HC Deb 08 February 1859 vol 152 cc195-9
COLONEL SYKES

said, he rose to move for an Address for copies of the proceedings of the court martial held at Meerut in April, 1857, on the eighty-five troopers of the 3rd Light Infantry, and of all correspondences that had taken place relative thereto, and also of the correspondence and other papers, relating to the 36th Regiment Bengal Native Infantry having, at Umballah, expelled from their caste those of their comrades engaged in learning the Enfield rifle practice at the depât of instruction at Umballah. He regretted exceedingly that he was obliged to bring this personal question before the House, but he had no alternative. He held in his hand a paper on this subject, which had been presented to the House. This paper was designated "Further Papers, 8 A, Insurrection East Indies," and he had seen it in manuscript at the India House in the spring of last year, when it was shown him with an intimation that it would be laid on the table of the House. He then stated that if it was laid on the table he would be constrained to move for further papers, as important documents had been omitted. The idea of laying it on the table of the House was then withdrawn, but it had nevertheless appeared during the recess. The paper comprised some selections from the correspondence that had taken place, and ex- tracts from the proceedings of the court-martial which sat at Meerut; but these did not embrace all the information that might have been given. He would call the attention of the House to one passage of a letter from the Judge Advocate General of the army, signed "H. Young, Lieutenant Colonel," to the Military Secretary of the Chief Commissioner, in which it was stated that the Chief Commissioner would have seen the erroneous account of the mutiny at Meerut, which Colonel Sykes was said to have laid before Parliament in August last; that, coming from such high authority, the statement would be received not only in England, but in India, as a correct version of what had occurred at Meerut, and that as it would be some time before Colonel Sykes would have an opportunity of explaining the error into which he had been led by some ignorant or designing individual, the effect would be most injurious, as it appeared as if an officer of the cavalry had endeavoured to "force the greased cartridges on the men, and that the Commander in Chief of the Army abetted him in so insane a proceeding." Now, he asked the House whether, in justice to himself, he was not bound to answer such an accusation, and above all, whether, when he found his informant a person of the highest honour and truth, who had been an eye-witness of what he had stated, recklessly and unjustifiably described as "an ignorant or designing individual," he was not bound to come forward in his defence? Possibly the House might find traces in some quarters of that aberration to which Lieutenant Colonel Young had alluded. If his Motion were agreed to, it would be proved that a letter was written by one of the officers of the 3rd cavalry at Meerut the night before the mutiny, to the commanding officer, explaining the peculiar circumstances under which the men were placed, and their alarm and distrust, and urging him not to force the men to disobey their officers. That document had been kept back, and, contrary to the usual practice, the proceedings of the court-martial had never been sent home. The papers in the hands of hon. Members only contained selected statements, and from them the whole truth could not be known. He held in his hand a memorandum from good authority of what took place at the neighbouring station of Umballah. Umballah was a depât for Enfield rifle practice, and the greased cartridges were conse- quently used there. The memorandum was as follows:— Each reigiment of Native Infantry received instructions to detach one smart officer and a party of Sepoys to the school of instruction, for practice in the use of the Enfield rifle. The 36th Native Infantry, at the time of the issue of these instructions, composed part of the escourt of the Commander in Chief, General Anson. The quota furnished by this corps left his Excellency's camp at Agra for the school of Musketry at Umballah, commanded by a promising young officer, Leiutenant A. W. Craigie (since dead of wounds received at Narnoul, in the encounter with the Joudpore Legion). The Commander in Chief continued his tour of inspection, and after passing through Bareilly arrived at Umballah (in March or April, 1857). The detachment of the 36th came out to meet their regiment on its marching into the station, but were repulsed by their comrades, and by the native officers of their regiment, and were declared "Hookah panee bund," or excommunicated, in consequence of their having lost caste by the use of polluted cartridges at the school of Enfield rifle instruction. The men explained to their regiment that there was nothing polluting in the cartridges and nothing which any Hindoo or Mussulman could object to. The regiment was deaf to their explanations, and treated them as outcasts. The unhappy men then repaired to their officer, Lieutenant Craigie, and informed him of the fact. Wringing their hands, and with tears in their eyes, they described their miserable state. They said that they were convinced of the purity of the cartridges, but that they were ruined for ever, as their families would refuse to receive them after what had happened in the regiment. The circumstances were brought before the officer commanding the depât, who communicated with the officer commanding the 36th Native Infantry. This officer assembled the Native officers, stated to them the facts as reported to him, and censured them severely for permitting such unwarrantable treatment of the men. The Native officers replied that there was no substance in the complaint, and that the refusal to eat or smoke the hookah with the men of the depât had been simply a jest. Here, unfortunately, the matter was permitted to rest, and such was the prevailing conviction in the minds of the Natives on this question that the unhappy detachment of the 36th Native Infantry attending the school were never acknowledged again by their regiment. On a former occasion he (Colonel Sykes) explained to the House the diredful consequences of this communication, involving social degradation, breaking the dearest family ties, and affecting the future state of the outcast. These facts were known at the neighbouring station of Meerut, and an order for a parade to teach the men of the 3rd light cavalry a new method of loading their carbines caused great distrust. Combining that circumstance with what has taken place at Umballah, they told their officers the night before the parade was to take place that they could not use these cartridges. He would now read to the House a letter from the Adjutant General of the Army to the Secretary of the Government of India, which proved that the authorities were aware of the dangerous grounds upon which they were treading:— Head-quarters, Simla, May 4, 1857. Sir,—Referring to previous correspondence regarding the target practice of the Native detachments at the several rifle depâts, the Commander-in-Chief considers it will be satisfactory to the Right Hon. the Governor General in Council to learn that at all three depâts the practice has been commenced, and that the men of all grades have unhesitatingly and cheerfully used the new cartridges. In communicating this information to his Lordship, I am to beg you will be good enough to add that a confidential circular has been addressed to officers commanding regiments, enjoining upon them to take every precaution in their power to prevent the depât men upon their rejoining their corps being subjected to any taunting or ill-usage from their comrades with reference to their having used the Enfield rifle cartridges at the depâts. I have the honour to be, &c., C. CHESTER, Colonel. He Colonel Sykes had carefully read over his speech of August 11th, 1857, and he had not a word to alter or unsay in it, and the documents he asked for would testify to its accuracy. If the documents he now moved for appeared to gainsay anything that had fallen from him, he would willingly acknowledge his error, but till they did so would emphatically repeat the opinion he had before expressed, that nothing but the most lamentable ignorance of the Native character, the most pitiable want of tact, and indifference to Native prejudices caused the outbreak at Meerut, and that when it broke out nothing but the most fatuous inaction prevented it from being crushed out. With two European regiments at hand, the men might have been prevented from getting to Delhi, and a mutiny, which had cost 100,000 lives and twenty millions of money might have been avoided. He would therefore move, That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty praying that She will be graciously pleased to give directions that there be laid before this House, Copies of all Correspondence between the Commander in Chief's and Judge Advocate General's Departments and the Military Authorities at Meerut, whether Divisional, Brigade, or Regimental, respecting the Court Martial at Meerut in April, 1857, upon the 85 Troopers of the 3rd Light Cavalry; together with Copy, in ex tenso, of the Proceedings of the Court Martial and Correspondence consequent. And, of all Correspondence, Reports, or Proceedings relating to the 36th Regiment Bengal Native Infantry having, at Umballah, in March or April 1857, expelled from their Caste [excommunicated] those of their comrades, constituting a de- tachment of the 36th Regiment, engaged in learning the Enfield rifle practice at the Depât of Instruction at Umballah.

Motion made, and Question proposed.

LORD STANLEY

said, that as certain statements made by the hon. and gallant Member on a former occasion had been contradicted, nothing could be more natural than that he should desire to vindicate his accuracy. For himself, he had no evidence before him on the subject, and he should decline to offer an opinion upon the matter. He had ascertained, from inquiries he had made, that the papers for which the hon. and gallant Gentleman had moved were not to be found in the Indian department. He was ready to write to India for them, but as some of these papers appeared from their titles to be confidential, the hon. and gallant Gentleman would allow him to see them before he undertook that they should be printed. It was quite possible that all these papers were of a character to be laid on the table, but the correspondence between the Commander in Chief in India and the Judge Advocate General might be of a character not usually made public, and he should like to have an opportunity of seeing it before he promised that it should be laid upon the table. In that case, it would perhaps be better for the hon. and gallant Gentleman to withdraw his Motion, as, if it were carried, he (Lord Stanley) would have no alternative but to produce the whole should they be forthcoming.

COLONEL SYKES

said, he should be happy to place himself in the hands of the noble Lord.

Motion, by leave, withdrawn.