Daily Los Angeles herald., 1878-07-17
sspoys in Europe.-A Cosfe.sion OF
weakness

Depoys IN Europe.-A Cosfession Of
Wsakaess.
There have been two notable
things In the diplomatic world
lately. The first is the remark of
Bismarck that the Berlin Congress
would never have been held except
for the dispatch by England of Sc
poy troops to Malta, with view
to their participation in tho Russo
English hostillties should war
again break out. The second was
the motion Of Schouvaloff in the
Congress itself suggesting an in
ternational inquiry as to the policy
and right of European nations sup
plying the numerous Asiatic races
with arms of precision. Many
persons are inclined to look upon
the dispatch Of East Indian troops
by Great Britain to the Mediter-
rAnean as one of those coups de
theatre which make his one
mics doubt whether to look
upon BeacOnsfield as o brilliant
Statesman or . snowy politi-
cal charlatan. The action, how
ever, invests the people Of India
with an Importance and prestige
which may ferment ambitious
projects in that heavily populated
region, q thing which, in time,
may react disastrously against
long continued English supremacy.
While Europe may justly protest
against the irruption OF Asiatic
hurdles into her borders. arm Ell with
repeating rifles. and reinforced ty
psrks of artillery constructed on the
mo t approved models and handled
In the most approved manner, the
people Of India may, in time, come
to think that u nation which needs
The aid Of Sepoy soldiers must, at
bottom, have some elements of
weakness of which they have not
hitherto dreamed.
However, Sir Garnet Wolseley,
general of reputation and dis
elimination, takes wholly san
guine and admiring view OF this act
Of the Beaconsiield cabinet. He is
q gentleman whose views are not
only recommended by Intellectual
vigor but by the experience Of
trained and successful soldier. He
has recently elaborated paper
which has appeared In both the In
terndtionaL AMI the North Ameri-
can Review. and for which 1t was
originally written we are thus left
In ignorance. Possibly both of
these periodicals. have merely
copied it, but that, of course, is
immateriaI.
Sir Garnet Wslssley dwells on
the revolution produced in public
opinion at home and on the conti-
nent by the measure that, he
claims, doubled at one blow the
military force of the United King
dom. Heretofore Elrope hal re-
garded India as source OF weak
ness. not OF strength, and it was
firmly believed at st. Petersburg
up to q few weeks ago that the
number of white regim ents in Hin
dostan would have to be augment
ell to avert IA mutiny in the event
of wsr with Ru ussia. Lord Beacons-
field himself had said in the days
when he was Mr.. Disraeli, that his
country was rather an Asiatic than
. European power, and the ambig.
uous words were supposed to mean
that England woull Lave her
hands full with maintaining her
possessions in the East. In view
of late events the we'll known
phrase seems to bear very differ
ent construction. 1t turns out, Sir
Garnet holds, that British India is
mighty, not only for defence, but
for aggression; that rs regards the
of three endowments,
namely, vast population, a man
full warrior class, and an effective
organization, it is not only the
greatest power in Asia, but one of
the foremost In the world. The fact
which has lain at the root of Rus
sian military prestige is the wide
recruiting ground open to the
Cars armies. But what are the
sixty or seventy millions who obey
the house Of Romanoff beside the
two hundred millions who, 1t now
seems, may be trusted to swell the
forces of the Empress of India?
1t Is Interesting to hear some pre-.
else statements from an authority
Of unquestioned competence touch
Ing the fighting qualities of the ma.
tive soldlery. Striking differences
would, OF course, be looked for in
large and composite population,
and, according to Sir Garnet
Wolseley, the Madras contingent,
although well disciplined, Is. of the
three armies into which the Sspoys
are distributed, the least conspicu-
Gus for valor aud endurance. On
the other hand, the Bengal army,
largely recruited among the hill
tribes Of ths Northwest, contains
unof &ri IL ornaI I'm hfa iu,lrp,anf 10