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    INDIAN NOTES . The first news for India is a ministerial crisisthe necessary attribute of a free country—Which has excited hopes , fears , and discussions in Europe , and will undoubtedly do so in India . The consequence of the crisis is a change in the presidency of the India Board , unless Lord Stanley -would consent to waive the traditional obligations of party , and serve under the new ministry .. . The

    offer may perhaps be made to him , but ' . there is this little difficulty in the way , that whatever offer any Premier may make no Secretary of the Treasury will consent or afford to give up the patronage appertaining to the office , and which , whoever may be the President , his hungry claimants want the disposal of . We very much question , therefore , ¦ whether those who entertain any such hope have the remotest pi-ospect of its fulfilment .

    . The inconvenience of such a change at this moment is very great , for the government of India is in process of transition , and there is now an end to a settled policy for a long -while . The new President will most likely take up the threads of the current arrangements , but disorganisation and hesitation will infallibly do their work . The news of an impending ministerial crisis reaching India paralyses many a plan of reform and many a public work . It is thought Lord Stanley may favourably receive it , but what will be the sentiments of to

    Lord A . or . Mr . B . ? Lord A . has an objection planters , to missionaries , to municipalities , to education , to everything in the way of improvement ; and Mr . B . has strong notions on other points ; so that the worthy projector , however high in rank , may find himself snubbed . Then there is the ivhole stock of intrigues founded on the prospect of Lords A . ; B ., _ C . and D .,- and Messrs . E ., F . and Gr . getting into power ; applications forwarded to Europe for staff appointments and snug berths ; and all the contingencies of personal changes . inconveniencies have been most bitterl

    These y felt in the colonies , and they will now be felt in India , although there are strong bulwai-ks of the bureaucracy in India and of the like body at home . The' inconvenience is grave , but we cannot say we regret , seeing what has taken place in the colonies , where one course of remedy has been to strengthen the local governments , so that now a ministerial crisis here produces small effect , but it must be long ere India can obtain anything in the shape of representative government , and it must accordingly feel the more strongly the personal effects of ministerial changes . When we come to look a little more carefully at

    the matter the evil is not so monstrous as at first sight it seems ; for India , if not under party government , has been always under personal and individual influences . Whence those great Indian families , who rule India more effectually than the dynasties of Timour or Sevagee ?—whence the . monopoly of medical appointments by Edinburgh , Glasgow , and Aberdeen MJD . ' s ?—whence so many northern names in the muster rolla P Quietly India had become the domain of an oligarchy , and very quietly these matters were managed ; for the hierarchy was fast attaining the harmony of a happy family , but now there will be those periodical changes , much more important than the periodical appointment of a Goveimor-General _ or Commander-m-Chief , and the whole of Indian affairs will be sifted by the contending factions . In minor matters , and some largo ones , great incon venience will be felt , but on the whole ^ , India will gain , as itjias already gained , by obtaining a greater share of the attention of the English public . There is some little comfort that , during these times of difficulty , the submarine telegraph has been successfully laid from Suez to Aden , communicating with Alexandria . We regret to say that the line connecting with Constantinople has , for the time , failed , in oonsoquence of a breakage . It will be remembered that this part of the undertaking has further suffered from the misconduot of the Government in entering into a convention to place the communication with India in the hands of the Austrian Government , and now their route by way of Trieste is stopped . The ministerial crisis mayproduco another inconvenionco in delaying Mr , Ewart ' s Committee on Colonisation , the sittings of which are proposed to be resumed , and the continuance of the reports of -which is a matter of great moment to the progress of India . It is only under the stimulus of these

    investigations that the prosecution of systematic colonisation can be effected , for although something has been done in the disposal of the waste lands of Oude , the colonisation of the hills is practically languishing . Except a branch surveved to the Neilgherries , nothing is being done for railway communication -with the hills , so that the cantonments there are virtually useless , and troops cannot be stationed there , nor can settlers conveniently get to them . Some few new sites have been discovered by casual survey , and some new sanitaria allowed to be opened on a small scale , but literally and truly the matter is left to private enterprise , and to enterprise so very private , that the progress is small , and the thanks due to the Government of the smallest . Some of the members of the Government are still indisposed to colonisation , and quite disposed to represent that its supporters want to send Dorsetshire labourers and their wives and families to earn eight shillings a month in India . The Iudian officials are not yet awakened to tlie importance of the subject , or they purposely throw difficulties in the way because all those who advocate a native army and hold appointments in it , see with the greatest dissatisfaction the course of measures which must result in . abolishing the native armies , and placing India under the safeguard of English soldiers , militia and volunteers , with only native unarmed police , undeiV English superintendence in the plains , and controlled by the English civil population of the cities / The creed of the old Indian is a' native army ; and the perfection of the native army " is an irregular corps with a lieutenant officiating as colonel , and drawing a colonel's pay and allowances , and two subalterns to assist him , on double pa } r . This is the real beauty of an irregular cavalry corps , in the eyes of its advocates , and another rebellion will be readily risked for its enjoyment . " Colonisation must , however , advance , and we have constantly to report facts in its favour . We have now to notice from Madras that the Government there is taking measures to supply its deficiencies of sanitariai establishments . An experiment has been sanctioned to test the capabilities of Galee Purvattuni as a sanitarium for troops living in the northern division . While the Madras Commander-in-Chief was at Waltair he appointed a committee , of -which the Inspector , General of Hospitals was the president , to search for a suitable site in that neighbourhood , as we then announced . It was in consequence of the advice of Mr . Fane , M . C . S ., that the expedition proceeded at once to Galee Purvattum . Here the highest elevation reached by Dr . McPherson was S , 30 Oft , but unfortunately there was no plateau suitable for the required purpose . Such , however , has been found of sufficient extent for the wing of a regiment , with abundant water supply within easy reach , and stiU at the considerable elevation of 5 , 100 feet . The direct distance of Galee Purvatfrum from Waltair is fifty miles , and from the sea forty milesi being one of the highest points of the Vindhya mountain ^ the dividing range between the Ganges and the Norbudda . The capability of this place for English troops will now be tested , The other site which has been examined is in the Anamalay hills , in the same presidency , which , as we have . mentioned , was explored by an expedition organised by the Conservator of Forests and Inspector-General of Hospitals , starting ( rom Ootnkamund , in the Neilghcrries , on the 9 th Oct . These hills had only once before been visited by Europeans , namely , Mr . Willoughby Jackson , M . C . & ., and Capt . Michael , M . N . I . In the new expedition , although undertaken at an unfavourable period , and restrained by the weather , important results were obtained , and since then Capt . Boddomc has succeeded in reaching the highest point , which is 9 000 fbet above the sea . The report of the expedition states the existence of abundance of useful timber , and of largo tracts of land suitable for coffee and tea planting , and now occupied by wild boasts . Major Hamilton , 21 st Kogt . M . N . I ., contributed some valuable drawings of the beautiful scenery , which is said to be most attractive to Europeans . ^ « The mail Again ' affords ovidenoo of the activity of Six' Charles Trevclyan in his energetic caxeor of administrative reform , What wo are inclined to olasB as highly as anything is the attention he bestows on the natives , We lately x'eportcd some acceptable arrangements , and now loam that he baa introduced into the Madras presidency Dr . Wm .

    Bentinck s system of honorary distinctions , namely : for -Hindoos , the titles of R , ai , Rae , IJahadoorj Kai or Rae Bahadoor , Rajah , Rajah Bahadoor , and Maharajah ; and for Mahomedans ,. Kharij Bahadoor Khan Bahadoor , Bahadoor Jung and Nawab . All letters of the governor to natives of India are to be written in English according to certain forms suited to the rank of the parties , such as My Friend , My dear Friend , &c , and ending , Your sincere Friend , &c . It is rightly observed that these titles ,. in conformity with the presence of the Court of Delhi are quite in accordance with native usages and feelings . In the middle ages they were an important part of the paraphernalia of each chancery , but now only in Germany does the regard for them prevail over the bother , for our beloved Queen can only on special occasions address Her Right Trusty and Right Well-beloved Cousin , or Her Trusty and Well-beloved , and so-forth . Sir Charles has likewise resolved to throw open the grounds of Grundy Park , every Monday afternoon , when the Artillery band plays . He had likewise taken in hand the department of Public Works , sent out all the superintending engineers into their respective districts to control then- subordinates , metamorphosed the Chief Engineer into Secretary to Government in the department of Public Works , which will , civilise Mm to some extent , and deprive him of his military notions , and founded a new department for audit of public-works expenditure . . As an aid to these operations , an engineering college is to be founded at Madras on the plan of that at Roorkee , but we hope that in time the Roorkee system will be fully carried out , and the college placed in a healthier and more comfortable situation than Madras . It is , however , of very little good forming departments for public works , without funds are provided for the expenditure-, and at this moment the public are little aware that , so far as new undertakings are concerned , the department of Public Works for India is virtually at a standstill from the financial imbecility of the Government , which has been frightened out of affording the requisite supplies for reproductive works . Sir Charles Trovelyan . refused to undertake his government with his hands so tied , and he has obtained from Lord Stanley authority to expend a certain amount without reference to the general government of India , and Le will only have occasion to refer to them if his demands exceed these limits . All , therefore , that , by economy and contrivance , he can screw out of the allotted sum set apart for the Madras expenditure will be available for such public works as he chooses to set in hand at once , without haying the trouble of correspondence and delay . He has already persuaded Sir Patrick Grant to make several reforms in the army , and it is provided that , in consideration of the organisation of the police in the Morussil , the native army shall be reduced gradually , for which purpose recruiting is at once stopped till the regiments are brought down fj'om sixty havildars , sixty nniks , and 1 , 000 sepoys , to . 1 . 00 native non-coininisssioneu officers and 800 sepoys . It is supposed this will in the end reduce 12 , 000-men . The Commander-in-Chief likewise recommends the abolition of a number of extra staff * appointments—as Assistant Adjutant-General und Doputy Quartermaster-General of the Queen ' s lorces , aiici Second Aide-de-camp . All these measures wiU lessen tho drain on the Madras treasury . The Governor is , however , by no means neglectful of tho defences , for , instead of pulling down old Fort St , George at Madras , and building another of the same obsolete model at a cost ot 46 , 000 * ,, he has determined to throw down the soft face of the old fort , which intercepts the sea breeze and makes the barracks unhealthy , and to replace it by earthworks , , mounting thereon 1 GO Armstrong rifled cannon ordered from England . 1 ' or iurthcr protection of tho coast from tho French , to whom it has been a favourite point oi' assault , 140 other rifled cannon are to bo p laced at various points along tho ooast . Office ^ have boon named to undertako the works .

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    "It ' appears by a Parliamentary return , that tho total numbor of inhabited houses in England ana Wales In 1851 was 3 , 278 , 030 , inhabited by 17 , O 27 , ( H > u persons . Tho number of housoa rated to tho reiiei of the poor in the metropolis , at Lady-day , in 18 f > u , was an follows : —London ( City ) ltt , « S 2 i JTInslMwy , 38 , 208 j Marylebono , 42 , 720 ; Tower Hamlets , 85 , 013 j and Westminster , 20 , 087 . ' It appears by a Parliamentary return , that tho total numbor of inhabited houses in England ana Wales in 1851 was 3 , 278 , 030 , inhabited by 17 , 027 , () OU persons . Tho number of housoa rated to tho reiici of the poor in the metropolis , at Lady-day , in 18 f > u , was an follows : —London ( City ) ltt , « S 2 i JHnslMwy . 38 , 208 j Marylobono , 42 , 720 ; Tower Hamlets , 85 , 513 i and Westminster , 20 , 087 .

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    742 T HE L E A D E B . [ India .

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), June 18, 1859, page 742, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2299/page/10/