of 7 years' transportation. Whereas the murderer Watson, for his having a white skin was "commisserated with, pleaded for, and incontinently removed from the felon's cell to the Civil part of the Jail by the same Judge."
He grossly insulted us and injured our reputation. He encroached on our rights and threw us into the contempt and ridicule of the civilised nations of the Earth. The Natives of India were not Carolina slaves that they will suffer all public indignities. Manfully did they then fight to vindicate their Just cause[1]—a cause which they had every right to assert. Never have we heard of, nor witnessed such a political strife since the conquest of India by the English; a strife on which the destinies of a high functionary and the natives of Bengal were firmly at a stake.
The prosecutor was not an Indigo planter and still the 2nd count was allowed to stand. It was urged that as the prosecutor was a member of the Indigo Planters' Association, so he could sue the Reverend Mr. Long on behalf of the Planters. Admitting the truth of the 2nd count, for arguments' sake, Mr. Brett could not at all sue on behalf of the Planters, for the planters were not a corporate and definite body. The costs of the suit were paid by the Commercial and Land-holders alias the Indigo Planters' Association. The counsel for the prosecutor was a member of the Association, but he nominally withdrew his connection from the Association, and became a counsel to be the prosecutor's counsel. Such was the extent of malice shown towards Mr. Long, that the respectable natives were not allowed by the Supreme Court to wait on a deputation on Mr. Long at the common Jail, for the purpose of presenting him an address which was subsequently forwarded to him in the way of letter, just few days after his being taken in to the Jail.
- ↑ A meeting of the inhabitants of Calcutta and its suburbs was held at the premises of Raja Radha Kanta Deb Bahadoor, on Monday the 26th August, 1861, at 4 P. M., with the view of submitting a memorial to the Secretary of State for India containing many attacks Sir M. Wells made on several occasions to the jurors, while in the discharge of public duty.
The memorial in question which was read before the meeting, was carried unanimously, and was sent to England on the 23rd September, 1861. Several leading English journals and the right-minded English gentlemen had each and all declared, that the natives had at last appreciated their constitutional rights, and were deserving of their best thanks for their (Natives') taking proper steps to assert their rights.—See Hindoo Patriot of the 29th August, 1861.
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