New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1856-05-12
The Prize of East Indian Empire.

Louis Napoleon has already prepared new work for
his Crimean heroes, to keep them away from Paris
aud mischief He is about TO march them across the
Egyptian battle groundsof his great uncle, with the
same purpose, that ofsoonquering Indian Empire
and auguring from the greater success of the nephew
in his war upon the Gar he will meet with no Acre
or Sydney Smith in his pathway to the East, which
he designs to followdown the Eastern coastof Africa
to Zanzibar and thence to the opposite shores of the
great island of Madagascar--an insular continent
stretching 1,040 miles in length, and averaging 400
in breadth, with population OF between three and
four million of souls; with rich soil, covered with
prolific and valuable vegetation; Astounding in nume-
rous herds of cattle, producing sugar and coffee
yielding abundant harvests OF rice and other grams
and calculated to be the basis OF larger commerce
than three Or four Cubas, Or oil the West Indian
Archipelago
This great island commands the Western verge of
the Indian ocean. Louis Napoleon has already
planted the French eagles upon New Caledonia, and
islands commanding the South Eastern limit. He
has, we know from high diplomatic sources, been
negotiating with Holland concerning New Guinea in
the South, and with Spain about Magindnao in the
North; and thus seeks to encircle Malaysia--an
Indian Empire-greater than the one that Alexander
conquered, that England now holds Or that the great
Napoleon ever thought of Or coveted-the one that
shall make the power fully capable of controlling and
developing it, the master Of the richest commerce of
the world, and consequently of the world itself.
England, with seeming contentment in her CONT
mental Aslatc possessions is coverty marking out
path for more extended insular Indian empire. She
the Red Sea and the Gulf of Persia; Strengthening
her posts at Maacca, Pinang, and Singapore, in the
Straits of Maacca, that great highway of Eastern
commerce; controlling the coal mines at Formosa
has her vessels of war at Lebuan in the Mndoro Sea
watching New Caledonia from New Britain and
then her settlements the shores of the Gulf Of Car
pentara; her influence in the heroic island of Bali,
and her sronghods the Mauritics and Cape of Good
Hope, make circle of positions and operations wholly
enclosing the coveted Indian empire of Napoleon,
vast Oceanica, and mighty as British maritime
| terprse.
| No other champion appears to dispute for this gor
geous prize The Russian retires to his Businesses to
heal his wounds and recruit his strength; the spirit
of maritime enterprise is dead in Spain and Portugal
and Holland, once merged in the French Empire, and
restored to her possessions and nationality by British
power, has held her position in the Eastern Seas
through the suferance of the Cabinets of ST. James
and the Tuilleries; and these two courteous allies
with their potential ornaments prepare to contend
for the Indian prize, without any fears of the rivalry
of third. .-'
Yet such a one may be found in quarter little
thought Of The four millions of Australians ripe
for independence and have recently been aroused to
think the more strongly OF it. by the establishment Of
French troops in New Caledonia-almost in sight of
their coast. They have sent circumstances to the
Imperial Parliament against the movement they have
notions of kind of Monroe doctrine with regard to
Australia and if the Home Government will not heed
then-or pleads that her hands are tied by treaties
concessions to ally-then they talk of cutting the
painter" adrt from the ship of State and then those
four millions of AngloSaxons will drive away FrencE-
men, Dutchmen-eyen their own British brethren
and establish themselves the great Empire of Oceanic
But fourth disputant may rise up in quarter still
less thought Of The master races Of the East Indian
Archipelago are lifted fora high degree Of civilization,
for great nationality, and to be the controllers of the
nexhaustibe treasures of their isles to be disposed in
free trade with the world. Hayinga common Ian
guage literature, laws and religion they are, how
ever, divided into many hundred petty sovereignties
an easy prey to any monopozing trader of Eu-
rope.
The higher races of Malays in the Archipelago
the Normans of the East, want rallying point
free and powerful flag nucleus for great free
entrepot-a common centre of unshaekled Archipela-
gian trade, where Eastern tropc wealth can be ex-
changed for the manufactures of Western hands and
where Western intelligence can direct and organize
Eastern Imagination where, in fact, American enter
prise, not tranmeed like the European, can lay the
foundation Of development of the mighty resources
of the East Indian Archipelago commencing with
the establishment of coal and naval depot, we
urged upon the attention of our merchants few days
ago and thus might Baltimore once the leading
American port in East Indian commerce, initiate
American Malaysian movement, that shall lead to the
winning of the paramount sovereignty of the much
coveted East Indian empire. baltimore Patriot.