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Leader (1850-1860), 26th November 1859, Edition 1 of 2, Page 1292, Untitled Article

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      Untitled Article

      and coach-building establishment , showing labour in every possible form , and a thousand men so engaged ; liere , too , where machinery endeavours to supersede manual labour . As a training school to the native it must induce important consequences , but supposing this were not within the pale of possibility for various reasons , still the profitable employment thus afforded to large bodies of workmen is due , to the railway . And here , more than anywhere else , the value of artisans is being duly experienced and improved upon . in this noticeto enter

      It were needless , cursory , into elaborate detail , to show how extensively native agency finds employment in different departments of the railway . On the opened line between Bombay , Wassind , and Campoolee , we see natives chiefly employed as station-masters , and wholly so in all menial capacities . With the extension of these lines the - demand for labour has increased , new depots and stores throwing open a wider field of work . . . These are not the only arguments that might be brought forward to show how abundantly the railway has blessed the Indian community , and how there is for thankfuln their

      much cause ess on part for ; : introduction into the country . Doubtless there : ' .: c sections of that community who will carp :. nd deny the value of the railway for anything at all ; but the sober and the sensible , as well as those who have interests at stake , will think otherwise . Will it be said that the railway will do nothing for those vast tracts of country now only partially cultivated by cotton , indigo , sugar , and other produce , and where quantities of that cultivation rot for want of carriage ? Will it be nothing for the poor of the interior to get their salt from the coast for an almost fabulous price compared to what they now pay ?

      The advantages of railway communication , everywhere abundant , are emphatically so in respect of India . A railway station soon becomes a centre of life and movement . Within its immediate radii pulses go quicker , time beats more regularly , —there , if anywhere , are action , vitality , and progress . As a builder of towns , the railway is a most beneficent as well as a most fertile power . In England its social influences are widely and intensely felt ; of what it can da for the arts , and especially for architecture , we may seek illustration , in such places as Ghent , Heidelberg , Milan , Leghorn , and other towns on the Continent . — Bombay Gazette .

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      SALT IN OUDE . Whilst the confiscation policy lias been so successful in Oude that the Commissioner who carried it into effect lauds the wisdom which had placed despotic power in his hands , annihilating all previous claims and tenures , another great measure is in progress , of which we hear nothing in the Legislative Council . The people of Oude have been prohibited manufacturing salt . The earth in many parts of that province teems with this mineral , and a large population obtained employment in its manufacture and pfreparration for market . The produce of the salt fields supplied all Oude , and was , moreover , carried into some of our older provinces . All this has been put an end to by the same flat which confiscated the lands . This is another great fiscal measure , to lay a tax on salt , and to collect it easily and cheaply . Oude , because it is difficult to tax the numerous small salt ¦ w orks within its own territory , must import salt from the foreign territories of Bhurtpoor , * and the States west and south of the Jumna . Salt must not only coiue burdened with the duty to Government , but it must come with the enormous charge of carriage over many hundred miles added to it . This is considered a politic measure , while , an income-tax is declared to be the contrary . At the same time we must admit that if the whole population of Oude is compelled to pay four times the price for their salt which they have hitherto done , it is necessary to be cautious before any niore taxes are imposed upon them ; of this immense addition to the price of salt one-half is probably taxation , and one-quarter the

      value of tlio produce of its own soil . The financial wisdom which has resolved on carrying out this measure in Oude is quite equal to that which has elaborated the licence and income-tax . This measure is copied from that which gave so much oiFence in the old provinces of the Doab . There was , however , some good reasons for prohibiting the manufacture of salt in those districts ; a Bmall portion of them only was distant from the salt producing lands , and as there wore no large deposits nor extensive salt works in existence within them , the hardship involved in the system was not great , whilst the advantage to the revenue was undoubted . Smuggling was nearly annihilated , and the preventive lines wqre made efficient . But ; because this P . f * w& 8 so successful in the provinces which slqrt the countries from whence the salt is exported , compelling the whole salt consumed in them to pass tlie revenue cordon , it certainly does notfoUow

      that the same policy should be extended to distant provinces whose circumstances are far from being the same . This is one of the serious eases where that anxiety to treat all India as one country , to be governed by the sanie rules and the same laws , becomes a great political blunder . The people of Oude will be irritated more by this step than by the disarming Act . It will render the British Government more unpopular , whilst the Act cannot be defended on any other grounds than that it is easier and more convenient to prohibit the production of salt in Oude than to prevent its manufacture under Excise laws . The precedent of the Rohilcund districts will be quoted , that they have suffered the hardship of paying the heavy carriage hire , as well as the taxation of the salt they consume . This is true ;

      but in Rohilcund there are no salt-fields , or there are so few as to be of no weight in the consideration of the case . JRohilcund has always been dependent on Oude or the districts west and south of the Jumna for its supply of salt . So the injustice that we believe is now inflicted on Oude . was never suffered by the people of Kohilcund from . Government regulations regarding salt . Hereisanother example-of a great fiscal measure being carried out without the slightest reference to council . Oude is despotically governed by the Governor-General of India ; aud as far as we can judge , the result of that government is very much like that of the Governor-General in Council for all India ,-backed by a Legislative Council of delegates from the services of the three presidencies . — rCalcutta Englishman .

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      LATEST INDIAN INTELLIGENCE . The overland mail which arrived on Monday last , brought intelligence from Bombay to the 26 th October . The news of the capture of the Fort of Bey t is confirmed , though it appears that the storming-party was at first repulsed , and that the place was subsequently evacuated by the-enemy . No intelligence had been received of the operations against Dwarka , regarded by the Waghers as impregnable . A serious question has arisen out of the demolition of Beyt . It contains celebrated temples , rich temples , and grandly bejewelled gods . This treasure was looked upon as fair loot , and both private and public plunder was acquired by the saekfull . Moreover , when the walls were blown up the temples were unavoidably blown down- The consequence has been a great outcry from the Hindoo community , all over "Western India . * ' You have desecrated and destroyed our temples and stolen our gods , " say they . The great festival of the Dewali took place at the departure of the mail , and the Hindoos would not observe it . They have applied to Lord Elpliinstone , and he has told them that all the public plunder shall be returned , but that what the soldiers pocketed is gone beyond recall . On the 11 th October a great native meeting was held , at which the petition to Parliament from the native community , sent lioine by last mail , was signed by some 2 , 500 persons , and by as many more on the day of the mail ' s leaving . One of the chief points in the petition is the offbr to raise . £ 6 , 000 , 000 sterling for the relief of Government , only stipulating that they should be allowed to raise the sum in their own way , We are assured that if Government were to accede the amount would be forthcoming Vithin a year . It is a continuous tax which the natives dread .

      The Governor-General arrived in Allahabad on the 14 tU of October , and proposed to proceed on the 17 th to Cawnpore , where his lordship expected to lneqt the Commander-in-Chief . Great preparations were being made at Lucknow and Futtehghur , to give due Mat to the forthcoming durbars . The object of the journey is said to bo t ( the recognition of many of the new tenures in Oude , the reception of natiyo princes of the Punjab and others , his direct intercourse wltli those who loyally lent

      their aid to uphold the British power , and the personal acknowledgment of those services , and for inspecting Delhi and Oudo . " Evpry chief of note is commanded to appear before the two representatives of England's power—th « Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief . It will be a grand occasion , and for tlie conquered powers sufficiently humiliating . The ox-B ^ ing of Oudo is said to have accepted a pension of twelve lacs ( £ 120 , 000 ) , and relinquished all claims on Oudo .

      Our hypocritical ally , Sir Jung Buhadoor , G . C . B ., has at length been bribed , to act contrary to his conscience , and it is believed that he will talce effective measures to expel the Oudo fugitives from the Nepaulese territories , Humours of the Nana ' s death had been industriously circulated at Lucknow , evidently with the intention of misleading the authorities . Major Thullllev has gone to settle the boundary of thu Terai , wluoh is to bo restored to Nepaul . The people who nro to be time turned over , by no moans relish the proposed transfer from

      the frying-pan to the fire . If the English rule , their say , be bad , the Nepaulese is worse . - .. ¦ . FINANCE . A financial despatch has been published at Calcutta , which is important . An estimated improvement in our finances has appeared to the extent of 77 fc lacs ( £ 775 , 000 ) , reducing the deficit to C 50 lacs ( 6 , 500 , 000 ) . The improvement i 3 owing to reductions in military and public works' expenditure increased receipts from the new tariff , and the stamp ' salt , and license taxes ( the latter is , therefore , expected to come into operation ) . The revenue' for 1860-61 is estimated at 3 , 890 lacs ( . £ 38 , 900 , 000 ) the charges at 4 , 225 lacs ( . £ 42 , 250 , 000 ) , the estimated deficit thus being 335 lacs ( . £ 3 , 350 , 000 ) . The question has been asked , has this statement been put forth to show that we can do without Mr . Wilson ? THE POLICY OF THE GOVKRNOR-GENE RAX . The Calcutta correspondent of Allen ' s India Mail makes the following pungent observations : —" The English papers , led by the Times , have , for some time past , condemned the policy of Lord Canning , regarding the old company ' s European troops , in terms as unmeasured as the press of India . It was universally believed that the ministry disapproved of the acts of Lord Canning ; by which a most valuable army has been lost to the public service , together with a million sterling , and that they hesitated to recall him only because of his political opinions and his friendly relations with some of the leading members of the . Cabinet ; To the astonishment of the Indian public , Lord Canning , on the eve of his departure to the provinces , has published a despatch from the Secretary of State for India , dated 31 st August , 1859 , entirely approving of the course lie has pursued in the whole matter . What becomes of the angry diatribes of the Times and the English press regarding the blunders of Lord . Canning ,, and the incapacity of those arouud him , when ministers themselves approve , in the most marked manner , the worst of all his acts ? Asa curious corollary to tliis-published approval , an order arrived by telegraph from Bombay desiring Lord Canning to endeavour to detain the men by offering them a bounty of £ 5 each , and a free kit to re-enlist , for China , although he had refused the small bounty of £ 2 a-head previously to tlie very same men . Two vessels , with one thousand of the discharged men on board , were on the point of sailing from this port , and were stopped by order of the Governor-General . An officer was sent on board to offer the bounty , and try to induce the men to enlist for China ; but so exasperated were they at the treatment they had i-eceived , that only fifty men out of the thousand offered to remain . The hostilitv shown to them by Lord Canning has been more worthy of ashrcwish virago than of the viceroy of a great empire . Some of the' men asked to be allowed to go to Australia , thus saving the Government the cost of their passage to England . It was refused . One soldier showed that he had obtained a situation iu India of £ 15 a-montli , and beg-ged to be allowed to remain , as it wouW save his passage money , and the loss of six months salary . No ! he must go to England or remain with his regiment . Many of the old soldiers told the officer who was appointed to register their » ' « . for discharge ' that they would enlist for the Artillery without bounty . They were told they must go to England or remain with their regiments . It is in a caso like this that Lord Canning displays what he considers vigour . All India is full o irritation at the now measures of taxation proposed by Him , artd wo have no hope of any improvement from tie advent of Mr . Wilson . He will be quite a wp' » w » the Supremo Council , and for mouths will not t \ on eoo I « orcl Canning . There is but one hopb . lpr I *™** and that is tho recull of the present Vieeroj , ami we soo no chance ot tlmt so long as ministers approve of tho worst and most mischievous oi nis acts . "

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      NAroircoNic Mn . LiNKnv .--A 1 ' uris letter in tho Literary Gazette informs us that " there is % Ymt of crlnollnismestablished , for the proper i » 111 Im ° ; ° j which four tollottos a day are about the 8 ° » ™ requirement , though thoro aro day a when only tnrw are nocoBsary } tho invitations uro lor oi f ^ 5 und no lady is expected over to bo scuii twice « ww ing tho aumo gown . Count this up , and you / w m » find an average of thirty or thirty-two toilettesi to w carried down to the court . Suppose a fom « ° invitfa not to bo alone , but to have a dnutfl wj <¦ « two daughters ) with her—you corao at oneo i ninety or ninety-six drosses ! Now the avc . ago oi those gowns will bo 25 , 0 francs ( £ 10 ) , because , w mw the finer ones cost 300 , 400 , or 500 francs oach , tnw « may bo flomo which cost only 120 or 150 irunesi , pu thorn nil at 260 francs , you reach , for ouch otboi tho figure of 45300 or £ 320 j and If two persons , £ 600 , or £ 040 > it three , £ 900 , ov £ 900 .

      Untitled Article

      1202 THE LEADER * [ No . 505 . Nov . 26 , 1850 .

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Nov. 26, 1859, page 1292, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2322/page/8/