356 



INDIA. 



If it should know how to carry through a real 

 reform while yet adhering to the simpler and 

 significant forms of worship of the olden time, 

 it might succeed in abolishing many absurdities 

 and blemishes of a newer invention. But the 

 interest of those who enjoy the fruits of the 

 present usages will stand in its way. 



By far the most numerous kind of societies, 

 which later years have produced, are of a phil- 

 anthropic or popular scientific character. Luck- 

 now, that city of remarkable history in connec- 

 tion with the great Indian rebellion, has a so- 

 ciety of this kind, with conferences, lectures, 

 and periodical publications, which accepts 

 members of every nationality. And in Jeypoor 

 where the roads from Delhi and Agra meet, 

 the prince of Eajpootana who boasts him- 

 self descended from Rama, and to belong to 

 the oldest dynasty in the world, that of the 

 Mikado not excepted patronizes an association 

 which is called the Eajpootana Social Science 

 Congress, and goes out to found schools, to 

 distribute instructive books, and to oversee 

 public sanitary measures, and the elevation of 

 the peasantry. Quite remarkably, the associa- 

 tion begins by arranging a system of instruc- 

 tion for young persons of the higher families, 

 in which are taught natural science and politi- 

 cal economy, English as well as the native lan- 

 guage, and the accomplishments of cavaliers. 

 The Bajpootanans are the feudal lords of the 

 district, the oppressors of the races which they 

 call their subjects, professed descendants of the 

 almost extinct warrior-caste. It is thus natu- 

 ral that they should first think of culture of cor- 

 responding character for the aristocracy. 



Not far from this place, in Alighur, is the 

 seat of the East India Association, with the 

 general object of promoting the good of the 

 people, which has recently connected with it- 

 self a branch society in Mooradabad, east of 

 Delhi, which is under the patronage of Sir Wil- 

 liam Muir, Governor of the Northwest Prov- 

 inces, author of a Biography of Mohammed, 

 and brother of the celebrated patron of Indian 

 studies, John Muir, to whom the University of 

 Edinburgh is indebted for its chair of Sanscrit. 

 This association will, among other objects, as- 

 sist journeys of natives to Europe, since the 

 Pundits have very recently found that these 

 journeys are not directly forbidden in their 

 books. The Government, also, is not idle in 

 this matter. It has granted stipends for lit- 

 erary journeys to England, two for each of 

 the three presidencies, and three for the other 

 provinces. 



An active spiritual movement is to be ob- 

 served among both Hindoo and Moslem. On 

 both sides they seek to secure for themselves 

 the advantages of European culture, primarily 

 in the hope of being able to bid effectively for 

 the position of ascendency against their tyrants. 

 Necessarily, with the spread of this culture, a 

 great many foolish prejudices will fall, which 

 are now held as inseparable from national in- 

 tegrity. 



INDIANA. 



That Islam, although its adherents are un- 

 mistakably the more energetic party, has a 

 prospect of flourishing again, is hardly to be 

 feared. It is in itself too powerless and 

 thoughtless to throw kindling sparks into the 

 spirit. Nevertheless, many conversions to it 

 are taking place, not only from the Hindoos, 

 but from abandoned persons of European 

 descent. Thus, not long ago, a number of 

 beggarly fellows are said to have abjured 

 their faith in a mosque at Madras, and to have 

 gone on a pilgrimage to Mecca, in order, as the 

 Hindoo says, to fill their bellies there. And 

 one curious fellow, a Swiss, not contented 

 with the name only of Islam, is reported to 

 travel as its missionary through the Bundel- 

 cund, dressed in Oriental costume, expounding 

 the Koran in the public places. 



INDIANA. The regular session of the Le- 

 gislature commenced in January, and during 

 that month and February but little actual busi- 

 ness in the way of legislation was accomplished. 

 Bills were introduced with the intention of 

 materially altering the constitution of the State 

 courts, but, owing to the premature adjourn- 

 ment in March, were not acted upon. Grave 

 complaints were made against the prison man- 

 agement, and much of the time of the Legis- 

 lature was taken up with debates on the sub- 

 ject and with official investigations. The 

 necessity of electing a United States Senator, 

 in place of Thomas A. Hendricks, caused party 

 spirit to run high ; and while the Democrats 

 were united on Hendricks, the Republicans 

 were divided between Lieutenant-Governor 

 Will Cumback and James S. Frazer. The two 

 Houses met in joint convention, January 20th 

 and 21st, without effecting a choice, but on 

 the third day, January 22d, the Republicans 

 united on Daniel D. Pratt, who was elected by 

 the following vote: Daniel D. Pratt, 83; 

 Thomas A. Hendricks, TO. 



On the 25th of February, the following joint 

 resolutions were approved by the Governor, 

 after passing both Houses of the Legislature : 



That our Senators in Congress be and they are 

 hereby instructed and our Eepresentatives requested 

 to vote for and otherwise promote the repeal of the 

 act of Congress commonly known as the tenure-of- 

 office law. 



That our Senators in Congress be instructed, and 

 pur ^Representatives requested to oppose, by their 

 influence and votes, the passage ot any bill that 

 shall specially legalize coin contracts until the United 

 States shall redeem its Treasury-notes in coin ; and 

 to oppose the enactment of any law which shall 

 have the effect to reduce the present volume of the 

 paper-money in use among the people of the United 

 States. 



They were presented to the United States 

 Senate, by Senator Morton, March 2d. 



The question of adopting the fifteenth 

 amendment to the Constitution of the United 

 States having come before the Legislature, the 

 Democratic members and a portion of the 

 Conservative Republicans opposed its consid- 

 eration, on the ground that, at the time of the 

 election at which they were chosen, the ques- 



