280 TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



made before, and we proceeded to rectify it by making 

 one still greater. The Administration condoned the 

 unpardonable conduct of those who had witnessed the 

 horrors of the Mutiny without an attempt at inter- 

 ference ; and instead of steadily filling responsible 

 posts with able Englishmen, giving them sufficient 

 power to act, and instead of affording any fair scope 

 for the energies of the increasing mass of Englishmen 

 of various classes in India, it fell back again upon 

 the very expedient which had produced the Mutiny 

 that of pampering and pushing forward sections of 

 the native community whose interests were opposed 

 equally to those of the British Government and of 

 the great mass of the people, and sections which, thus 

 pushed forward under false and misleading preten- 

 sions of equality and liberty, could not but regard us 

 with the profoundest distrust and detestation. This 

 frightful mistake has borne its natural fruits. The 

 Prince of Wales and English sportsmen may visit 

 India pleasantly enough ; but that proves little. Let 

 us look at the matter from a statesmanlike point of 

 view from such a point of view as a Bismarck, a 

 Gortschakoff, or even Marshal MacMahon would take. 

 Suppose events in Europe required us to recall two- 

 thirds of our English soldiers from India, what would 

 be the result? Instead of India being a valuable 

 support to the British empire, as it might easily have 

 been made, it would be a source of weakness, distress, 

 and loss. The scenes of the Indian Mutiny might be 



