INDIA. 



435 



13,160,539 to the railway companies for 

 guaranteed interest, but about 3,300,000 had 

 been paid back out of the earnings of the rail- 

 ways, leaving nearly 10,000,000 still due to 

 the Government. 



Very interesting information on current Hin, 

 doo literature is given by Garcin De Tassy, 

 member of the French Institute, and professor 

 of Hindoo language and literature at the Im- 

 perial School of Living Oriental Languages at 

 the " Bibliotheque Orientale " of Paris, in his 

 last opening discourse of the " Cours de Hin- 

 dustani." According to De Tassy, journalism 

 flourishes in the country. A new weekly peri- 

 odical has lately appeared at Agra, entitled 

 Bahrat Khand Amrit, a name of genuine 

 Oriental style, meaning " Ambrosia for India." 

 It has a significant religious design. Its founders 

 recognize, in principle, the divine origin of the 

 Vcdas, and enforce their practical teachings, 

 but aim to recall their coreligionists to the 

 purity of the ancient faith. A native society 

 seems to have charge of it, and have issued a 

 book against the "Prodigality of Weddings" 

 and other festive occasions. They appear to 

 be a school of Hindoo Puritans. They have 

 challenged controversy, and have been an- 

 swered by a publication at Delhi called Hitfid 

 Anan, "that which is useful to men." A 

 new weekly has appeared at Mirat, called 

 the Najm Ulalchlar, "the Star of News." Its 

 field is one of the most important northwestern 

 provinces, and it is an example of European 

 journalism springing up in the densest Oriental 

 life. In Madras flourishes the Jami Ulaklibar, 

 "Eecord of News;" and recently has been 

 commenced there the India Times, in four 

 native languages, including the Hindostan, Ta- 

 rn til, Telugo, etc. These periodicals are con- 

 ducted by native scholars. They are but ex- 

 amples of the rapidly advancing journalism of 

 the country. " In fine," says De Tassy, citing 

 a high authority, "native journalism surges on 

 all sides in India, displaying ability and no 

 small acquaintance with English journalism and 

 literature generally. It is independent of the 

 British Government, but defends it ably." 

 Englishmen are acquiring important influence 

 over the native mind by their Hindoo scholar- 

 ship. For example, Mr. Palmer, of Cambridge 

 University, is the foreign correspondent of the 

 AwadJi-Akhbar the Hindostani' Gazette of 

 Oudh. His proficiency in the language, it is 

 said, astonishes the natives, and an English- 

 man, Mr. Kempton, has given to them a "ro- 

 mance," Daston i Jarnila-Khatun "History 

 of the Princess Jarnila," said to be remarkably 

 well done. A Mussulman literary society has 

 been established at Calcutta, under the auspices 

 of Ahmad Khan, who has become noted as 

 author of a " Commentary on the Bible " 

 against Colenso, and also a " Description of the 

 Monuments of Delhi." Ahmad calls upon his 

 countrymen to study and appropriate all the 

 learning of the European nations. At Lahore 

 some spirit is shown in behalf of female educa- 



tion, the greatest want of India. Baba Khan 

 Singh, an influential native, takes the lead of it. 

 Several books have appeared lately in its behalf. 

 There are native poets singing in the land. 

 Figan-i Delhi " The Lamentations of Delhi," 

 are a collection of poems by different writers, 

 on the last insurrection ; and the devastation of 

 the ancient Mogul capital, issued from a pub- 

 lishing house called Alcmal Ulmatabi "The 

 most perfect of printers." Quite a catalogue of 

 recent miscellaneous volumes, averaging about 

 five hundred pages, is given by M. de Tassy. 

 Among them is a work in two volumes on 

 natural philosophy ; a tale entitled " The Book 

 of Emotion," on the history of the two brothers 

 Bhogwan das and Gapol Earn ; a new Persian 

 Grammar; a Manual of Letter-Writing, called 

 " The Key of Enjoyment ; " a History of the 

 Prophets, entitled " The Garden of Adam ; " a 

 History of Mohammed, called the "Zephyrs of 

 the Gardens ; " and " Marvels of the Inhabited 

 World," a description of voyages. In fine, an 

 intellectual fermentation has began in India, 

 which promises important results. The period- 

 ical press can hardly fail to stir up and " mod- 

 ernize " tlite mind of the country. 



Eeligious reform movements continue to 

 make progress among the Hindoos. The In- 

 dian Mirror states that there are now fifty-four 

 Brahmo Somajes in India, of which fifty are in 

 Bengal, two in the northwestern provinces, 

 one in the Punjab, and one in Madras, under 

 the name of Veda Samajum. Nearly all these 

 have their representatives in the Eepreseuta- 

 tive Council, a body established for the pur- 

 pose of uniting all the Somajes for the further- 

 ance of Brahmic or deistic knowledge. The 

 Calcutta Somaj has been established nearly 

 thirty-six years, and those of Krishnagur, Dac- 

 ca, and Midnapore, for nearly twenty years. 

 More than twenty-five have been established 

 within the last ten years. For some time past 

 eight Brahnios have been regularly working as 

 " missionaries." 



The war with Bhootan, which had begun in 

 1864, continued in 1865. The year opened with 

 a series of successful attacks by the Bhooteas, 

 headed by Toungso Penlow, upon the principal 

 frontier posts, which the English had taken at 

 the close of 1864 so easily, as to be lulled into 

 security. Owing to the selection of a post from 

 which the water could be cut off", the cowardice 

 of the Sepoys, and the incapacity of Col. Camp- 

 bell, for which he was called on to resign, the 

 English evacuated Dewangiri on the extreme 

 right, and abandoned two guns. So the Eng- 

 lish were driven out of Tayagou, in front of 

 Bala, with serious loss. This was the first 

 week of February, and there was still time for 

 the English to hurry troops to Poonakha and 

 triumphantly finish the war. This Sir John 

 Lawrence wished to do, it is believed, but the 

 military necessity for retaking Dewangiri pre- 

 vailed. A large Sepoy force was kept all the 

 long hot and rainy seasons chiefly in the Terai 

 marshes, where it died, as English soldiers 



