River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1885-06-04

An English Admiral Gives Some Inter
esting Information About the Wonder
full Country.

An English Admiral Gives Some Inter
esting Information About the Wonder
full Country.
Admiral W.T.. Buxton. of the Eng
lish Navy, was seen by reporter at
the Victoria Hotel, New York City.
few days ago. The Admiral,
who is one of the best known
officers who write X. n. after their
names, was asked the usual question,
How do you like this country?" and
pleasantly replied that he had been
here frequently, and in fact, he had
married the daughter of the late Henry
Grinnell, of this city. which alone must
show his regard for America and things
American. On being asked about
India, where he has served for many
years, he said 'India--what shall /
tell You about India? 1t is q prodig
ious country, with about 0,000, 900
theVally, of the Ganges lone supports
30, 10000 We have about $4,000
British troops there, rather less than is
required to maintain order in Paris.
Then there are about $4,000 native
troops, a large part of whom however,
are used for police duty"
''What is the character of the inhab-
itantsyp
THAT is such general question that
it is difficult to answer. The popula-
lion 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
immemorial they have been ruled by
strong hand; in fact, that is the only
way they can be ruled. Do | think that
we will stay there? Yes, unless the
Russians breed such dissensions and
revolutions that we will have to go. 1t
is hard to say who or what will succeed
us. The Russians will not, that is 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"
allow is the climate?"
"Deteriorating to the last degree
The English rarely breed after the
third generation. That is to say an
Englishman and his wife settling there
will have children, their children in
time will have children, but these lat
ter will either be childless or have at
most one puny child. The Hindoos
themselves have physically but little en-
durance, which is not to be wondered
at when we consider that their diet con-
sists of rice, vegetables and salt fish.
1t is crime for them to eat meat.
Their bullocks and COWS they use en-
tirely for draught purposes, though
when they die of old age or disease the
natives will skin them and sell their
hides.
as the native population satisfied
with British ruler"
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. If no
more laws respecting India were to be
enacted for fifty years the country
would be better off.
"Do you think that the wheat com
petition of India will affect this country
seriously?"
/ think not, unless some unforeseen
circumstances arise. 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 oft
to q very large extent. Railroad trans
portation in India is so extremely dear
that it forms a 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 ten to twelve cents a
day. We have the best help in the
world. The hands of the Hindoos are
twice as supple and delicate as the
hands of American or of an English
man Besides that we have home
market. The product of some OF the
hand looms in India is so fine and so
expensive that Europeans can not afford
to use it, and tbs consumed exclusively
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,
as rich men of leisure do the world
over. But before I discuss the matter /
want to tell you that in my opinion, I'M
less some extraordinary disturbance
arises, India will become very serious
competitor to England and to the Uni
ted States in manufactures. India for
merlv had great industry, little known
however, now, that died out with the
advent of iron ships, that is ship build
ing. Formerly some of the finest spec
linens of naval architecture the world
has ever seen were turned out in India.
For long time our Government
launched an eighty-gun frigate every
three years from the yards at Bombay
These ships we're built of teak, the best
wood for the purpose in existence. 1t
is so hard that have seen a large bolt
so firmly embodied in piece of 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 ship building, Bonn
bay, with its million of inhabitants, will