The daily gazette., 1875-07-13
THE PRINCES OF INDIA.

tory of the British Empire in India, the
more amazing does its existence appear
| The three presidencles Of Bengal, Bonn
bay and Madras have now given place in
statistical records to ten immense "gov.
ernments," one Of which is nearly as pop.
ulous as the entire Empire of Russia
These governments-all subordinate to
the supreme control of the Vicefoy and
his Ministers-extend, including the feu.
datory States annexed TO them, over q
million and half of square miles, con-
tanning considerably more than two hun.
| dred million people, Of some fifty differ
ent races and various faiths.
A recent number of the Madras Mail
furnishes list of the native armies of
the more important states of India, Of
fering a remarkable proof of the strange
inperium IN iDlperio existing:
Taken collectively. the native chiefs
| OF India command ). .252 gums 800 trained
artillerymen. 64.l72 cavalry and "a, ,O6a
foot soldiers. In Bengal there are 1O9
guns, 1924 infantry and 404 horsemen,
who may any day come before us in the
shape of enemies. In the northwest
there are % guns, 1899 infantry and 500
troopers; in the central provinces, 2,115
infantry and l40 cavalry; in the Punjaub,
400 guns, $4,000 infantry and 5,925 caval-
| ry; in Rajpootana, 1908 guns. SO, ,O23 in
fantry and "a, ,287 cavalry; in Central IN
dia, 1893 guns 5,664 infantry and 1921
cavalry; in Madras 734 guns, 80, ,4O1 in
fantry and 8,262 cavalry; and in Bombay
the figures are 1,083; S2,770 and 1881. In
addition to these formidable forces about
1000 matchbox men and 1000 bowmen
could also be called out from the tribu-
; tary mehals of Cengal. Puttiala has 20
guns horsed and three strong forts; the
lru a nd in fa ,f,sv of Gba,I ko4l I,
highly efficient. The artillery of CASH
mere includes ten mortars, and two field
batteries are horsed, while besides sap
pers and miners, the infantry consists of
"a regiments and cavalry, of two guns,
and small arms being manufactured To-
cally; Oodeypoor has many strong forts,
! although only two regiments are armed
with muskets, Jeypore has 81 forts and
an inactive gun foundry; Ulwar has "a
forts; Beckaneer can turn out good brass
guns; the highly efficient army Of Gwa-
lior is backed by two magazines and a
powder manufnctory; Indors has a con-
siderable amount of all kinds of ordnance
stores and an arsenal, with steam ma
chinery, in which guns and Snider rifles
are made; the army of Bhopal is efficient
in all its branches: in Bundelcund, not
withstanding the ill-armed condition of
the troops, guns and small arms can be
turned out in any quantity; the formi-
dable Hyderabed force includes 24,115
Arab, Sikhs and Bohillas; the Baroda
regiments are highly efficient, and can
non are cast under native superinten-
dence."
In short, the native armies of India are
some 5000 strong, and are supplement
ted by $500 large guns.
When the Guikwar of Baroda came 10
grief lately for attemptin1to poison
Colonel Pnayre, the question was ask
ed why that princes troops behaved
80 quietly. The explanation given is
that they were under tn e command of
European officers, and all who enlisted
had to swear allegiance to the Queen.
Under these circumstances it Is scarce
ly matter for surprise to find the Spe-
cial Commissioner of the Viceroy able
to say, after he had reviewed them,
that it "gave him great pleasure to ac-
knowledge the loyal, soldier-like and
useful services rendered by the officers
and men of the Baroda state troops
since the government of the state came
under British administration, and
while under the orders of Colonel Sir
Lewis Pelly, who also placed on re-
cord his opion of the very loyal and
efficient services of the Baroda state
! troops"
These troops would in fact seem to
be only valuable as betweenGuikwar
and Guikwar, just as the retainers of
Montrose aud Argyll were in Scoot-
land in the last century to theirrespec-
tive chiefs, and only source Of dan
ger to the British should their chiefs
unite, as the Scotch did in '15 and 45.
But the British Government probably
considers such an event practically
impossible, owing to the careful es-
pionage of its Political Resident at
each native Court. These princes are
treated pretty much like so many
J spoilt children. They are allowed TO
play at reigning, and whilst carefully
watched, only interfered with when
very naughty, In the matter of pock-
et.moneylther is scarcely limit, and
they draw il the aggregate revenues
amounting to Els, 1000, 900, mauy of
them having incomes to spend five
times greater than the Nicerop's $780,
900 Year,
Mr.. Seward hit the mark when, in
accounting for the submission of SO
MANY millions TO the British rule, he
explained that they are perfectly
aware that their lot would be infinite
ly harder under their own extortion-
ate princes. This must have forcibly
come home to many of them during
the last two years. What would have
been the fate of the famishing, multi
tudes had they been compelled to de.
pend for food upon rajahs and guik-
warsY They would have Jared as the
subjects of the Shah and Sultan did
in like case. There would have been
no Lord Salisbury with the Treasury
at his back to telegraph that they must
be fed at any price, and to promptly
introduce bill authorizing the rising
of e1O, ,OOO, 900 for their relief. That
the native races of India have in time
past been hardly.dealt by some of their
European rulers is beyond doubt;but
equally true is it that under the cruel,
corrupt and dissolute princes OF their
own race their lot would have been
fifty times worse. Probably they
were never so we'll off as to day, when
IL H. 80