The Sun.
London, England, 1858-04-07 00:00:00

OXFORD, WORCESTER A WOLVER-*
HAMPTON.
The rec-ipts of this company, including the
St,itirbridge Extension Canal, for the fortnight
ending the 28th of M rch have been 7,584/., w file
those for the corresponding fortnight of 1857
amounted to 7,6021., and the expenditure, also in-
cluding that of the Stourbridge Extension Canal,
3,7811., being at the rate of 49.84 per cent., while
those fur the nrresponding fortnight of 1857
amounted to 3,7921., or at the rate of 49.87 per
cent. The sum of 38,4721., being receipts for the
first five fortnights and three days of the half-year,
added to the 7,5841. as above, makes a total receipt
of 46,0561. as against 47,7951. for the correspond-
ing five fortnights and four days of the pievious
year. And the sum of 19,3561., being expenßes
for the first five fortnights and three days of the
half-year, added to the 3,781/. as above, makes a
total expenditure of 23,1381., ll,:ing at the rate of j
50.01 per cent. as against 23,7751. for the corres-
ponding five fortnights and four days of the pre-
vious year, or at the rate of 49.74 per colt. 1

BOMBAY, BARODA, AND CENTRAL INDIA.
It appears that the earthworks of 150 miles of
this line from Surat to Ahmedabad, are on the
point of completion ; that several miles of the per-
manent way have been laid down, and the engines
were at work ballasting the line. She firet large
iron bridge on this section was nearly completed.
Tho working drawings were being prepared for the
section lately conceded to the company between
Surat and Bombay, preparatory to the commence-
ment of the works.

IMPORTANCE OF RAILWAYS IN INDIA.
Lientenant-Colonel KENNEDY, R.E., at a meet-
ing recently held in the United Service Institu-
tion, entered very fully into the importance cf
having a sufficient length of railway enistructed in
India, both in a military and commercial point of
view ; but more particularly as respected military,
operations, in which the saving of troops and ex-
penditure would be considerable. Taking the pro-
portion of railways as existing in the United States
of America, for railways in India, of one mile of
railway to 112 square miles of country, which he
considered was the lowest scale that should be
applied to any inhabited country even where
the general industry was limited to agriculture, if
the railways were uniformly laid down in that pre-
portion, the more distant points would be 60 miles
from a railway. The proportion of railways iu the
United Kingdom was 1 mile to about 131 square
miles, and would make the most distant points on
the average about 61 miles from any railway.
The populetion of America averaged 9 to the square
mile, toe population of India 124 to the square
mile, and of the United Kingdom 226 to the square
mile. The density of the population iu India
was 14 times greater than in America, and there-
fore as many times greater was the nece,sity
for railways in India. According to the Ameri-
can scale, about 12,423 miles of railway were abso-
lutely required for India. So urgent did the consi-
derations of railway communication in India appear
to him, both as regarded its industrial progress and
military protection and defence, that on his return
from that country in 1852, after having held the
appointment of Military Secretary to the Com-
mander-in-Chief, as well as that of c -insulting en-
gineer to the Supreme Government in the railway
department, he felt bound to address a report,
dated 14th of September, 1852, on the subject of
railways to the Home Government of India, in
which he fully explained the advantages of rail-
way communication for military purposes, and
stated that in India marching or campaigning in
summer was out of the question, except at a fearful
expense of life and health to European troops. It
was shown in that report that a proper system of
railways (while increasing the eflicieucy of the
army) would enable a reduction to be made in the
military establishment of India equal to 2,332,4821.
per annum. This would represent a capital of
58,312,0001., if raised at 4 per cent., and if in-
vested in railways, at an average cost of 6,0001.
per mile, would furnish 9,718 miles of rail-
way. The report was sent by Govern-
ment to India and circulated to the authorities
there, and it was likewise laid before Parlia-
ment. Had the principles therein urged been
adopted with the energy exemplified in the United
States of America, 2,000 miles °frail way per anuum
might have been opened during the last three years
in India, which would have placed the authorities
in a condition to deal effectually with the mutiny of
the Bengal army, it it would not have altogether
prevented the occurrence of that mutiny. At the
breaking out of the mutiny in 1857 the force of
the British Government in India was 240,872
men of all arms, of whom 42,500 were Europeans
and 204,372 natives distributed at 228 stations,
giving a ratio of native troops to European
troops of nearly live to one. By another return
made to the House of Commons in April, 1852, the
Queen's and Company's European troops amounted
to 49,408 men, the Company's native troops, in-
cluding contingents, to 276,432 men ; making a
total of 325,840 men, and giving a ratio of above
51 natives to 1 European. The same return stated
the military resources of native Princes at 398,918
men, making the gross ratio of Company's and native
Princes' troops to European troops 13 to 1. It like-
wise stated the European artillery at 7,436 men, the
Company's native artillery at 9,004 mete and native
Princes' artillery at 12,962 men ; making the Coat-
pauy's and native Princes' artillery together com-
pared to European artillery as three to one. The
European cavalry were stated at 4,133 men, the
Company's native cavalry, including contingents,
at 39,758 men, and the native Princes' cavalry at
G 9,303 men ; making the ratio of Company's and
native Princes' cavalry to European cavalry over
twenty-six to one. The average of four years
showed that the annual military charges fer the
325,840 men, not including buildings, amounted to
10,10G,680/. He assumed from the experience they
had had that henceforth the native troops in the In-
dian army should not be allowed to exceed those of
Europeans, but that they might be safely employed
in equal numbers--the Artillery, Ingineers, and
Sappers, however, being exclu-ively European.
He remarked that even under these Prrangeraents
the force, although secure, would mot be as effec-
tive for occupat-on purposes as the larger proportion
of natives would Intake it, in consequence of the
(fleets of climate on Europeans. With a proper
system of railway intercourse, the operations and
strength of the aatny would be greatly increased,
by enabling troops rapidly to penetrate every
district, so that the most distant points of the
country might be on the average only sixty miles
from the nearest railway. This would require
but six ordinary or three forced marches to
reach any point from the railway, or base of
all military operations in India—a base of
extraordinary strength from the rapidity with
which every part of it could be furnished with the
required amount of troops, provisions, and stores.
About 12 000 milts of railway, es before mentioned,
would suffice on that scale, 6,000 miles being main
lines, along which the army might be assumed to he
distribu I ed at equal intervals in brigades. The length
of those intervals would depend upon the aggre-,;a.e
strength of the army. The remaining 6,000 miles
would consist of second-class lines, branching from
the main lines of railway to provide communica ion
throughout the local districts. On comparing the
power of concentrating troops efficiently provided
with provisions and military stores upon the most de-
cisive point or points of India in the shortest time
and at the smallest cost, with and without railways,
he assumed that in either case the army of occupa-
tion should be posted in brig-tea of one European
regiment, one native regiment, one squadron of
European cavalry, one squadron of native cavalry,
and a European field battery of artillery of four
guns and two howitzers, at equal intervals along
the main lines of 6,000 miles. It would require 48
days without railways to concentrate by marching
a force of 53,000 men from an aggregate army of
325,840 men, which, composed as aove, would
cost annually 13,785,7601., whereas an equal force
could be concentrated by railway in seven days
from an aggregate army of only 100,000 men,
coating only 6,214,530/. per annum. Thus,
the 53,000 men could be brought to any
one given point by railway in about one-
seventh of the time, from an army under one-third
of the strength, and costing under one-half of the
amount, as compared with the assembly of a simi-
lar force at the same point from the larger army
without railways. To assemble by marching 53,000
men from an equally distributed army of only
100,000 men would occupy nearly six months,ien;
stead of seven days by railway. The advarauteeb_
of railway transport for troops in India v_
ing as regarded time in concentrating'
of mil i-
were as 21 to 1 ; as regarded the eeaosn
regarded the
tary establishments over 2 1 i
to
force of the army,
power of reducing the numeric
, et. Europeans, as
,„ eer (I,soc'rieyeld force
railways as regarded
and consequently the number
3to 1. The advantageesaus from fatal exposure to
rapid and successful issue
and the averting of those
the protection of E_urtboP
ed'ricetl-Ueed war and disturbance,
climate, as regard
of every war or coton
,tilicauthlrietiones.tatEiliqstitianalleyntstroikfingrariehis,ualytss
everyand a b otherove a departmentit
would
NCNO,elirtelDbgeyellonerac,
ll
atten—
WOUld
as regardetd
appearof
the
Governmen
the development of industry, trade, and c, m-
He we've.thought it was clear that
without
railways the army in India could wi
thout
railways safely
be reduced below its former numerical establish-
ment of about 325,000 men, andthat
of this gross
number one-half, or 162,000, must be Europeans,
the whole costinga
33 ' 8"8N/ . per annum; while