Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1885-09-08
AN ENeLlsHMAN ON INDIA.
Social Condition-wheat Growing-Man'
es-ShipbuildinR.


Social Condition-wheat GrOwing-Manu'
faotures-Shipbullding
Admiral w. T. Buxton, of the Eng
lish navy, was seen by Tribune re
porter at the Victoria Hotel recently,
On being asked about India, where hi
has served for many years, he said:
India! What shall / tell you about
India? It. is prodigious country,
with a population of about two hun
dred and forty million, of which inn
mense number the Valley of the Gange:
alone supports ninety million. We
have about fifty thousand British troops
there, rather less than is required &c
maintain order in Paris. Then there
are about one hundred and eighty
thousand native troops, large part Of
whom, however, are used for police
duty"
"What is the character of the inhab-
itants?" ~
That is such general question that
it 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 MS
dark as the average Spaniard. | think
they are as faithful as can be expected
of any conquered people, but they arc
used to being conquered. From time
immemorial they, have been ruled by a
strong hand; in fact, that is the only
way they can be ruled. DO tn nix
that we will stay thereP Yes, unless
the Russians breed such discussions and
revolutions that we will have to go. II
is hard to say who or what viii succeed
us. The Russians will not; that is GER
tain. The most influential class in
India are the Parsees, who originally
came from Persia, and are the great
merchant princes of the large cities. "
"How is the climatep"
"Deteriorating to the last degree
An Englishman and his wife settling
there will have children, their children
in time will have children, but these
latter will either be childless or have al
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 die
consists of rice, vegetables and sal
fish. 1t is a crime for them to ca
meat. Their bullocks and cows thcj
use entirely for draft purposes, though
when they die of old age or disease
the natives will skin them and sell the
! hides .g. ~.
us the native population satisfied
with British ruler"
yes, think so, although the home
Government gives US too rnnch gov
eminent. 1t passes too many laws-tht
compulsory school attendance, for in
stance. Why, when little black boy
goes to school he thinks he is going t
the devil. We must go slow. If NJ
more laws respecting India were to b.
enacted for fifty years the country
would be better off,"
"Do.you think that the wheat compe
tition of India will affect this country
! scr,ouslyP" a.'."
II think not, unless some unforeseen
circumstance arises. During YOU
civil war great quantities Of cottoI
we're raised in India, but at the close o
the war that necessarily passed away
and with it the production of cottor
fell of to very large extent. Railroad
transportation in India is so extremely
dear that it forms a great drawback
to the expectation of wheat. There il
no reason, however, why manufacture
should not flourish. We hav,
or can produce the raw material il
abundance on the spot, and from tel
to twelve cents day we have the bes
help in the world. The hands of til,
Hindus are twice as supple and deli
cat4 as the hands of an American or o
an Englishman. Besides that we hav'
a home market. The product of som,
of the hand looms is SO fine and eXpen
siye that Europeans can not afford t.
use it, and it is consumed exclusively
by the native princes and country gen
tlemcn. You overlook the fact tina
there is u large class of the latter living
on vast estates, with whole village
tributary to them. men who have neye
seen an Englishman and who neve
want to, keeping up great studs o
splendid horses, living, in fact as ricl
men of leisure do the world over. Ii
my opinion, unless some extraordinar
disturbance arises, India will become
ser.ous competitor to England and t.
the United States in manufactures
India formerly had a great industry
little known. however, now, that die,
out with the advent of iron ships -tha
is, shipbuilding. Formerly some of tn
finest specimens of naval architecture
the world has ever seen were tnrne,
out of India. For a long time Oh
Government launched an eighty-gu
frgate every three years from tn
yards at Bombay. These ships wcr
built of teak, the best wood for tn
purpose in existence. 1t is so har
that have seen large bolt so iirml
imbedded in a piece of ship that ha
been in the water for forty years tina
it had to be blown out by gunpowdel
If there ever should be a revival 9
: wooden shipbuilding, Bombay, with il
millions of inhabitants, will be plac
Of very great Importance. IN
Tribune.
-