The Express.
London, England, 1863-10-10 00:00:00

(8t ►roped, ld. Additional.]

somewhat hotter, let us ham improved agriculture and
agricultural drainage. If all these improvements were
carried out, the normal death rate of the British soldier
would be not 69 per 1,000. but 10 per 1,000, ley the com-
missioners. But it is not for the soldier alone we speak.
The report has a much deeper meaning and latent thau this
—it aims at nothing less than to bring European civilisation
and appliances to the natives of India. Such revelations are
made, especially in the reports from the stations with regard
to the sanitary condition of these, as to be almost incredible.
Everywhere they are suffering from epidemic diseases
fevers, dysentery, cholera—constant epidemics we may call
them, and constant high death-rats. (How high can never
be known, beamed there is ao registration.) The plague
end pestilence is the ordinary state of things. But the er.
traordinary is when these sweep over large tracts, gathering
strength in their course to pave over gigantic mountain
magas, and to armed ravages over Weaken Asia sod
Europe. And all this might be saved. We keow the curses
of epidemic outbreaks here. Take the worst condition of the
moist and most neglected distinct' at home ; multiply it ten
and a hundred time. over—and this is, to say the least of it,
the normal condition of every city sod town in India. Not
am city or tows is drained. Domestic filth round the
people's houses beggars description. Water supply is from
wells or teaks in ground saturated with filth. No domestic
imavemenoce. Every spare plot of ground is therefore in •
condition defying us to mention it further. The air io, and
for some distance around, native towns is as foul as sewer
air, there being no unitary !administration and no sanitary
police. Here, then, we have nue • gigantic scale the very
conditions which universally precede epidemics at home,
India is the focus a epidemics. Had India not been such.
cholas might never ham then. Even now the Sander-
bands, where every sanitary evil is to be toned in its
perfection, an raising a form of plague, increasing yearly
I* intensity, covering a larger cad larger area, and drawing
slowly round the capital of India itself. Are we to
learn our lesson in time? Some say, What have we
to do with the natives or their habits! Others are
glad to lied an meow far doing nothing in the questions
arising oat of cede. But mete has not intefered with rail.
ways. Bad government is India is everything. The peo-
ple themselves ham no power to prevent or remove these
evils, which now steed es an impassable barrier against all
CV:hThe time has gone past whoa India was coed-
mere appanage of British commerce. la bolas(
India, we must be able to show the moral right of our
tesure. Id Itch is being done no doubt to improve the
country—by railways, canals, and means of OXlllllllllllll{fiCS—
to improve the people—by education, including under that
word European literature and science. But what at home
eau be dom in education, if we neglect physical health?
How dries education progress here, without mesas
of elesalinem, of decency, or health ? The wheel
Immo of • month are upped in au hoar.
If the people are left a
in their it is msetlooneldpodemies and
the home& sgenciee out much
good seeding them to school. Where we be now,
with all our schoele if London were like Calcutta, Madras,
or Bombay, the three seats of govemmeet in India ? The
next greet work, then, is sanitary reform in India. There
is not a town which does not want water supply, draining.
pub* cleansing, healthy pleas for arranging and con-
=buildings, together with agricultural drainage and
cultivation all round. These things the people
cannot do for themselves. But the Indian guaranteed ean
do them. Three health depart's:mote thee for each of the
Presidencies) have been recommended by the royal commis-
aim, together with a home commission to help thew de-
partments in briogiog the appliances of borne civilissden
to lade. The work Is urgent. Every day it is
left undone adds its quota of inefficiency to the
British army, and its thousands of deaths to the native
population. Danger is common to Europium and to native.
Many of the best men this country ever had have files
victims to the same causes of deems which have decimated
the population of Hindestaa. And so it will be till the
India government awakes to its met responsibility towards
those 'great multitudes who are no longer strangers and
foreigners, but as much the subjects of our beloved Qum
as any one of us. The real, the main point, the great dis-
covery of the royal eommission is this—look to the state
of your stations first—then look to the hills for help. Year
statism' and cities are in • condition which, is the lioset
temperate climate in Europe, would be—have been—the
cause of the gnat plague—of half the population
being swept off by dissent And on the other
).
no climate in the world—certainly not that
of ladth—oteild kill us if we did not kill an-
gelus by oar neglect. We complain of the climate whoa
the weeder is that there is one of us left—under a sky which
certainly intensifies mous of disease se much, that me
would have thought it might set men to work to remove
these mums—sad twice as vigorously as in • ten' perste
clime* bated of sot akelL But so ; our cities are sot
three of civilised men. It moot now be said, as Burke did,
"England his built no bridges, made so high roads, cut no
nangatioes.• But in all that repute the social im-
Clialent of cities, still it most be said, as he did—'
masty years ago?—" Were we dries. out of India
this day, nothing would remain to tell that it had been
during the inglorious period of oar dominion -"ealar.B4.ltiag better than the cure gout or the
tiger. for how much Is it better now ? " being your I
cities and stations within the pole of eivilieetios ; as they
are, they are the life destroyers—sot the climate. The
1 hills, those very climates to which you look for succour,
are becoming 43 pestiferous from your neglect that they
bear oat this iodictrueut. They cry to yore as we do—Re-
form your stations • thence come the deadly ioeasooe.
The quetion is no lee, an one than this—How to meets •
Public Health Department for India—how to bring a
higher civilisation iuto India. What • work, what • Debbi
task for an lodise governmeot ! No " inglorious period of
our dominion" that, but • most glorious ore That would
be cimting India anew, for God places His own power,
His own life-giving laws, In the hands of man. He permits
man to create mankind by those laws, even as He permits
man to destroy mankind by neglect of those laws.