१८५७ का स्वातन्त्र्य समर (वीर विनायक दामोदर सावरकर - अंग्रेजों द्वारा छपने से पूर्व प्रतिबन्धित महाग्रन्थ)

TEMPORARY PACIFICATION
was to be held. The right of Rajas to adopt an heir was
recognised. A clause was also inserted that the religious
beliefs of the people would never be interfered with ;
and an undertaking was given that promises would not
thenceforth be broken.
The Queen proceeded to say : “ And we do hereby con-
firm in their several offices, civil and military, all persons
now employed in the service of the Honourable East
India Company, subject to our future pleasure, and to
such laws and regulations as may hereafter be enacted.
“ We hereby announce to the native princes of India that
all treaties and engagements made with them by or under
the authority of the Honourable East India Company
are by us accepted and will be scrupulously maintained;
and we look for the like observance on their part.
“ We desire no extension of our present territorial pos-
sessions ; and, while we will permit no aggressions upon
our dominions or our rights to be attempted with
impunity, we shall sanction no encroachment on
those of others. We shall respect the rights, dignity,
and honour of native princes as our own, and we
desire that they, as well as our own subjects, should
enjoy that prosperity and that social advancement which
can only be secured by internal peace and good
government.
“ We hold ourselves bound to the natives of our Indian
territories by the same obligations of duty which bind us
to all our other subjects ; and those obligations, by the
commissioner and the first thing he did was to hang all his credi-
tors.” This ‘delightful story,’ is not, of course, contained in any
‘history of the Indian mutiny.’ It was not even contained in
the Times’ special correspondents’ letters to the Times intended for
publication. It was mentioned only in private letter of Sir W. H.
Russell to John Delane.
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