The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1885-08-22
AN ENGLISHMAN ON INDIA.
Social Condition--whrat-Gr throwing manu-
----.--------- -sffpbuttdt-g

Admiral w. T. Buxton, of the English
navy. way s,en by a Tribune reporter al
the Victoria Hotel recently, On being
askedSabolt India. where he has, served
many Years. he said:
India! What shall l tell You about
India? 1t is prodigious country. with
a Population Of about >24D, 900, 900, o.
which immense number the Valley OF
the Gauges alone supports 9O,OOO,OO
We have about $4,000 British troops
fthere, rather less than is required tC
maintain order in Paris. Thet there
are about $50, 900 native troops, Slarge
part Of swhomA however, are used fol
police duty"
what is the character of the inhab-
itantsp"
That is such general question that
1t Is difficult to answer. The popula-
ton is divided into numerous tribes and
religions. The people range from: coal
black in color to shade about'aS dark
as the average Spaniard. think they
are as faithful as can be expected of
any conquered people. but then they
are used to being conquered. From
time .imnemorahthey have been ruled
by strong hand; in fact, that is the
lonly way they can be ruled. DOT think
that we will stay there? Yes, unless
the Russians breed such discussions and
revolutions that we will have to 90. 1t
is hard to say who or what will succeed
| lis. The Russians will not; thatis GER
tain. The most influential. class in In
dia are the Parsees, who originally came
from Persia and are the great merchant
princes of the large cities"
"How is the climate?'
"Deteriorating to the last degree.
The English rarely breed after the
| third generation. That is to say, an
Enslishman and his wife settling there
will have children, their children in
time will have children, but these latter
will either be childless or have at the
most one, puny child. The Hindus
themselves have physically but little
endurance. which is not to be wondered
at when we consider that their diet con-
sists of rice, vegetables, and salt fish.
1t is a crime for them to oatmeal Their
bullocks and COWS they use entirely for
draft purposes. though when they die of
old age or disease the natives will skin
them and sell the hides
as the native population satisfied
with British rnle?' ...
eyes, | think so, although the home
Government gives us too much govern
ment. 1t passes too many laws-the
compulsory school attendance, for in
stance. Why, when little black boy
goes to school he thinks he is, going to
the devil. We must go slow Ii no
more laws respecting India were to be
ENACTED for fifty years the country would
be better off. ........,., .
"Do you think that the wheat compe-
tition of India will affect this country
seriouslyp" t."
II think not. unless some unforeseen
circumstance arises. During your Civil
War great quantities of cotton were
raised in India, but at the close of the
War that necessity passed away, and
with it the production of cotton fell off
to a very large extent. Railroad trans
portatiOn in India is SO extremely dear
that it forms great drawback to the
expectation of wheat There is no rea-
son, however. why manufactures should
not flourish. We have or can produce
the raw material in abundance on the
spot, and for from 10. to II cents day
we have the best help in the world The
hands of. the Hindus are twice as supple
and delicate as the hands of an .Ameri-
can Or of an Englishman. Besides that
we have a home market. The product
of some of the hand looms is so fine
and expensive that Europeans cannot
afford to use it, aud it is consumed ex-
clusively by the native Princes and
country gentlemen. You overlook the
fact that there is a large class of the
latter living on vast estates, with whole
villages tributary to them, men who
have never seen an ,Englishman and
who never want to, Keeping up great
studs of splendid horses, living, in fact,
rs rich men of leisure do the world over.
In my opinion, unless some extraordi-
nary disturbance arises, India will be-
come very serious competitor to En-
gland and to the United States in man.
ufactures. India formerly had "a great
industry. little known, however, now,
that died out with the advent of iron
ships-that is. shipbuilding. Formerly
some of tile finest specimens Of naval
architecture the world has ever seen
were turned out in India. For long
time our Government launched an
frigate every three years
from the yards at Bombay. These ships
were built of teak, the best wood for the
purpose in existence. 1t is so hard that
| have seen large bolt so firmly i'm
bedded in a piece of a ship that had
been in the water for forty years that it
had to be blown out by gunpowder. If
there ever should be a revival of wooden
Skipbuildfng. Bombay, with its million
Of inhabitants, will be a place Of very
great Importance. ~. Y TriJane.H