The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1879-10-23
SaItsce11
INDIA.
It's Value to England.

uCUb0 huu OObb w A0lAW nyb anu Cta
mails, vast sums of money have beef
sunk in tea, coffee, sugar, jue, indigt
and other kinds of agricultural enterpri
ses, to say nothing of mills, factories
warehouses;, local shipping, and steam
boat companies, house property of al
kinds, and great variety of other spec
ulstions, Does any one imagine that
the natives would reCoup us for this out
lay on condition OF our abandoning the
country and leaving them to follow out
their own devices? Would they even
pay a moderate interest beyond very
limited periodP How many years would
elapse before the entire area of the pres
ent Anglo Indian Empire would be con-
vulsed by wars and fierce disturbances
The means of transport and communica-
tion would be the first to suffer. I'm
provements in the production and prep
aration Of raw material would speedily
deteriorate, and things would revert to
their normal condition of century ago.
Internal trade would languish from the
absence of security for person and prop
erty, while foreign commerce must needs
be suspended frequently, in consequence
of the danger and difficulty of conveying
products to the seaCoast. There will be
no room for Europeans in the interior
Of the country, except for INSCRIPTIONS
adventurers ready to fool their patrons
to the top of their bent, and to excite
rather than restrain their evil passions.
When too late we should begin to real
iSe the value of that great dependency.
1t may be said that were England not
inCumbered with India, Malta might be
given to the Italians; Gibraltar restored
to Spain; Syria and Egypt handed over
France, and finally the Straits of Con.
stantinople resigned to Russia, while
housekeeping Englishmen sat by their
fresides and smoked the pipe of peace.
But, as a matter of fact, England thus
weakened would fall an easy prey to the
first invader. 1t was not with any ref.
erenCe to India that Gibraltar was taken
from Spain, and Malta from France, but
because it was an essential principle of
the grand old national policy, that the
British flag should float triumphantly
over every sea-. The command of the
Mediterranean was, besides, necessary
to enable England to strike at France
and Spain from more than one quarter,
and to prevent or counteract the junction
of their fleets. That necessity may for
the moment be dormant, but it is by no
means dead. Circumstances, however
undesirable, may easily arise to place
this country in antagonism with one or
more of the Mediterranean Powers. and
compel the destruction or capture of ev
cry war vessel in the hands of the sne.
my. Harbors, docks and arsenals in
that sea would be indispensable for the
vigorous prosecution of hostilities against
any one of the Continental States, with
the exception of Germany, 80 that India
cannot justly be debted with either the
moral or material responsibility for re.
tanning those important fortresses.
Whether or not the possession of In.
dia has been positive advantage to
Great Britain is another question alto.
gether, though comparatively few would
hesitate to answer it in the affirmative.
To begin with, as already remarked, we
had really no choice in the matter. Had
the French been permitted to establish
themselves in India, their fleets would
have swept the Indian and China seas,
and the trade of those two Empires vlr,
tually would have been mOnopolzed by
France. At a later period it was in de
fense of India that Nelson destroyed the
French feet in Aboukir Bay, that Sir
Sidney Smith repulsed Napoleon from
st. Jean d'ACre, that Abercrombie crush.
ed the French army in Egypt. Twice
in defence of India have we checked
the advance of Russian influence to.
wards Afghanistan, and kept at bay that
gigantic military despotism, which, un.
impeded, would ere this have reduced
the Indian population to a condition of
serfdom. For upwards of century the
energies of Englishmen have had ample
scope for exertion in CoDquerng and ad
ministering that mighty region, and in
carrying on an enormous trade which,
though temporarily depressed, has pour.
ed fabulous amount of wealth into this
country. Nor is it only riches that have
increased and multiplied India has
been a splendid Dursery for soldiers, and
has trained some of our most successful
Generals, from Wellington to Napier.
The civil service has, perhaps, been even
more beneficial in giving high moral tone
to our middle classes, and iG counteract.
ing the narrowing tendencies CT an in
sular position. The immense quantity
of shipping employed in the Indian and
China trade has furnished an unfaiing
supply of hardy, experienced mariners,
while society at large has been leavened
by the spirit of adventure incidental to
life passed in the midst of various and
constant peril, and by the ennobling
self.sacrifiCe 80 often displayed in the
modest discharge of Onerous duties. But
1t may be and has been said, all these
advantages might have been obtained in
still higher degree had the same ener.
gies been directed towards the COLOMBIA.
ton of North America, Australia, and
New Zealand. The assel ton is easily
made, but will not not bear a moments
serious reflection. When the battle of
Piassey was fought and won, the popula.
tlon OF the British Isles barely exceeded
1000 600. That any emigration at all
existed is the strongest testimony to the
bold, enterprising character of the Brit.
ish people, but it could not have been
expanded beyond the limits it actually
attained. Consequently there could
have been no trade to compensate the
absence of commercial relations with
China, for the native inhabitants
had neither money nor produce to offer
in exchange for our comforts and luxu.
ries. And without the great profits de-
rived from commerce with the East, sup