, 1878-06-08
Di>racli's Oriental Dream.


For the first time in history the native
salliery Of Hindostan appears IN the char;c-
ter Of an invading force on European soil
For more than 2oo0 years India has been
the objective point OF western INVASION and
conquest From the passage Of the Hindoo
Koosh by the Macedonian veterans OF Alex
ander to the final overthrow ct the Mogui
uawer by sir Arthur Wellesley and Lord
Lake, IL the early part of the present cen
turv. the history OF that wonderful PENN
sull has been one unbroken record OF snb]n.
CATION and slavery Alexanders name had
hardly faded out oi Indian legends, as syno-
nyln of terror. when the dreadful hordes oi
Gheuais Khan poured through the solItudes
of the Himalayas from the central Asian
stcpprs, inundating the Punjaub with blood
and rapine. and turning northwest INDIA
into a desert. While yet the name of the
terrible Saraccn MAS household WORD In
india. Tamerlanc followed III his footsteps
and wrought out the Tartar conquest. lam
cflanc was a statesman, while his predeces-
sor had been simply L brigand on a colossal
scale The conquest OF GheugIs had been
simply grand RAID in search If booty, and
is wave rcceded as rapidly as It came. Bat
TaucrlaHc laid the foundations of an empire;
an imperial structure which, though sadly
shaken and partially dismumbercd, from
time :" time 10y InsUrrectInn AGAINST the rule
ot his iml.cile descendants, or by invasions
from AilIhani stan and Persia, under Aadlr
Shah and other Central AslatIc chlettaIns III
the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, was
still the ruling Influence in the Indian PENN
s,Ila when the English traders landed at the
mouth of the Ganges early III the seven
t-,.uth century. There was little III the
laudir.s of these Wlite-Skinned barterers to
iu.ll..,r,. t. the millions Of India that they
were the advance guard Dt 4 conquest NOR.
majestic than the advance of Alexander;
Hno,iIcr than the raid of GheUgis, and more
Iran-hauicl than the SuhIugatIon 0t tGmnur.
The British conquest OF India WAS not Ike
ether cougucsts, the work oi a single chief
tain: but II has been the steady encroach-
Iucut ot a superior race, beginning NEST
humhly and ending iii fabric Of success,
tie completeness and grandeur Ot which far
supas,es anything III history. For about
- years the British conquest OF India WIS
. prosecuted UNDER curious system Of private
er.rsrpris, backed by public resources. The
East India Co., supported to a certain cX-
Irut tv the military and naval power of
India. raised armies, conducted wars. Subju-
gated province after province and finally, IN
iNIS. handed over to the British Crown an
empire containing about l,500, 0G0 square
nil,s pcopl,d 10y over 200 600 coo Of human
beings. ami yielding, under Il very moderate
system OF taxation, Il revenue grrrter than
that Of any other country on the globe eX-
cept Great Britain herself This vast en-
pr, IS locally ruled by less than 100000
Eu-ishmrn, Of whom about $1,000 are SOL
dIcsS, about 5000 are officers commanding
native troops. and the rest civil officers or
merchants. That IS to say, the ruling pop
ulatiun Of India Is IN the ratio Of about one
TO every 900 ruled. The troops now on
their way to Malta, possibly to take part in
= European struggle, belong to a regular
army OF natives, which is the most wonder
fUl Of the miraculous institutions that En-
dish tact and skill has fabricated ii India
This army has been IN eXlStance, IN one form
or another, under the British ilag, since
lSJ1. 1t numbers now about 81, 800 troops
of al arms, of which l52. coo are regularly
organized upon the same footing rs the Brit
i,h army subject to British military regnla-
tlous. AMI liable to service IN a.,y part OF the
rs irrcgulars and sustain much the same re-
la;ion 10 the regular British forces that the
Ea-hi Razouks sustain to the Turkish army.
The whole body. however, is regimentally
commanded bv British officers. armed with
British weapons, drilled and disciplined ac-
corl.nG t. European tactics, and marshalcd
EnHer the British Hag
Hitherto these forces have been frequently
employed III foreign service. but always in
ASIA or Africa. Under the leadership of
Eughshmcn the IImd"o troops have fought
and conquered the Burmese, the Chinese,
the Nbyssinars, the Ahghans and the Be-
loochceS: always fighting hravclv and ma
nwuVcring well 50 long as they had British
pluck 10 inspire and English intelligence TO
guide them. But they have never Vet tried
their taWny hands against the soldiers of
Europe. II may be that when they come to
face the deyourng fire oi Russian breech-
leaders. or the sturdy momentum OF a Rus
sian charge. their ASiatc instincts Will be
too powerful for the skill of their British
leaders to restrain, and they VIII weaken
Eut tins 10 = question to he decided by |
events The main point Of novelty Is the !
introduction, by civilized England, Of a !
mass of conquered harbarians us a make |
weight IN European rolitics, and As posi- |
bic auxiliary III 4 European contest for su-
Prcniacy. 1t Is the first practical demon
StratI"n OF Lord Bcaconsfeld's theoretical |
policy Of making India IN integral part OF |
the British empire instead OF a dependency. |
rs such ITS results viii be watched with /
great interest II an Anglo-Indian army |
sh"uid fight successful war on European |
soil It might give rise To a sentiment OF 10y |
atty on tne part Of the Indian people TO
their English Empress which would i'm
mciSUrAhly enhance the security of British |
dominion III Asia. or, on the other hand.
1t might lmhne the Indian soldiery with new
notions "t their own prowess and lead tn
another mUtlEy. In any event it is a daring
innovation. and whatever may he its fate,
the introduction of Hindoo auNiIiaries into
European warfare may lee set down as the
most romantic conception OF the most dra-
matte statesman whoever figured IN history.