in the most dcjicudci ' s use of
io term. In the sniangcinonl ? f all deII"
'ill
lils, the Government, through its own ij
Ilicials, is the direct rind immediate actor. j
l or every increased valuation, fo. everv ,
.. * -iiii i r roun
iteiteionce with the libertv or the mode i
e i. < ' so a
i cuii:vaiioii, ior every disturbance or tjJ0 j
hange ?>f tenancy, the ?ioveinmcnt i- di- |101V
ctly and immediately responsible." 'there lv;?,
>to, the reviewer, "the s'aitiing qu-s- j
on which t! ?: Madias <'onunissioners had j v
> try was, not whcthei instances of lanu- ^ ^
ir I oppression, even in the revolting torn. roun
f torture, had occurred in the Madras f ]
'residency, hut wltcthcr (Jovernment itself, ^, (
i its capacity of universal landlord, was ^
ot, through its own native olHeials, charge- |loin
hie with those atrocities." And the in- ^ .
uiry was limited t*> the la>t seven vents, h.,in
j tl at, says the reuewor, "our wounded C(lin,
ride lias not even tho palliative that these ^>ro|j
nor initios were perpetrated at a remote { r
. ...... 1,1
i ho inquiry was oitginaily designed to ,j.1<r(
c contined to the use of torture for tho col- wjj7
tetioti of revenue, but was atihsequenlly ^
stended to a resort to the saute cruelty f->r cvj?(
olice ptirpo e<; and upon hoth counts of (lf |,.
" 111 I riuifl' ft .!!!-; I'AQ I 'C'VOP' *t j ,
painful to lie obliged to record that a , ( ^
vid.et of rj;ii11v has been returned. The
* were
oinmtssiotiers declare, as "the only coni
i i i ? liessi
lu*ton at winch any rmpaitial minds w,||
iiid arrive," thai "personal violence, prne
ii i 1 "? not i
-eil by tlio native revenue and police ! j
Hicinls, generally prevails throughout tlie
'residency," and that this "personal \io- . ,
it - ti i j i 1 i tncle
nice i>, to ail intents and purjnv.ses, tor- '
ire. I he) add, indeed, that it is beyond J ( tj
II di pnte that 'many of the practices -n,
t-1,11, * . 1 1 hal
In, li undouhtedly exist must cause acute,
, . ' me*!
temporary or even momentary, agony; ,j
nd that in no f,-\v iccorded instance*, fas Jj i
ppcars 11) tlie oalendais.) even death has
iliowed upon their intliction." ^ ^ |
1 lie evidence in the case is overwhelm
i i dma
ig. i >| persons actually put to torture by ^ .
to police, 27 complained in person before J
le commissioners, and 140 by letter; in '(l!j ,
venue eases, 201) complained personally, Jj
ud 279 by letter, in reference to tlio,
ractice ?>f torture in the formei service, out
f 109 answers returned from the various in<) I
atious in the Madras Presidency, 30 were \'s '
culral, not a mnglo ono was negative, h?rb
liilo no lejs than 79 were unhesitatingly l'tM
i the allirinative; ami out of tho 121 an- ?.p "
vers returned to tho queries sent out re- . ?
nrditig the use of torture in the collection i
f revenue, while 17 ofTicia's e<pressed k,l!'1
icir disbelief of the use of torturo for such
purpose, ami 7 professed to have no "Jilt
nowlodgo on tho subject, no fower than '
9 retuinel an unequivocal affirmative. ' "?rt
kinds of torture employed 'ire thus deed
:
lie two most common forms of torture
ar to be the Kitlc (in Tcloogoo called
rata,) and the AnunJul, which in the
j language is called Qingtrx.
ic kitte corresponds with the thumb*
v of (ho European loituro. It is a
len instrument somewhat like a lemoneztfr,
between the plates of which the
Is, the thighs, (in women aUo the
sts,) the cars, and other more sensitive
? of the body aro squeezed to the la*t
t of endurance, often to fainting, and
to permanent disablement. In many
;s the kitte has been superseded by t ho
i simple plan of violently compressing
tands under a Hat board, on which a
y pressure is laid, sometimes even by
icons standing upon it; or of compclthe
suD'erer to interlace bis fingers, and
cring hint over to the iron gripe of the
s, (or policemen,) who sometimes rub
bands with sand, in order to give
i* a firmer gripe. In other eases the
rs arc bent back until the pain bo
!s unendurable.
to anundal is a more purely Eastern (
re. It consists in tying the victim in
oping or otherwise painful and unnatposition,
generally with the head firbent
down to the feet, by a ropo or
passed round the neck and under the
The posture, however, is varied at
apriceof the executioner. Sometimes
poor wretch is made to stand on one
the other being forcibly tied up to bis
. Sometimes the arms and legs are
usly interlaced, and the frame, thus
ntly distorted, is kept bound up for
? in a condition little short of dislocaSometimes
a heavy stone i-. laid unon
inching the thighs, whether \%i111 the
e or l?v the hand gripe. Another,
>.xifurari/, is pulling :i man about bv
jars. Occasionally a man is held aloft
the ground by the cars, by the hair,
even by the tnustnehio; and the latter
ire, in some instances, is applied so
jrely as to tear away 'dtc nntstaehio by
vols. Sometime* a sort of baslinado
llietcd, sometimes violent blows on tlie
the ankles, the elbows, or other
ly sensitive points. l'io!ong<d itninerin
the water tanks or the river; forei
compression of the arms, the thighs,
even the body, by tying a e -il of rope
d them, and then applying cold water
i to cause it to eonliact and sink into
lo-.li; binning with hot iron; hanging
y stones round tho neck; the stocky
' two or more individuals together by
lair, so that every movement is attendvilli
pain; placing a necklace of bones
iher disgusting or degrading inal**iials
?1 the neck; these are a few of the miinfliction*
devised by those masters of
oriental schools of tortuie. If we add
le^o a few practices like those Used at
e by amateurs of the turf or the ring,
he purpose of''reducing flesh;" fitch as
'atioa, prolonged deprivation of sleep,
pulsory driving up and down under a
ling sun, forcing the unhappy wretches
un long distance*, their hands being
to the a\le of a bandy or cotinliy car
;, we think the catalogue of torture
be admitted to be tolerably complete,
ml yet there are other devices, that
co in their very conception an amount
ilciut ingenuity winch, however p;?-st
in an individual, :t would be diilicult
nderstniid as formirg part of a system,
i tliey not seriously detailed by tiro wit
-s examined before the commission.
I it be credited, for example, tliat it is
uncommon to apply to tlie most sen?i
parts of the body, (enclosed in a clot li,
cocoa rial shell, or other similar recep
.) a biting insect or reptile, stich as the
lull, or carpenter beetle, and to leave il
raw the llvsh of the miserable sufferer?
: by a further reflnement of cruelty,
nt to combine both pain and huinilia
the defaulters ate sometimes tied by
?air to t!ie tail of a donkey or a buffalo?
I they are occasionally hung up with
bead downward? And that il is an orry
practice t<? put pepper or powdered
ies into the eyes or the nostrils, and to
y tlio-e and similar irritating drugs in
r wa\.s too revolting to be even hinted
fter this description of the various
es of torture, follow numerous installif
their application. These our limits
id us to copy. Wo must refer the reato
the Edinburgh Review. The reviewllddes
to the well known fact that ti.v
testimony in India i.s not g nerally role,
especially in matters of personal
'ring. And this, in forming a jtldgit
upon that* horrible atrocities, coined
under tbo shadow of the Biitish
eminent by it* own cfiioiaU, should be
10 ii. ruind. Jv.'ery Christian man must
"I
'.iik while thus hont; ami it often hapthat
the peons amuse themselves hy
ig astride upon tho unhappy sufferer
is undergoing anmtndal. Mure than
?f the witnesses d? p<?se to the intlicof
this torture under the fierce Indian
upon a puutl'cr of defaulters placed
.her in rows, for two, three, four, and
?.;? I - I ? "* -
?... iiuui;, nun 1.1113 iii iiiu iiiuncuiaie
ity of tho cutcheny, or revenue o'fr
and in presence of the taluildar, or
o collector, and of the assembled vils.
iese tortures are often used siuiultnne- j
the kittec being applied to a mail's i
Is, ears, or thighs, while he is actually
xgoing anundal.
egging in various forma is also one of
rdinary instruments for the collection
jvenuc*. In ino?t cases tho defaulter
mg up by the arms to a tree, or to the
beam of a house, as preparation for
ash, which consists cither of a scourgv
atlier thongs (called cortiechcwar, and
times jcrbutitl.) or of the tough fibres
lie tamarind tree, or of the Coir rope,
y witnesses complain -f having been
;ed to laceration.
arious other minor, but yet most doing
and painful, species of violence, are
iled. One of them, fAoor/usuciiry, conin
pulling tho person about violently
, British press excites but ridicule in thi'
country. But such remarks as the following
will meet wilt general sympathy; nni
may fairly l>e regarded as an illustration o
American, as well as Kngli?h sentiments
"Common politics lie beyond our pro
tin v. Wo gladly leave to our powcrfti
and sagacious cotemporatios the duty o
vindicating our rank in the scale i f nations
We concern ourselves slightly with tin
rights of men and the wrongs of women
Kvcti the Uu-Matt War has had for us onlt
a secondary interest. Our labors fall, vert
happily for ourselves and for our readers
in the calmer regions of intelligence ?re
gions tardy disturbed by intrusion of tin
fiercer passions, and across which the tlasl
of battle passes as a softened light, and tin
roar of bombardment is only heard in i
sal and mournful monotone. Before w<
can deal with politics, they must generalh
have passed into history. But there an
exceptions to our rule; and the question o
a possible itiplure with America is certain
'.y one i?f these exceptions. Suroly Mich i
inptttre is unlikely! Yet tho nir grow
heavier day by day. The idea is bocom
nig familial to many minds, Passions an
rising. Every mail appears to bring u
| nearer to tho cataract; and unKss the goot
and moderate men of both hemisphere
, come to the rescue of their governments, i
collision may take place. Under Mich ni
aspect oi events, every voice to which tli
public will listen should he raised. Tit
m 10 cautiously \vc* ourselves nhsnrin ii
ordinary times from pronouncing on tli
course of our national policy, tho more w
foci hound in this solemn moment to np
pea! to the true feeling ami sedate under
standing of our readers on both sides c
the Atlantic against the levity, (he pride
or the incapacity which would urge tli
two nations into war.
"War with the United States! Theide
of such a w ar is incredible. If there be ii
the catalogue of mortal calamities a 'won
than Uivil War,' it is such n conflict a
might arise between America..and Englaiu
: A civil war has generally some basis i
n-.i in. Some giand principle is at staki
The sword is drawn in defence of frecdoi
?in defence of property?in defence <
religion. As in our own civ CO
upgrce ol romance, or <
intellectual Activity, often tit
conflict and flourishes after WrwSm-?tli
blossom and the fruit of a splendid an
deadly contest. Hut a war against Ainer
ca would have no single redeeming poiti
There is not?and there nctrcr ought to I
? any real ground of qunrrei with tli
United States. The interests of the tw
countries Hre identical. Their moral prii
I ciplft? are the mum. They Jmvc neither
! language to -separate noi a religion I
estrange them. The same blood flows i
l^tho veins of their people. Thly have
111
wish indeed that I lie whole evidence coti!
| be proved untrustworthy and fata. lJu
tiiis wo iegret cannot be. There aro tli
instruments of torture. As wo hare see
above, lire majority of the officials n.ltni
j that they use them, and scarcely any den
their being resorted to. All the te?timon
has undergone the scrutiny of the commit
, sioners. Some of it was derived from th
! Courts themselves. Some was "drawn fron
the official returns of a class of Europeat
witnesses who would be deeply interest*
in concealing the facts if it had been possi
l?lo to do so?the collectors, sub-coffectorr
I judges, magistrates, surgeon*, and otlie
. civil servants of the Government; part fron
the testimony of merchants, clergymen
and others unconnected with the adininis
. tration; but by far the most curious am
j interesting portion consists o? the writtei
; or oral statements of the aggrieved partie
i themselves. Native testimony in India i;
proverbially deceitful, and there is n<
proposition which may not be establishes
in an Indian Court of Justice by prepare*
witnesses; but in tli's case, the Commission
ers themselves declare thnt the variety ani
extent of the evidence precludes the possi
bility of fraud." They say:
"In consequence of a certain notificatioi
disseminated almost simultaneous over tin
whole Presidency, without any pretioui
warning or notice, ll)o9 complaints wcrr
preferred within the space of three months
by parlies, the great majority of whom
could have hnd no means of acting in con
ceil, poor, ignorant, and penniless,dwelling
at great distances from, and totally mi
known to each other, and using even vari
ous languages; yet these complaints, oik
and all, speak to similar facts, detail similai
practices, ascribe similar causes for theii
treatment. If this be a concocted plan, ii
is the most singular conspiracy in tin
world's history; but indeed the above con
ditions preclude iho possibility of ant
other conclusion than that the acts of vio
louco complained of are commonly prac
tiscd."
All this?and the half of tho Jiorron
have not been told in this article?witliir
seven years, transpiring probably only ;
few mouths ago, under the rule of h Chris
linn Government! It is appalling, an<1
1 would have been incredible had the fact)
oceu derived from any other source than ;
commission appointed l?y that Government
All comment would ho tame after sue!
revelations.?iV. 1". Commercial Adrerti
j scr.
The War Question.
We arc quite certain that wo need offei
t our readers no njiology for transferring t<
our columns the following able and sensibh
ariticle, from the London Alhenteuni?ar
English Literary Journal of unquestioned
; iutlucncc and respectability. It is stisfac
tory, especially at this time, when othei
Lading English newspapers nre indulging
in extravagant flights of Uobadilisnt, u
fmd su.li rational views of our internatior<
1 al relations, entertained by our colempoia
iv. Thoy will meet with the npprobatior
of eveiy American citizen. Ami it wouli
| only excite the laughter of our readers, or
this side of the Atlantic, were we to a>sur<
, then!, that there is no danger of a war be
j I ween England and tbc United States
I he belligerent bluster of a tvoriion of tin
J common history?a common literature?a
it common tradition. They possess the same
o Bible. They read the same Shakspeare
11 and the same Milton. Blake conquered
it and Cromwell ruled for both. They hare
y a:i equal interest in Raleigh, in Vane, and
y in I'enn. Nay. their present state is as ini*
separable as their past. They still lire by
0 the light of the same old Saxon laws. They
n still drink nj the saine intellectual fountains*
ii regardless whether the springs lie on the
J | eastern or the western shores of the Allani
j tic. Irving, Bryant, Bancroft, iiawthorne,
i,! Longfellow are admired with as warm an
r . affection in England as are Thackeray*
1 ! Tennyson, Dickens, Jerrold, and Macau'.ay
i,| in America. A war between England and
- j America would he a war of brothers?a
I war of friend against friend. It would be
i a war against the affinities of race, against
s the unity of religion, against the in'.trs
changes of trade. It would be ? war in
> favor of barbarism, piracy, restriction?a
1 war against the bounties of nature, the en*
I terprise* of genius, the advances of civilize*
. tion. Such a war would bting sorrow into
1 evert Anglo-Saxon home in Europe and
- America, and a feeling of shame and humiliation
into ?! ??? A??l" fi*?*~ ?
...w V?VI J IJUAUU UCAf l| IU
i 1 whatever quarter of the globe il beats. Such
); a war would close the Gospel for nearly
i | half the Christian world!
j "We say nothing about material inter,
ests. They go for much; but the moral
i interests far outweigh them. The inter*
change of thought is more important than
r; the interchange of cotton. And for what
are we threatened with an interruption of
our frieudly relations with our American
> kindred? Is any principle at issue? Are
r our liberties threatened?is our property
i unsafe? Not in the least degree. Only
t three slight and miserable causes for quar*
> rel appear?a dispute about the construe*
- lion of a treaty regarding that interesting
savage, the King of Mosquito, a dispute
about soma wretched sandbanks lying off
Belize?and a dispute about the attempt
! to enlist troops for the Crimea. The first
i' two are quite insignificant. We might as
? I well go to war about the sovereignty of
11 Eel l'ie Island. We may be right or we
j may he wrong iu our inteq>retation: the
I ' Americans think we are wrong. There is
t much to bo saiu on both sides', and we all
i ; know that when private persons disagree
. I about trifles, a courteous and conciliator*
i j tone soon removes the cause of quarrel*
i Ahnul ikft tliir.l nninf ?
? - ?..V ?! Uk illU AIICU1^% kw VI!
list in the Republican territory?we am
unquestionably in the wrong. In neithe.
case is our honor engaged; in neither case
r ' does any principle which ought to be main*
, tain I'd stand behind the formal terms at
> the disagreement?thus presenting a true
, ground of quarrel, as in the Russian War,
I w hich the genius of the nation can seice
. aud nccejil. Our statesmen might? and
r tnust?find in tho resources of diploma* r '
r a means of satisfying all interests without
> an insane appeal to the sword. Where
we : re clearly wrong, we should at once
and fully admit our error, making whaleri
or reparation is fairly due. It is said the
| Washington Cabinet requires the with,
I drawnl of Mr. Crampton. 8urcly this i?
; j no extreme or revolutionary request. Per.
sonal unpopularity hrts always been consid#
i ered a sufiicient reason for requiring the
; ; withdrawal of an ambassador. We could
, give a hundred Instances in w!:?cb sovereign
. |K>wers have exercised this right. Under
j j such circumstances withdrawal does not
I imply censure. It merelv implies that the
. |x*rsonal relations of the ruler and the min*
\ istcr hare become such ns to impede the
I transaction of public busincs*. We were
f wiong in attempting to recruit within the
_ Union. Mr. Crampton was the instrument
j of tho wrong, lie has thereby rendered
> 1 himself an objev-t of suspicion at Washing-'
t?>n. His withdrawal, therefore, at the re
| quest of the American Cabinet, would be
in accordance with usnge, and would be a
. ' sure pledgo of the sincerity of our ackuowl'
9 ! cdguieut of the original error. Strong na,
lions can afford to l?e graceful in their con*
s j cessions.
,! *Tho other, points afe less deaf. Yet, if
j i a proper spirit of conciliation preside* at
r the discussion, we havo no reason to fear a
L. 1 permanent disagreement. We have a rifcht
f to expect that our diplomatists and pirbiii?
writers will approach the discussion in a
? pacific mood. Above all things, we depreh
cato a tnciiacing tone. We cannot read
without indignation the elaborate display
p of our naval and military powers which
s some oi our journals luivo thought proper
I to iii.iko. Evdry Englishman feels that he
s \ wouhl not bo put down by sneli a parade;
,, and wo must not forgot that our descend,
ants iu America are just as haughty itf
u onrsehes. T'.sey have cvr Wood, oor pasc
siona, our acute 6ense of personal honor/
Against ourselves the threat of force is the
0 one argument that is sure, under all cire
cum<tnuces, to fail. Nor will the Aineri1.
cans be cowed by a menace of lire Bairiff
fleet. We must argue our jroint as if no*
,( . fleets were in existence, and take our stand
! on the ground of history and reason."
f An IucsYRATfON.? Louis Kossuth thtft
a illustrates the controversy in regard to the
Central-American ipiestion :
"Two travellers had but on*
! of them proposed an agree
l" term*: the first half hour Cot shiSferalk SB
n And I will ride; the second hair Cjnjftr I
will rido and you shaH walk. /iW*?ch
L" j would bo tho Central-American treaty, acj.
| cording to the English interpretation."
r'i A New York Assemblyman has intro
'' duced a bill into the legislature prohibit*
e ing iho publication of anonymous letter* m
^ newspapers; and another Solon has brought
; lortvurrt a Dill to exempt clergymen of pay
r ing totl ?n plank road*, bridge*, turnpike*,
,0 COMTLIUKST ART. A T?rT Hg'jr mM, X|
o wlro w? A great horticuHumt, being fo??4
vlby* \ itttot- perched ??p in cherry ire*, hit
. v. ,at.11 i: Aw wonder, Philip, that
;o you have the finest fruit iu the country: +
u for you Ar? not only yonr own gardener, ^ j
a but, eg.nl! yojr own ?e?rrcmw\ too.n
y