THE FOREMOST MAN IN INDIA.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XI, Issue 645, 12 January 1859, Page 3

THE FOREMOST MAN IN INDIA.

>■'. (EroWthe 'Tixnes.!); :

- Who has been the foremost-man in India during the recent:trouble*?: Where/bo many Have done well and' nave'bo'iired qut-their blood in their country?^ causo-^'wbuM-Bee-m at'ftrst tight-difficult to answer; the question. NeUi and Havelock-^ first turned the. tide "of; battle ;in Qur.tour, Sir Archdafe'Wilson th^preparataons whicTi.provedJtHe-safety..W.J^gJr now* Brigadier "Ingli«-successfuUy : aerendea ;%m

town in .the (ace o? appalling '^licreveF Sir. .TanVoß Outl'am;appeared victory followed oii:his footsteps; uSi^ Cbliii Camph'cH 'lias cdndiictc'd: the greatdr 'operations witli singulnri felicity >, SiV:H'ugh' itOse lifts 'just!'browned; a career-of iiriintcrrupted victory by the-capturo of i&walior. We of course confine ourselves, to the iiamea of'the most marking men, although there are, many others whom less prominent rpositions displayed.TJheroism and energy enough to.sayqan empire, had they.lb'ecn so placed,that their.actioncbuld haye'.inaterially affected the course" of events." But even among 'tl'iesii1 illustrious men, theiVahioW' Jolm LaWrehce,' tlie ruler'of tho' s Piirijab',! stands supreme.' We know of no staiida^d by'which w6"'can'flise'riminate bo-1 tweeii'the respective1 merits of these Indian. Paladins, save b'v the result of their exertions. Let this, then,be tlie test. ■ Had the mutineers in the earlier <■ stage ;of the troubles been able to] maintain thorny, selves in Delhi, and had the Punjab risen in our rear, British India;would have been lost. No doubt it might : and:it would have been regained by hard fighting and by incfeiiible; exert ion,- for En gland has' not yet arrived at' that point when the decadence of nations' begins; but we should have; had a very serious business on hand. We.say, then, that he who saved the Puhjab'arid the north-western pro- ; vinces, was "'the man vwho preserved1 India; to the British Crown. That man: was Sir John Lawrence!

That we may understandl the-full-measure of his deserts we must refer back to the early days : of. the mutiny. A few ; scattered Englishmen were,holding out here and there ; here; and 'there were a few, wretched Englishwomen; and English children ripe for the butcher's knife, biit not yet butchered^ Then it was that Sir John La\vreiice found Himself alone in the Punjab, hemmed inoii'all sides;by'fire, arid from his own Sikhs the,worst was to be apprehended. It' was-hbt1 so116ng since they had • stood in battle-array against" us;; and had stoutly "contested the' possession: of India with' the best < troops that Great Britain' could send forth. .-= The question now' was to array them 'on? our, side-rto put arms into their; hands, and ,to lead* them forth against, the Indiau Eeginients which under our banners and under the guidance of our soldiery had inflicted upon them ( more than one merciless defeat. The Native ' Eeginients' in the 'Punjab broke':'out in! mutiny—Sir;John.Lawrence dealt with tlidm'with, inexorable but necessary rigour. His next carewaV to provide fottheseige of Delhi. ; He took tlie statesman's vie# of the matter—Delhi must be taken: That this event might be1 brought about header' nuded the Punjab of British troops, and remained alone with his, Sikhs. The besieging array wanted guns. He sent them guns. They wanted ammunition.' He-sent them ammunition. They wanted gunners. He, called .the. oldcannoniers of .the Khalsa ■ from their villages, arrayed them under the British flag, and passed them on to Delhi. The very men j'who had pointed* their guns by the banks of the Sutlej at the British troops now pointed them against the .mutinous towii iof Delhi. The ; besiegers; of Delhi wanted money; Sir; John Lawrence sent them money, although' it,was not an easy matter to raise subsidies in the Punjab when the natives saw before them a chance of throwing off the: British yoke; ••Sir1 John' Lawrence did- all "this, and; when Delhi had fallen, thanks to his wonderful energy: and ; activity, one 'Sikh regiment after another was raised and'marched1 dowri the country for active service. The! Punjab,. meanwhile; has. been, maintained in substantial tranquility. Surely, any reward a grate-; ful country; cpuld r bestow would be but a proper compensation for. achievements'.'such as these. The reward actually given'is the honorary distinction of" G.Ci.B.', whibh" Sir John Lawrence shares with Jung Bahadbbr. "Eurthermore he has received the thanks of ParUament in- company with Mr. Haliday and a jdbzeh 6thers.- Finally, there has been an' addition' to his allowances,' by which he has been; placed' in the situation of the late Mr.: Colvin; (Lord Stanley' said,1 the 'other night,,in=answer to a question from Mr.i Kinn aird, that] the Queen's .advisers ;were con-.! sidering: whether any further reward, should :be bestowed upon- him. The dignity of the Peers of Eng■larid would be honoured by the; addition to their> roll of the name of John Lawrerice. ,'