The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1849-04-03

Annexation OF the Panjaub.
Iron the Bombay Timer, Nsvsmb-r Q. ts4s
long and able article appears in the F|itwd IF
India, in defence OF the policy of Lord IIardnge,
and in favor oil the ANNEXATION Of the Puujsub.E
With the former portion OF the speculation we con-
cur-wlth the latter we altogether disagree. Oar
former fellow combatant, the Hwkpw, has on this
occasion taken up the 1udgels In favor of annexa-
ton, and explains Of course quite lastly tnat the
present case is widely dlffe 'ent from those of con
quss involving ON our part the guilt of bad faith
or dishonesty; and that, so lar as it appears, we
may on the present occasion extend our domnons
to the banks OF the Indus without injustice We
have no objection to assume, for the sake of arpu
ment, the hypothesis of our cstemporary; we sc-
Anowis oge no Grounds OF advantage which can ex-
cuae dishonesty; had Scnde been ten times as
valuable as the land OF the PharOahs, or were the
Pupaub ten thousand times as profitable as Scinde
was ever represented to have been, the circum.
either ~
But It Is not on THE ground. but on the general
aversion to that extension Of territory which Is at
tended by dimlnui,on OF actual wealth and
advanced by three hundred miles, and pushed no
to the base OF the mountains. The only substau-
tIal reason We have seen urged for annexation is
that we are afraid OF the Sikhs we never knoI
when they may be down upon US; we cannot
"sleep o. nights" for fear they may cross and play
old gOoseberry on our frontiers: and we cannot en-.
duIe the thought OF doubling our sentrss along the
SueJ or Beeas, or permitting those to feel uncom-
Portable who are on duty there. There Is nothing
Sc ludicrous as to see John Bull pretending to be
alarmed the most audacious reckle less deviI.may.
care animal on earth can yer get up so much
gravity az TO- act this part OF the play at all and
were any other person TO ask him, as Prnce Hal
dld Falsfaf, :" say, Jack. vert not thou horribly
afeard = the answer might probably be conveyed
by numbering blow, in resentment OF an imoata-
tiOn so dlscreditable. The plea that we are afraid
ls, like that OF its being our destiny to extend orr
territories, only urged by those who have no sniff;
clent reason to adduce In defence of that which is
known IN reality to be indefsnsiAe. II the Indus
bounded the limits Of human habitation, and all
beyond were a waste bowling wilde ness, where
foot OF man had never or rarely BEEN there might
be some reason Tor selecting this preference to
glance at the map will show thar from Mlthpnk ote
TO Attock,. and so round to Jullundhur. we should
have nearly four times as much frontier to defend
as at present; and that, too, against people quite
themselves, and who are far better provided than
they witt point OF attack, or fastness to which
IN case OF reverse, they can retire.
One great principle Of the Hardlnge policy was
10 govern the Punjaub while under our charge, by
It's own people and after Its own customs and to
defend Its frontier by its own tr0ops--kno wing
that this could be done efectuay at mere fraction
OF the cost at which they could be performed by
us directIy. Have we any estimate to show that
II we annex the PunJaub it will not be source of
positive loss to us-ihat while il extends and
weaKens our frontier. 1t will not exhaust our ex.
chequer? 1t is true that it has been shown that
the Sikh troops In certain emergencies are not TO
be depended on, but the Slkhe form mere trac.
ton OF the population of the PuDjaub, and there
are abundance OF true believers quite we'll fitted
as they are tor the formation of an army IL must.
BESIDES, be mentioned that, though false to u.s. the
Slkhs have acted with equal courage and fidelity
against their country's enemies, and that we have
no reason Whatever to doubt their trustworthlness
In any case where aggression was threatened from
without, or disturbance arose from within IF NOT
amongst their own order.
The idea that extension Of territory IS synony-
VV0 vlyIfh ctpon et~.,t. l. e
multitude of population Is identical with national
greatness-is one OF the most generally enter
tanned, but one at the same time Of the most gross
and vulgar, of fallacles British India might have
as illustrious, had it been half or one fourth as
large as 1t Is. The most barbarous power ia Europe
has the largest area of terrltory-Spain and Portu-
gal were ruined by the acquisition Of America
Algeria Is the cankerworm of France--one
Of the greatest blessings which could have beiaen
England was the loss of the United States In In.
dla we have been go lhcessantlv occupied with
adding to our dominions that we have had no
leisure to attend to what we have got; and no one
can travel the country without the painful feeling
a1lsing that everything around on the decline
that the much .vauned blessings Of British GO
vernment have, In the main, been curse to India.
While they built cities and temples. dug tanks, cut
canals, and gave all the usual manifestations of
human activity and enterprise, We have done no.
thing. We have neither educated nor Christian
lied the people; and while engaged IN dreams of
conquest, we have no chance Of educating or
Outstanding them. Already have all public
works been directed to be stopped, in anticl patton
OF the expenses OF the approaching campaign; the
next thing OF which we may hear may probably
be the withdrawal OF the railway guaranty BY the
Court OF DlrectOrs-the funds OF the company
being unable to meet the charges In prospect Of
the new province
II circumstances should arse to compel us TO
ADVANCE our frontier to the Indus, we must meet
the necessity as We best can; we, for our part,
con see no evidence that we shall be required to
Iat n u NnuhI Ia a. ,l1
consider that as expedent and desirable which IS
so obviously calamity, we cannot comprehend
at all
LITTlR FROM GEN. NAPIER
10 THE EDITOR OF THE LONDON Times;
SIR:-l have Just seen an article In your paper,
containing some observations on a letter II SIR
John Hobhouse, published oy me. | think some
expressions OF min seem to make you suppose
that doubt the propriety ut our conqueriay the
Punjeub. Perhaps my expressions were not so
clear they ought to have been, for did not in
Ieno that any such inference should be drawn
Therefore, without entering at all into the
or accidents OF the war In the Punaub, will merely
state my view Of the general question 1t Is this:
The Sikhs are wurlike, armed, and hostile to
the British. This hostility was a matter of noto.
rlety under Runeet Singh, whose strong hand
alone restrained them from attacking us. When
be was gone they soon did 30. They invaded us
without pretext, and we defeated thu III on the Snt-
lei But this did not abate their hatred to the Bril-
nsh We made treaty with them, which they
broke, and they have again made war, displaying
abundant courage and military skill
Now, sir, a calm consideration of these facts
(with even less experience than we unfortunately
have to prove them) will cOsv ME every man Of
common sense that no permanent peace can be
made with the Sikh nation and its native govern
ment Isssume this to be TACT which no one of
calm judgment and plain sense will dispute There
fore, IT we abandon the Punjsub, and retire to the
lett bank OF the Sutlej, must there make our
stand to defend frontier u some 600 miles, from
Scinde to Simla, divided from the hostile and
powerful Sikh nation by river every where ford
able to these enemies, though not to our regular
armies Let military men say what army could
deiepd SO exposed and extended frontier against
such advenaries---alI plund-rers, all ripe tor in
roads, and not only ready tor border war, but
border war against the British alone our border
population CONSISTING OF SIkhs aso) being quite
as hostile TO us az are the S,khs on the Puolaub
aida of tho G,,.l.i .u..h