called upon by the position which I occupy, to interfere on any of the subjects to which it refers. Your's Obedly. WILLIAM H. MEIKLEJOHN. 2d November 1838. No. 2979. To Mr. C. REED. SIR, NIZT. ADAWT. Present The Court having had before them your Letter dated the R. H. Rattray, W. Money, Esqrs. and J. F. M. Reid, Esq. Offg. Judge. 1. I frequently have had occasion to express regret at the delay which occurred in applying to the constituted Authorities in cases of greater or less Public importance,-the causes of delay in general being one and the same, namely—Injustice and Oppression; how severely those unjust inflictions now press on me need not to be repeated here as they will, in some degree, be stated in the case of the Dispatch received by this Government from the Authorities in England, which Dispatch after long having engaged the attention of our late worthy Deputy Governor, yet remains under the consideration of Government.* But, however * In a Representation which I intend shortly to make on the case of the said Dispatch, the subject of the Injustice and Oppression done to me will be particularly noticed. great the oppression committed against me, however great my consequent inquietude, my mind is far from being easy respecting the delay which has occurred in this case :-however much comparative quiet and leisure are desireable for engaging in any important undertaking, I regret having in consequence of my difficulties and distress, delayed a single day in making this application. ; 2. After writing my Letter of November 1st 1838, to the Hon'ble Mr. J. C. Erskine,* I (as recommended) during some time endeavoured to have the case espoused by the Calcutta Public:-January 6th 1839, I wrote the original of the Document marked No. 2:-Different Persons commended my conduct and declared their willingness to assist on the occasion but to my knowledge the only public expression that appeared was the notice in the Bengal Hurkaru of December 31st 1838. Respecting that notice, in addition to what is contained in my said Letter of January 6th 1839, I do not think it requisite to do more than express my sorrow at any Person's being capable of expressing himself on such subjects either jocularly or with the smallest degree of Levity!-Left to myself I herewith forward a Pamphlet containing a copy of my Applications to the Suddur Dewanee and Nazamut Adaluts-"made for the purpose of having "due moral Instruction afforded to Prisoners, and to have Capital "Punishments abolished;" and I most earnestly solicit Government to comply with the said Applications. 3. In the year 1832, when I commenced writing the applications contained in the said Pamphlet," the manifest clearness of the particulars under consideration," "proved my greatest difficulty;" so on the present occasion my embarrassment chiefly, if not wholly, is produced by the fact of there now being cause for me to apply to Public Authorities on the occasion: I am not able to divine why the Men in Power throughout Christendom, the greater part if not the whole of whom profess belief in Revelation, continue to disobey the clearly expressed Will of our CREATOR,especially when obedience, in addition to securing their eternal Happiness, would be attended not only with the gratification of the best feelings of Man, but moreover would greatly promote their worldly interests! 4. The genuineness of the Texts given in my Pamphlet will not be questioned; and I ask for no more than what our CREATOR, by the said Texts-has commanded to be done. Our all merciful GOD has declared that-He desireth not the death of a Sinner ;— * A copy is furnished, marked No. 1. He desireth all Sinners to repent ;-There is more joy in Heaven over one Sinner who repenteth than over ninety-nine just Persons ; -He has denounced-that when a Sinner die in his iniquity— without endeavour being made to reclaim him from his wicked way, -his blood shall be on the head of the Person who (possessing the power) did not endeavour to reclaim him. This and much more than this is declared by the Texts quoted in the Pamphlet; and the blessed Messiah especially exerted Himself to impress this particular on the consideration of mankind.* 66 5. Then, will Men in Power, who profess belief in Revelation, act in direct violation, in direct opposition to this declared Will of their CREATOR?-Will they by their works declare "As "far as our power extends no Sinner shall repent; so far from endeavouring to reclaim Wicked Men, we will either destroy them "and thus render repentance impossible, or we will so imprison "them as necessarily to increase their wickedness;"-and, awful as is the assertion, may it not with truth be added-" as far as we "can prevent it, There shall be no joy in Heaven!" I earnestly solicit the Members of Government most seriously to reflect, on what here is feebly expressed!-To continue Capital Punishments, to withhold m oral Instruction from Prisoners, nay not to manifest towards offenders that Brotherly Love, which the declared Will of our universal CREATOR, of our GOD and of their GOD, of OUR Heavenly Father and THEIR Heavenly Father demands to be manifested, is impiously to oppose His Will, to impricate His wrath ! 6. Experience has fully established that even in a worldly point of view nothing is gained by this violation of the Will of Heaven immorality and crime are not diminished; neither is the security of property nor personal safety increased; nay experience shows that the contrary effects are produced;-it is impossible that the fact should be otherwise!-Can immorality, can crime be diminished,-can the security of property or personal safety be increased-by opposing the Will of our Creator !-Then, as nothing but evil is gained by acting contrary to the Divine Will, try what will be the effect of obedience!—Put an end to Capital * See the 15th chapter of St. Luke:-I entreat the Members of Government to read that chapter and the quoted Texts with such attention as the subject demands ! † Do what we will, the most wicked Man who is put to death by the Hangman or other Executioner, was made by the same CREATOR,-was made similar to ourselves, was placed in the same state of Probation, and his happiness is equally desired by our all Merciful God and universal Father!-Farther ;-Who is the Man that hath no Sin? Who is the Man who needs not forgiveness? In this, as in other instances, do not natural Justice and common Sense, confirm the justice of the Divine declarationWith what measure ye mete it shall be measured to you again ?-Matthew ch. 7. v. 2. Punishments; let not another Human Being in British India suffer death-dir ectly nor indirectly by your orders;—cause moral Instruction duly to be given to Prisoners, and Immorality and Crime will diminish, the security of Property and of Person will increase: it is impossible to be otherwise;-you can no more produce good by disobeying the Wall of our Creator, nor produce evil by obeying that Will, than you can arrest the motion of the Planets or alter the Laws of the universe! · 7. In confirmation of what I assert you have the evidence ot what was effected by Mr. Cleveland and by Mr. Pagan ;* not only would Immorality and Crime be diminished and the security of Property and Person be increased, but the attachment, the love of the People will be gained; it may be impossible to mention any other measure that would in an equal degree with the abolition of Capital Punishments, gain the moral attachment of the Natives of British India, especially of the Hindoos; and for gaining that attachment, next to the abolition of Capital Punishments may be reckoned-affording due moral Instruction to Prisoners. These measures, in addition to gaining the attachment, the love and the esteem of the millions of our native Fellow Creatures, will necessarily invite, attract, and win them to admire and to embrace that Revelation, our belief in which produced the said measures! And, a return will be made for the millions of money which have been extracted from this country-without in any material degree improving the wretched condition of the People from whom the said money has been taken !† 8 By the said two measures, accompanied by such auxiliaries as they almost necessarily will cause to be adopted, Domestic Peace and External Security will be obtained, and the efforts of any Foreign Power would prove perfectly harmless!-This full effect indeed will be produced by general good Government; but the objects in question form a most material part of good Government; and how can good Government be more worthily or more effectually commenced than by abolishing Capital Punishments and causing moral Instruction duly to be given to Prisoners? Although much gratified in being able to assert that our worldly *The conduct of these two Gentlemen is noticed in my Letter to the Secretary of the Indian Law Commissioners, delivered with a subsequent Letter to the Secretary, of October 12 and 14, 1837; a copy, if one be not possessed by Government, will hereafter be furnished. But although the measures here solicited necessarily form a material part of good Government, request that the consideration of this application be not delayed a single day on account of the promised copy of Papers. In my communication with the constituted Authorities, during a period of about thirty-five years, I repeatedly have noticed the uretched and worse than abandoned condition of the great majority of the People in British India ! advantage clearly will be promoted by adopting the two measures in question, I trust it is not necessary to state that I do not consider such advantage as requisite to obtain our obedience to the declared Will of our CREATOR; far from it! But the existence of that advantage increases the crime of disobedience. Nothing can justify nor palliate the setting up of Expediency against the Divine Will; it is in fact to set in judgment on our CREATOR,-it is too abominable, too horrid-to form a subject for reflection! Conclusion:-It will be admitted-that the subject of this application is one of great importance,-that not only the existence, more than the present existence of many Human Beings depend on the result, but also that the future condition of the Members of Government may (in my opinion-must) in great measure depend on what they do on this occasion !-Here no obstacle of any moment exists;—here are no political Parties ;-the feeling, the understanding, the prejudices of the Country all call for the said measures,-all call on the Members of Government duly to obey the declared Will of our Merciful God !-If any Member doubt as to what should be done on the occasion, I entreat him in the stillness of night, after due preparation, to consider the subject,* and so to act, that at the end of his state of Probation, when called on to render an account of his stewardship in respect to the subject under consideration, he will be able to answer" I have in this respect duly performed the declared "Will of my Merciful GOD!" I now solicit that indulgence which is requested on the cover of my said Pamphlet ! I am, Sir, your Obedient Servant, Calcutta, April 28, 1839. CHARLES REED. P. S. May 11th.-Should any doubt exist as to the duty of complying with my application, I solicit to be heard in person before a decision be passed. C. REED. To E. B. RYAN, ESQ. Clerk to the Hon'ble Sir Edward Ryan, Chief Justice. SIR, Last night between 9 and 10 o'clock, the passage written below was read to me. The information contained in this passage * Let him read-the Texts quoted in the Pamphlet,-the contents of the 15 Chapter of St. Luke,-verse 45, Ch. 25 St. Matthew, with what precedes,-verses 32, 33, Ch. 18, St. Matthew, with what precedes to verse 23,-and of such other Texts as are applicable. |