New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-01-17

THE MISTAKEN METHODS OF THE BRITISH
That the civil and military administrations
should go hand IN hand and that both shou'o
think first of India and the Indians. then OF far-
liamentary Authorizations and their own ooctri-
naire theories is perhaps the most signincah' iii
preston left by these essentially instructive me-
mo,rs Lord Roberts writes as military man.
and is constantly revealing his eagerhess W pe
in the field. Bu; he is a lynx-eyed critic of the
political and other crises he describes ana ne
cannot be read with an eye merely to his per-
soma, oxneriences and the anecdotic interest OF
b;s recoIlec,ons The personal experience Is
Of most value in giving weight to his opinions
His account of the Mutiny is less Of picturesque
narrative than a cool discussion Of Its causes
and effects The story Of the tragic outpurst
has heen told before. He retells ii In detall
chiefly in so far as the military operations IN
which he shared or of which he had co2niZance
are concerned For the rest. he speaks az one
who looked on at the occurrences OF 1894 WIN
n consciousness of all that they impieu' ana mas
since Wondered them profoundly Hence MS "'s'
volume has slightly the appearance OF all iiiuic'
rent against the British policy OF the hi'ies' "
policy which provided India with generals 'oo
old and often too i'll acquainted WIN 'he 0"d'"O
Ter of the country to successfully ui'cc' opei"
.ions and sent out civil administrators VINO were
TOO bureaucratic to see signs OF DANGER 'ha' """
hecun to declare themselves in the carrier uec-
AIDES Of the century. The charge OF Loro I'op
or,s AGAINST the Pamerston Ministry and that
NJ Lord Derby and Dsraeli, which succeeoeo IT,
would appear to be. when reduced to nutshell
that both continued the lamcntabiy acaue"hc
methods Of dealing with India that had previous
sessed initiative and had lulled into somnolence
d, vast number of Her Majestys officials Lord
Roberts contradicts the opinion expressed py OF
George Campbell and held by many others that
9Th. Nutiny was n sepoy revolt. not Hindu
rebellion" He admits that there was no gen.
,ral rising of the rural population. but he hoios
hat the grievances over which the sepoys brood
ed had excited sympathy among DOM Manoi"-
atans and Hindus outside the ranks OF the nauVe
army The generation Of 1891 had forgo''eh 'ne
woes suffered by their ancestors under 'he
Noghul and Mahratta dynasties. Orientai MEM
Dries are sometimes curiously short. The natlFe
soldiers got the idea that their religious P'eJu-
djces were being tempered with, ana once 'n's
fear communica ed itself to the civil popu'atoh
&, was easy for disconnected individuals 70 TO-
ment rebellion. The provinces imaglned ina. .ne
English proposed to impose their religious faith
"a
have been allayed by every means in the hands
OF the civil and military authorities Instead
the various heads of departments laughed at the
idea of rebellion took fearfully inadequate steps
N remove causes OF discomfort, and leaned with
famous confidence upon the supposed loyalty or
the native troops.
II will be remembered that one OF the things
complained Of most bitterly among the mutt
neers was that COWS fat and lard had been EN-
picyed In the manufacture OF the cartridges as
trbuted to the army. Lord Roberts onser'es'
The recent researches of Mr. Forrest IN the
records Of the Government of India prove that
the lubricating mixture used in preparing the
cartridges was actually composed Of the OBJ
isctionable ingredients cows fat and lard. and
that incredible disregard OF the soldiers re-
ligious prejudices displayed in the manu-
facture Of these cartridges. When the sepoys COM
planed that TO bite them would destroy ther
caste they were solemny assured by their off,
GERS that they had been creased Win perfectly
unobjectionable mixture" The native officers
gave their assurance in good faith They could
rot believe that the authorities would trhe with
the most sacred feelings of the troops. But low
caste native workmen making these car
tridges in the arsenal at Calcutta. and 1t was
easy for the troops stationed at that point TO
learn the truth Once in the hands OF the native
sodiery IL travelled fast and ii needed very
little tanning to send the embers of rebellion up
into a blaze Consider that this was but de-
tail IN the general conlagration. that the vari-
Gus reforms of the Englishindustrial social,
and fiscal-were introduced without proper cau-
ton, in fact with no substantial recognition OF
native habits and prejudices and II Will be seen
tina, the foreign rulers Of the country were living
beside volcano. Lord Dalhousie enforced
property laws which were absolutely just. but in
doing his duty he inevitably laid deep grounds of
offence among peoples whom it was absurd To
regard az capable OF adopting a Western point Of
view without many more years of contact with
Western ideas Indeed. 1t is doubtful If the
natives are ready yet to feel as the English feel.
Lord Roberts sounds note Of warning against
the insular methods that once more threaten to
unsettle the apparently contented inha bitants Of
India.
He reminds us that for meat-eating nation.
accustomed to alcoholic drinks. to treat the
opium question in India. where men are vege-
tariars and abstemious. a moral issue, may
be justified sentimental grounds, but prac-
tcally Is source OF danger nevertheless. He
protests against the insular!ty Of his country
men In their administration OF India. and de-
nounces the fadd!sts with vigor TO criticisms
OF this attitude he replies by pointing to the
great tragedy of 1857. II a saner Judgment had
been used then In the management of Indian af-
fairs the horrors OF Lucknow and Cawnpore and
Delhi might have been averted. Furthermore.
II the civil ofcials at home and in India had kept
their eyes wider open and had worked with suf-
fcient appreciation OF what the army needed.
another obstacle in the way OF peaceful progress
might have been removed. There an
founding discrepancy between the numbers Of the
native troops and those of the European army.
During the thirteen years preceding the
Mutiny. the native army. numbering 217.WO
men and 176 guns. was increased by 10000 men
and 40 guns but no addition was made TO the
small British force of $4,000 until 1853 when
one regiment added to each Presidency.
Ill I'LL.