Excerpt from The Life and Times of Carey, Marshman, and Ward, Vol. 1 of 2: Embracing the History of the Serampore Mission Them into contempt with the native community, and they had some reason to complain of such unprovoked contumely. About the same time an Act was passed prohibiting the publication of obscene books and pictures in India, but a clause was inserted, especially exempting from the opera tion of the Act every representation, sculptured, engraved, or painted on or in any temple, or on any car used for the conveyance of idols. With what colour of truth can it then be affirmed, that there has been any change in the policy of government, either as it regards discouraging missionary efforts, or deferring to the popular idolatry? But it may be affirmed with perfect confidence, that even if the missionaries had received the most open and direct support from the state, and if government had laboured to propagate Christianity by a system of rewards and penalties, there would have been little reason to dread a mutiny, or even an insurrection. Although a contrary Opinion be prevalent in England, it has been adopted with out investigation, and is contrary to all historical teaching in India. This assertion may at first appear paradoxical, but it is based on truth, and it is fully substantiated by the Opinion of the late Sir William Macnaghten, the envoy at Cabul, one of the ablest public men of his day, who, moreover, was never charged with any undue partiality for missionary labours. He was required to give his opinion on the question whether suttees could be abolished consistently with the safety of our dominion. Admitting the sacrifice of suttee to be a religious act of the highest possible merit according to the notions of the Hindoos, where, he inquires, is danger to be apprehended from the abolition of it Look to the genius of the people and their past history; under their Moosulman rulers they tamely endured all sorts of insults to their religion and violation of their prejudices. We have no record of any general or organised disaffection. We read that their temples were polluted and destroyed and that many of them were compelled to become converts to the creed of