The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-03-24

OuAo.
L ord Dalhousie, the Governor General of
I dia, has decided to annex the Kingdom of
Jude to the dominions OF the British East In.
dia Company. The decision, it seems, IL his
own; the Court in London left him master of
the situation; he might annex or he might &C.
questrate, as he thought best; and he has re-
solved to adopt the former plan. Had he Sc
questrated the province, like Mysore, its entire
revenues would have been expended within its
borders; it would have contributed nothing to
the general exchequer Of the company; it
would in fact have stood alone-an island in
the ocean of the companys territory; and Lord
Dalhousie, like provident man, preferred
saving to throwing away the lots OF rupees
which it may be made to yield. He has, there
lore, ordered the company's troops to be con-
centrated on Cownpore, from whence they
have by this time moved already on Lucknow
and Dude, and formally taken possession Of
the kingdom. To the dethroned King, the
company gives residence and pension Of
5000, 900 a year; for the rest, they alone are
respon sible.
iAC AuOtANC Vi tAC VI oeAOA ID NV OoASOolC0s
There is no pretence that the annexation Of
Dude is desired by its inhabitants, justified by
political necessity, or instigated by ven
geaDce One hundred years ago Dude was a
province Of the decaying Mogul empire. The
Nawab incurred the displeasure Of the British
by harboriDg the fugitive Nawab of Bengal;
Lord Give visited him with the East India
Company's vengeance, and laid tribute on
his dominions. In l777 he began to pay ST.
500, 600; in 1867. the tribute was raised to ST.,
100000 per annum. Meanwhile quarrels arose.
The Company demanded that the Nawab should
disband his army; they received complaints
made against him by his subjects, and worried
him till, in 1900, he surrended his only protec
tion-his army--and became virtually Bri-
tish pensionary. For ffty-five years he and
his successors have been allowed to lead this
strangely degrading life and now the farce
is to be ended. The Nawab, who, in his dis.
grace and degradation, comforted himself with
the title of King, is to be pensioned, as we said;
his dominions are to be erected iato Pro-
vince, with General Outram for Chief Commits
sioner, and host Of young men from the civil
Offices Of the Company at Calcutta as govern
ment.
Such is the last act of British power in
India. A province larger and far more fer
tile than Nicaragua, with q hardy, robust
population OF over three Millions is transferred
to the British empire by stroke OF the pen
and the transfer will probably be carried into
effect without the burning Of cartridge. Dude
is so rich that the government officials at Cal
Guilty from 100000 to S10,000,000 surplus
revenue in three years. 1t is admirably wa
tered by tributaries of the Ganges; the soil is
excellent; and it is near enough the Thibetan
range to enjoy far more wholesome climate
than the Southern prov inces of the empire.
The motive for the annexation of this valua.
BILE province, we repeat is markedly avowed; it
will yield two hundred laos Of rupees per au-
num- A secondary motive may be found in
the position of the Indian government. Lord
Dalhousie's term Of service is ended. Lord
Canning has already gone out to replace him.
Every British Governor in India since the be-
ginning of the present century, has added
province or two to the empire; there have been
nineteen distinct annexations since 1900. Lord
Dalhousie was unwilling to fall behind his pre-
decessors- He saw Dude ripeniDg for the Com
pany's sickle should he leave to his successor
the pleasing task of gathering it in? Like Mr..
Tyler in the like dilemma, he vowed he would
annex it, if the act were contaminated in the
last minutes Of his last official day; and it may
happen that the final fiat may 60 forth as the
vessel bearing Lord Canning steams up to ,..s
mouth Of the Ganges.
Whether the three millions Of human beings
who inhabit Dude will be better or worse off
under British rule than they were under that Of
their native tyrant, it is clear that there is no
justification in point of principle tor the act
by which they have been despoiled of their
nationality. 1t is a robbery; robbery as
glaring, as shameful as that of the man who
picks his neighbors pocket, or breaks open his
cafe. Were such an act committed on this con-
tinent and by the United States, all Europe
would re-echo with outcries at the enormity of
the outrage; and the virtuous journals which
express the British mind would call down ven
geance on the lawless rapacity OF the Ameri-
can people. The people of Dude would be
represented as injured angels, poor, innocent
lambs fallen unhappily under the fangs of the
Yankee wolf; and appeals would be made to
the honor and the manhood of tAs men Of
Europe to stand up in their dstnce. TIE
parallel case of Turkey would probably be in
voked; and it would be said that God aud
their sense of honor called upon Europeans to
step forth and put an end to the aggrandiziag
policy of the American republic.
Dude being, happily, in Asia, and not in
America, and the conquerers being the British
East India Company, aud not the Anne can
people, there will be very little said aoout
lawless rapacity, or robbery, or honor, or any
thing of the kind. The province will qnietly
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