On this page

• Text (3)

  Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

  • 

    v ¦ , . - ¦ - . ¦ jjaJ^_ ATOusT 28, igSg...

  • 

    NEW TOWNS AIS T D {SETTLEMENTS IN INDIA....

  • 

    CASHMERE AND NEPAtTL. It was a matter of...

• Transcript

  • Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

    Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.

    .Notes Ojst Indian Peogress. The Red Sea...

    Gas is to be introduced into the Government offices at ¦ Calcutta . The progress of this improvement has been much interfered with by the enormous charges made for gas-fitting , which . * has been constituted a monopoly . Government House alone cost 100 / . The dividend of the Bank of Bengal for the last bnlf year is at the rate of 12 | per cent , per annum . The Bank of Bengal ha > s issued new notea , of d ifferent colours , which it is considered impossible to copy in India . A large copper mint ia ia . preparation at Calcutta ,, as large as the present one . The machinery is being provided in England by Mr . Harvey , the Mint engineer . We hope the new mint will coin " pieces founded on a decimalised rupee , assimilated to the florin , so that we may in time have a uniform decimal currencv in England and India .

    The Indian Government has taken a step further in the direction of Municipal Government , by passing in the Legislative Council an Act for an improved municipality in Bombay . There are to be three Commissioners -i-one to be appointed by the Government , and two to be elected by the Justices for Bombay . Each Commissioner is to be paid lOOOf . a year if he devotes his whole fime . A Mayor , Alderman , and Town Council , elected by the Justices or by the English citizens in Bombay , would be a much , more rational measure . It is , however , . something to get in here and there the thin edge of the municipal election -wedge .

    The Gwalior Rajah , on his restoration , lias determined to carry out for public administration what many zemindars and . other . natives have done in their private trans-- aeiiuns , and more would do , if the men were at hand ; namely , to dismiss his natives in offices of trust , and to employ English . ^ There is a sad want of European medical assistance in Bengal at present , and the Governor-General has approved a proposal of the DirectoT-GeneTul for employing more- / natives , and inferior hanchv ' . for-a " period of two . year * , to meet the present exigencies of the English regiments . Nineteen additional deputy-collectors and nineteen -deputy-magistrates are to be appointed for Bengal and Beharv This is a step in the . right . . . direction , but many more English magistrates are Wanted .

    Dr . Smith lias received the sanction of tlie Supreme -Government to the establishment of a medical college at Lahore . A new masonic lodge is about to be opened at Dacca . The Government Central Museum at Bombay ,. ' which was last year temporarily lodged in the town barracks , . and then temporarily dislodged to make way for rcops and seriously damaged by needless exposure to the rain , is being rearranged in the Town-hall and Council-room , by Dr . ¦¦ . Uird . vo . od , the new curator . The proper place for a contra ! . museum is not in Bombay , but in the healthier up-regions near Poonah . Two female institutions have been established at Behala , a village in Bengal . The daughters of most of the orthodox Brahmins attend .

    The . enlightened Kajah of Bhownuggur , among other act ? , lias established female schools throughout his dominions , and sent his own daughter to that of Bhownuggur . The surplus of the Colvin Memorial l ' mid after providing a portrait for tile Court-hguse of' the Stickler Dewanee Adiiwlut , at Calcutta , is to be applied to the fonndation of scholarships in the University of Calcutta . The Azimghur mission school having been ruined by the rebels , requires rebuilding . The Gortickmiporc mission school is reopened . The deputy inspectors in Jampoor and Azimghur are bus } ' re-establishing the village schools . The Tehaileh schools are partially restored in the Allahabad , Futtchpore , and Cawnporc districts .

    'J he santtorianre in operation for the season . Lord Harris has loft Madras for the . Xcil ^ hcrried , and the Governor of Bombay for the Hills . Tho Bengal authorities are nut so fortunate , and Simla ) , Lamknir , ami Parjecling , will materially suffer from the absence of the usual Government functionaries , who arc elsewhere engnged . Tlie news from Central Asia reports a battle between tho forces of China and Kokand , in which the latter were defeated . At Lch Uusti Ilnm , the Tlmnndnr , unfavourable to tho English , has been Itolding conferences with messengers from the Thibetan Court of Lluissn . Billah Shall , however , a man opposed to liusti Kain , h ; is been appointed tax-renter at Lcl ) , and sonic good is expected from his rivalry .

    V ¦ , . - ¦ - . ¦ Jjaj^_ Atoust 28, Igsg...

    v ¦ , . - ¦ - . ¦ jjaJ ^_ ATOusT 28 , igSgj ^ j ^^ J H E ¦ IEAPEB , 87 p

    New Towns Ais T D {Settlements In India....

    NEW TOWNS AIS D { SETTLEMENTS IN INDIA . Tixii impulse which has been givon toKngliah settlement > u India liy the lato agitation at home nnd tho |> n > o , euilings of Mr . Ewarl ' s Committee , is now showing itself in every direction . Plans arc bi-ing formed , and towns are springing up or being t'xtcndoil will * tho mmiuvigour as in Canada or Australia , because those who a lew years ago considered it almost liopelesa to ruly upon Knglitth enterprise nru now encouraged in their attempts by the action of tho Government ami tho favourable stato of public feeling . Tho general improvement of tho country , and the extension of railways , lead to the establishment of now towns and village ** of tho native type , but lucre

    is likewise an observable increase of stations more immediately the result o English enterprise and under its influence . . . Among those new towns , that of Malhevan , or the Malheran-hill , is to some degree remarkable . It has sprung up so suddenly that it is even useless to look for it in " Thornton , " that repertory of Indian political geography . It was founded but a few years ago , and owes its rise to tlie benefit of railway access , being within three hours of Bombay by the Great Indian Peninsular Railway . ' It is situated midway between Bombay and the Sybadree Mountains , or "Western Ghauts , having an equable , temperate , and dry climate , within the limits of the sea breeze , being twenty miles from the sea .

    Open air exercise is possible at all times of the day , and the nights are cool . The spot having been selected for settlement , the Bombay Government have had to increase the establishment , and Major Parkinson was lately superintendent of Malheran , and now Lieutenant Parker . Under these officers the land has been allotted for building sites , and as its character and climate became generally known , applications for lots were more numerous . Slowly , but constant ^' , the superintendent reports , the number of permanent buildings increased , visitors arrived , and large bodies of workmen were employed , a post-office was opened , a market established , and native dealers nocked in . The

    Government sanctioned a bridle road from Narell to the top of the hill , a system of carriage for visitors and baggage up and down hill was established , and . a fund for the construction of roads was raised among the residents , by means of which the superintendents have been able to form roads , which are nineteen miles , between all parts of the station . In 1857 , to increase the supply of water for the growing population the Government authorised the formation of three masonry dams for impounding the rainfall into a large ravine near the bazaar . It is considered this will supply ample water storage for many years to come . The springs near the residences have likewise been improved . A . body of police is provided .

    The number of sites taken to the last date was seventy-six , the average number of residents last paper was seventy-five , ' . , and there have been large numbers of occasional visitors . It is now proposed to build a church by subscription , which lias been liberally responded to by residents and siteholders . Large sums have been sunk in the erection of houses .. The position of the electric telegraph and of a daily letter delivery enables business to be readily conducted in Bombay by merchants and others residing in Malheran , while trains run , morning and evening , between the foot of the Ghaut ' and Bombay . Malheran has proved a great resource for Bombay people , who have been deterred by tinie and expense from visi ting Maliablesbwur , so that numbers of ladies and children have been permanent residents during the whole dry season . Had there been more house accommodation the number of officers on sick leave would have

    been ' greater . Asitis , many lived m tents this year . The yearly rent at Malheran is . l ' Os . per acre , and no more than five acres are allowed to be taken on one site . The number of bouses built for Europeans is twenty-six , and the foundations of three more are laid . The yearly revenue from land lots is now 130 / . . Of the new sepbrt town at the Mutlah , as an outpost of Calcutta , we gave some account in our last . Dominyhur , three miles from Goruckpore , 1 G 9 E . by S . from Lueknow , and 528 miles from Calcutta , near the 'Kaptce river , is being used as a station , bath , and sanatorium in tho North-West Provinces ; but its progress has been impeded by the late grievances . At Kjilu' KJinn ,. near Nynee Tal , large European barracks arc now beinij built . At Kenpaketul , near Nynoe Tal , iron smelting under English smelters is now in progress .

    At Jillnpeehccr , near Darjcoling , new cantonments for Europeans arc likewise established . In the neigbourhood of Parjeeling tho . villages are growing . Far away among the lUioutan mountains , some distance from UYzprtre , Mungli'dge , in Oie ' . Durrung district of the Assam ' Government , is rising . Here arc a detachment of military , a post-office , and a lac-dye manufactory ; and with the increase of English in Assam , this place will increase and our hold on Bhootan become stronger . On tho west we have a post at Dnrjeeling , which exercises some intlueiicc on tlint part of Bhootan .

    ' Among the sites which are . pointed out for occupation as sanatoria , or English settlements , are the Puchimirrcc Hills , in our now province of Nagpore . They arc about forty miles north-west of Chiniiwiur . ib , are very high , and suitable for a suntiturium , haying » climate almost European . 'LDvon in the lower ilia ' trict . s the thermometer comc-i down to : ( 0 deg ., when ice is obtainable " . There is abundance ) of coal , teak timber , ftiul land suitable for settlement . The population is the Goad tribe . A sanatorium for ( ho stations of , Stirnt , 1 ) roach ,

    ftnroila , Kaira , and Almujulabad is proposed to bo established on tlio hill of ' Tounghur , or Pawaugurh , near Clianipaneer , the . , ancient capil . tl of Gu / . ertit . It rises suddenly from the plain to the height- ot' ^ -WO feet , being 2 K 0 U feet above tho lovul of the sen . It is occupied by a hill-fort , and is about twciity-oiyht miles from llnroda . Tho correspondent of tho Jiombaj / Times , who proposes rounghur , says hero ia a npot suitable for a sanatorium . close to ono of the unhualthicHt atuttona in India , and nothing is done to muko ii ) avuilablo . Tho hill is solid

    rock , though covered with a thin soil , evergreen grass and shrubs , but on the sides of the monntain there is timber , and in the forest below , abundance . Water is to be had on trie top of the hill . The sooner this suggestion is looked into by the Bombay Government the better . Evidence should likewise be prepared -with regard to it for Mr . Ewart ' s committee next session .. The Bombay Government have last year established a newsanatorium in Scinde . ; and , indeed , sanatoria form part of the system of their army . Campbellpore , so named after the Commander-in-Chief , is one of the last-born stations in India . It is a military station , fourteen miles from Fort Attock , having the viver Heroo within two miles . Its nearest sanatoria are Rawul , Pindee , and Murree , within t-vvo days' reach . At Sattara , a European community is springing up on a small scale .

    Cashmere And Nepattl. It Was A Matter Of...

    CASHMERE AND NEPAtTL . It was a matter of great rejoicing with some parties that during the rebellion Gholab Sing , our nominee in Cashmere , and Jung Bahadoor , the -virtual King of Nepaul , were loud in their professions of zeal Since then , public opinion has cooled , and we begin better to appreciate the untrustworthy state of our relations with those territories . The cession of Cashmere to Gholab Singh in 1846 was one of those errors which have resulted from the want of a far-sighted policy in-India , and whifch might have been productive of great inconveniencej were it not that Indian princes and Indian chiefs of themselves gave rise to changes of policy and of dominion . It is to be said in excuse that at the time when the arrangement was made , the settlement of India by the English race was only contemplated as a possibility , and nourished as a wish , by some few of the great statesmen of India and England , without being recognised as a principle steadily to be kept in , view , and the application of which was to be jealously provided for . To assign to Gholab Sing that very territory in India which is , with Kangra , Darjeeling , and Puchmurree , among the districts which are " peculiarly suited to English settlement , " was a dangerous step , and miglit have led to its . perpetual ' . alienation . The ambiguous services of Gholab Sing could have been equally well compensated by the apportionment of some other territory giving an equivalent revenue , and this is an arrangement to be closely kept in view . Cashmere was no more to him than any other territory whic ' . i would give him a revenue , but ifc is of Kreat value to us . :

    Cashmere is a country rather less than Yorkshire or "Walesi laving an area of about 4500 square miles , including 2000 squax-e miles of plain . . This country is remarkable for a mild climate and a fertile soil , and , like many of the upper- regions of In & ia ^ has beautiful scenery . Ifc is well watered by the * jhelurn . The climate , in its influence on vegetation , is by Jacquemont compared to that of Lombardy , for he is spealung of the plains where rich produce of many kinds can be raised ; in the hills even cooler climates are to be enjoyed . Of this country the population is estimated not to exceed 200 , 000 , while if it were settled by the English it would support a population of a million . The grinding despotism of Gholab Sing and his successor Rumbeer Sing

    gave the native tribes but small chance of advancement . Gholab Sing had the wisdom to profess a desire to maintain his allegiance , for he knew the strong hand of LawTcnce , and he placed liis contingent under order . Rumbeer Sing , his successor , has been fain to follow the same course , but grudingly , and there is little doubt , aa the MofussilUe observes , that he has been looking down on tlie plains of the Doab as an arena where he may play a nov <; l game to the wonder of the wliole of India , lie lias from time to time given us an inkling of - his disposition , and has attempted to piny tlie dubious game

    of protecting tho Fooi-beas and other rcvolters who have escaped into that part of our territories under his administration . As our contemporary says , thanks to Providence , he has hud to meet Sir John Lawrence for an antagonist , ' and the end of his strutting and fretting is abject submission , for , according to late advices , he has consented to surrender all the Poorbeas . Had ho held out a little longer lie might have given us some trouble , but this tlmnkles . s dependent would have been brought to obedience by force . It is represented that a most disagreeable stale , of feeling prevailed for some time as to the relations of our authorities with this district , and

    that mucli ( rouble lias been given to Sir John Lawrence at ii period when he had many claims onliia attention . Tho sooner an nrmngcjrnent is made about Cashmere the butter , so Hint it may be occupied by English settlers . It will , with our districts of Lnhoul and Koto Kangra adjoining , afford scope for tho growth of a now branch of our natiuu in those healthy regions , so as to bo able to command tho vast provinces of ( ho Punjab , and to guard our frontiers on th . it side where wo have our most powerful enemy to encounter , liiiinbcor Sing should linvo an equivalent of revenue granted to him from another district . This may bo tlie better mcasuro fur him , for if it lie postponed for a few years , tho course of his conduct in .- * ii <; h that annexation will be tho certain punishment of his misdeeds . By a . lato arriingomant Rumbeer Sing has relaxed some of the obnoxious regulations by which our traders

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Aug. 28, 1858, page 879, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/ldr_28081858/page/23/