232 TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



of any woman, ruin any man, and, in general, gratify 

 their wishes, however unwarrantable these may be. 

 Though a step in the right direction, the mere 

 creation of courts of justice does not meet this evil 

 so long as the judges can be displaced at will ; and 

 to place native judges in very independent positions 

 might be to make them independent fountains of 

 corruption and oppression. I saw that the chief 

 court of Jiinaghar followed a regular course of pro- 

 cedure, but cannot vouch for it in other respects, nor 

 do I know of anything against it. The advantage 

 which has been conferred on India by the fair ad- 

 ministration of justice by Englishmen of high char- 

 acter is incalculable ; but I doubt if the value of that 

 administration is at all properly appreciated by the 

 natives of India. They distrust native judges alto- 

 gether, and never like personally to go before such 

 an administrator unless he happens to be of their own 

 caste ; but still very many of them would prefer to 

 see native administrators of justice appointed in pref- 

 erence to English ones. In almost the same breath 

 an educated native will betray a desire that all the 

 judicial appointments of India should be filled by his 

 own countrymen, and express his profound distrust of 

 every native who is in such an appointment. By his 

 own countrymen he really means himself, and gives 

 vent to his very natural desire to obtain for himself 

 (at any cost to the country) a place of what to him 

 would be high emolument. But when he speaks of 



