SEDITIOUS LANGUAGE IN INDIA.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR:9
Stn,—In the Spectator of July 31st in the note regarding Maulvie Hidayat Hasid you seem to doubt that any "great risk" to India would have been "run by the Government in putting pressure upon Abd-ul-Hamid." Much as I desire the pressure to be put, I believe it would have created untold mischief here if the Government had yielded to the short- sighted clamour that England single-handed should mete out to the Sultan the punishment that is more than due. Apparently it did not dawn on the speakers at the mass meetings or on the editors of the Nonconformist papers that I see, that war with Turkey would probably mean trouble in India. As a matter of fact all classes of Mahommedans were deeply affected by England's attitude to Turkey, and had any decisive step been taken many competent to judge believe that England would have jeopardised the lives of Europeans and native Christians in India for whom she is more directly responsible than for our coreligionists in Armenia. We may "remember the facts of 1855-60," but it does not follow that hatred and revenge would be as impotent now as gratitude was then. That a large amount of disaffection and unrest exists no one can deny who has lived for years in contact with Mahommedans and Hindoos of the large cities. I for one do not doubt that the Government of India can ultimately quench any fire that may be kindled, but that is small comfort to those who in the meantime would pretty certainly be burnt.—I am, Sir, &c.,
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