The Sun.
London, England, 1824-10-29 00:00:00

I:V1)1A.

IFrotrs Me ?Notts. ]

It will balr_ratifying t-O-thii promoters of Oti.
ental literature, and the friends of the natives of Ilindostan, to
be informed that the Governmentin Bengal have issued regila-
tions, which, if strictly enforced, must prove a greater stimultta
to every Englishman proceeding to India to learn the native
languages. Attempts have been made at different times In
England by some Proprietors of• East India Stock, to induce the
Court of Directors to eatabliSh a rule that all their military ser-
vants before going to India should be instructed in the ['Mos-
tante or colloquial langitage of India, which would mike them
useful on their arrival' there, and render their services of much
more value to the, Company and the public than they ever
can be in the state of 'ignorance of • the native languages in
which officers do go nut to the Company's service, and
have generally remained even after many year? service in
India. It is usual for. an public establishments and houses
of business to give a preference to, and to select those ser-
vants best qualified for the duties of their office; and if,
for example, a correspondence is to be carried on with France
or Germany, a knowledge of French and German is considered
a requisite qualification ; or if agents are to be sent out to
Spain or Portugal to perform important duties there, such.
men will be selected as can speak and read the Spanish and
Portuguese languages: bit it is lamentable to think that the
East India .Company. have long . acted and still act on prin-
ciples contrary to those:-of every other company or set of men
in the world, and. wei regret to say that the Board of Con-
troul, whose duty it ie to superintend the welfare of India,
and attend to the. prOt)ei performanCe of those important
duties by properly qualified. servants of the Company, per-
mit such conduct. The East India Company have, per-
haps, 150,000 natives of.,lndia in arms commanded by Eng-
lish officers, in the proportion, as has lately been stated,
of only from five ;to nine of "'English officers to a batta-
lion of 1,000 natives in the fiend.; and as all routine of
duty in these battalions,' and also in the field, is carried on
by these English officers, the efficiency of these native troops,
for every purptiire in peace or war, must be more •or lets per-
fect according at the English officers can understand what the
natives have to represent, or what the Officers have to make
known to them; It might therefore be expected that the Com:
pany would require their English officers to have some know-
ledge of the language of 'the natives they are to -command and
govern. No such thing; for when it was proposed in the
Court of Proprietors', thaterery one of the three hundred or four
hundred cadets, sent out 'annually to India to become officers
of the native corps, should be obliged to qualify themselves for
such duties, by 'canting the flindustanee language before lenv-
ing England, the Cowt of Directors opposed the proposition,
and ever have, conttary io the welfare of. India, continued to
send out youths ignorant .of the native language, and conse-
quently unfit for the dutili that devolve on them on their land-
ing in In/Ilea-Jr we had France to govern by an army of
Frenchmen, commanded and officered by English, it would be
supposed next to madpesa to send over such of our countrymen
ae could neither read, speak, or understand French, to be
officers in that army. We should conclude, and with justice,
that the utility of the officers would be much lessened by
their ignorance of French ; and every mouth would be loud in
complaining of the Government who acted so absurd and
chievous a part. We -should expect that the mistakes and
errors, arising from. such ignorance would greatly injure the
public service. Such, however, is the conduct of the East India
Directors as regards India; they have persevered in their re-
fusal to enact regulations proper for the qualifications of .the
cadets as respects languagis, and the greatest, and often 1r
reparable evils arises to the officers themselves, and to the
public interests in India, from such proceedings. It is true
(and so far they ought to receive credit), that the Court of Di-
rectors do require all the medical men to acquire a know-
ledge of Hindostanee before they can take up their appoint-
ments-for India: But the-very fact that they require medical
men to do so is a very heavy charge against them, fbr not or-
dering their military servants to do the same. We believe that
Dr. Gilchrist, who has had the charge of that department, has
acquitted himself . very hoiu3urably and efficiently ; and by his
exertions much has been 'deem to teach cadets and others pro-1
seeding to India, respecting 'whom the Court of Directors ap-
pear so culpably indifferent. The interests of India require,
nay, the interest of Officers requires, and common sense
points out, that the system should be changed, and that no per-
son should be allowed to go out in the Company's service as
military Officers; who are-not qualified to converse with the na-
tives on their arrival in that country. What has given origin
to these observations'. is the receipt from Bengal of an ab-
stract of the orders lately published there respecting the
qualifications required of officers for certain regimental and
staff' offices : such regulations do credit to the Government in
India, although very late in taking place, and reflect disgrace
on the ruling *powers in England, for having so long refused
the proposition so often made to them—t• That every one
of their servants sent to India should at least be acquainted
with tile colloquial language of that country."—lt may
perhaps give A spur to the industry of those who are going
out as cadets -to India to learn, that interpreters are to be
attached to the King's regiments in India ; and that the
Commander-in-Chief take's a very great interest in every
thing that relates to the acquirement of the Hindostanee and
Persian. It may be pro Per to state, that four or five years ago,
Dr. Gilchrist, with that-enthusiasm which has marked his ca-
reer as-a philologist,:- and /rendered his long labours so useful
to the Indian publi4, offered. to the Duke of York to teach the
colloquial language free or. expenco, to one or all the officers of
every King's regiment 4fittg. to India ; but we believe lie was
never 'favoured 'wills L,a.e.
An war to that liberal and valuable
offer.." The gentletnenlift India are beginning to see the neces-
sity of doing something iSlitverds what Dr. Gilchrist proposed to
do, as necessary for the efficiency and comfort of the King's
troops, and the natives of India.