the delightful weather of the forenoon charmed the party as they walked the deck. it was mid-summer in the middle of the winter, as they looked at it; for the almanac of home lingered in their minds, though the days were longer. the sun was rather warm on both sides of noon, though it was not oppressive, and the abundant awnings protected the passengers from its more searching rays.
statistical as the lecture had been, the viscount had made it interesting by softening the figures with his comparisons; and some of his points, even in regard to the states, were new to them, and especially in regard to the united kingdom. in about half an hour they were summoned to conference hall again for a continuation of the lecture.
"from the vast emigration to your country, ladies and gentlemen, i suppose there must be a great variety of people on your territory. the germans, the english, the irish, the scandinavians, the italians, and other nationalities, in the process of assimilation, although very many of them have become as american as americans themselves, take the manners and customs, the national peculiarities, of the fatherland with them.
"the irish drink whiskey, the germans beer, and the italians are apt to have a stilletto about them. then the antecedents, climate, politics, and other influences, have made the east differ from the west, and the south from both of them. lynch law prevails to a considerable extent in the latter, never in the eastern and middle states, and very rarely in the west. but all americans speak the same language; and foreigners are compelled to learn english in order to get on at all, and it has become one of the bonds of your union."
"in india there are not less than twenty-seven languages and dialects in use; and they indicate so many different kinds of people, for we can hardly call them nations, though in many respects they are such. this excellent map behind me, which is worthy of the highest praise as a home-made production, will enable me to give you a better idea of my subject."
"the ingenious artist has colored the different divisions so that you can make them out. the three presidencies are the most notable divisions, and they include all the inferior ones. the bengal presidency includes the north-eastern part, from afghanistan to burma. the madras, the southeastern part, with most of the peninsula. the bombay covers the greater part of the west coast. the deccan is a portion of the peninsula."
"it would take me three weeks to describe all the divisions of india, and i shall not attempt to do it. it would be better done as you travel over the country. eighteen of them are directly governed by the english, and thirteen of them are still under the nominal control of the native princes; but all the latter have a british resident as the adviser of the reigning rajah.
"the english-speaking people of india are a mere bagatelle compared with the enormous population, being only 238,499; but with the army they have been able to hold the country in subjection. the british government takes a fatherly interest in the native states, and they have been loyal without exception in later years, though the history of india will show that not all of them have always been so."
"until the year 1858 the government was in the hands of the east india company, of which you will learn more in the history of india. in 1877 her majesty, the queen, assumed the title of empress of india, and she is the ruler of the country. the government of the highest resort in the affairs of india is a secretary of state, residing in london. he is a member of the cabinet, and has an under-secretary. he is assisted by a council of ten or fifteen members."
"the executive government, administered in india, is the governor-general in council. he is the viceroy of the crown, and is assisted by six members of the executive council, each of whom has his function in the affairs of the state; and the commander-in-chief of the army is ex-officio a seventh member. this body is really the cabinet of the viceroy. the laws are made by this council, with from six to a dozen members appointed by the viceroy. this is the way the machine is operated.
"the civil service of the government is rendered mainly by europeans, though the natives are eligible to office as employees. the english system in the appointment of its officials prevails, and all candidates are regularly examined. those of you who have looked over bradshaw's 'guide to india' will find descriptions of the several examinations for various employments."
"i wish the english system could be transferred to the united states," said uncle moses with great unction.
"you have made a beginning, and perhaps you will come to it in time. the civil service prevails in the provinces and states of india as well as in the general government, though the competition is open to the natives.
"the soldiers of the east india company became the military force of the british crown when the government was assumed. the english army in india now consists of 74,033 men of all arms, and the native army of 144,735, a total standing army of 218,786, which is its strength at the present time. it is a curious fact that, as the native troops are recruited by voluntary enlistment, all castes and races, including brahmins, are drawn in by the good pay and the pension promised.
"the navy of the east india company was superseded by the royal navy in 1863; and a dozen or fifteen ships of war are stationed in these waters, with an admiral as commander-in-chief, whose headquarters are at bombay. the indian treasury contributes annually to the expense of this force. the great steam navigation companies are available to recruit this branch of the defence of the country.
"the laws are made, and the institutions of india are regulated, by parliament; and the administration of law and justice is substantially the same as in the united kingdom. the regular police consists of 160,000 officers and men; and a portion of the expense of this force is defrayed by the towns, the large cities mainly. besides the city police, there are 560,000 in charge of the villages. the constabulary are natives, with european officers, one to every seven square miles and 1,300 inhabitants, indicating peaceful communities. about 12,000 of the 82,000 persons under sentence are in the convict colonies at the andaman islands.
"the educational institutions are progressive, and 400 newspapers are published in various languages, most of them with small circulations, 20,000 being the largest in india. the post and telegraph systems are well cared for; and 17,564 miles of railway are in operation, with others in process of construction. the manufactures, both in metal and fibre, have always been remarkably fine, and the quality is still kept up. cotton factories have been established, with native labor, which promise great results to the industry of the country.
"the loss of life on account of famine, caused by the failure of the monsoon rains, has been terrific in some years. canals and reservoirs for irrigation as well as navigation have been built in order to remove this evil. in 1874 £16,000,000 was expended in the relief of sufferers by the government. since that time a famine fund has been established; and in years of plenty a million and a half sterling has been set aside for this object.
"the excessive density of the population has induced the government to favor emigration; and over a hundred thousand have gone to british guiana and the west indies, and other countries. the currency of india will be likely to bother you a little. the silver rupee is the unit; though when you see 'r.x.' over or at the left of a column of figures, it means tens of rupees. the nominal value of a rupee is two shillings, about half a dollar of your money; but it is never worth that in gold, the standard of england in recent years. it was some years ago at a premium of twopence, but for the last three years it has averaged only 1s. 5-1/8d. its value varies with the gold price of silver in london.
"there is also a government paper currency in circulation, amounting to £16,000,000 sterling. the smallest copper coin is the pie, worth half a farthing, equal to a quarter of a cent of your money. three of them make a pice, a farthing and a half, three-quarters of a cent. four pice make an anna, a penny and a half, three cents. sixteen annas make a rupee. sixteen rupees make a gold mohur."
"those small pieces are about as insignificant as those of egypt," suggested mr. woolridge.
"there are not many millionaires among the natives, and these smaller coins are mostly used among them. they are convenient also to the stingy englishman when the plate is passed around in church," added his lordship with a chuckle, which pleased uncle moses more than the remark. india has a public debt of about £200,000,000, contracted for railways, canals, war, and other purposes. the revenue last year was £84,932,100, and the expenditures were £84,661,700. not a large margin; but you must multiply the pounds by five, or nearly that, to reduce them to dollars.
"the poppy is extensively cultivated in india; and the export tax in calcutta amounts to six and a quarter millions, in bombay, to three and a half millions, on the manufactured opium. the producer sends his crop to the government factory, whence it is sold to the exporter; all this to prevent frauds on the revenue.
"wages and prices have gone up under british rule. the best class of laborers get four annas a day, and others not more than two,--six to twelve cents a day. grain for food is a penny for two pounds,--a cent a pound. women and children earn small wages. the clothing of the poor is scanty and cheap; fuel costs nothing; and rent for dwellings is hardly known. the masses in the country, not laborers, live on the land as owners or lessees. there has never been anything like a poor-law, and ordinarily there is no need of such.
"it would be quite impossible for me to give the history of india in detail in the limited time at my command, especially as we are now approaching the land. vasco da gama, the portuguese navigator, was the first to reach the east indies, in 1498; but his countrymen never did much trading here, being more intent upon securing the rich treasures of the indies. as early as 1600 the english turned their attention in this direction. companies were formed; but being driven by the dutch from the islands which they still hold, they began to make settlements on the coast of this peninsula. madras dates from 1639, bombay from 1686, calcutta from 1686. the company said, 'let us make a nation in india;' and they went to work at once to do it. they accomplished their purpose, fostered by the government, raised and borrowed money, and in the course of time had an army and a navy, and ruled the country. they defeated the grand mogul, drove the french out of the peninsula, and were generally very prosperous.
"in 1833 parliament revoked all the trading privileges of the company; and their dividends to stockholders were then paid out of the taxes assessed on the people of india. they could not trade and could not govern except under the control of parliament. all the wars of india have been fought by the british nation. after the mutiny, of which more hereafter, the company was compelled to cede its powers to the crown in 1858.
"the native soldiers of bengal were called sepoys, and the name has been applied to all native troops. some small mutinies occurred in this arm of the service in the presidency. early in 1857 the garrison of meerut, near delhi, revolted, and the british troops failed to suppress it. the sepoys marched to delhi, where they were joined by the native troops and the mob. the descendant of the great mogul, who lived in the palace of his ancestors under british protection, was proclaimed emperor, and his empire re-established.
"probably 90,000 soldiers, infantry and cavalry, were in a state of rebellion. in many instances they had murdered their officers and their families. they were spread over a broad country, and held forts, arsenals, and treasuries. they were disciplined troops armed with european artillery and muskets, and supplied with ammunition. in portions of the country the british were isolated, as in the camp before delhi, and in the works at agra, allahabad, and lucknow. the mutiny extended over an area of 100,000 square miles, with a population of 40,000,000. it came at the worst season of the year; and if it had not been speedily suppressed, it would have spread over the whole country. many believed that the knell of the empire had sounded.
"at that time there were 40,000 european troops "--
"land, ho!" shouted the lookout man; and the cry was repeated by the sailors and the officers.
"we will attend to the land now, and i will resume latter," said lord tremlyn, as he descended from the rostrum.
