326 COFFEE. 



thousand persons, many of tliem natives, are employed in the 

 civil service, which is based upon that of England, the principal 

 features of which are : 1st, competitive examinations in order to 

 secure properly qualified persons ; 2d, permanence in office, with 

 a regular system of promotion for faithful service ; 3d, a pen- 

 sion on retirement, in proportion to length of service. When we 

 in America embody these features in our civil service, we will 

 have honest and efficient management in our public service and 

 tranquillity and prosperity in business affau's ; but when men are 

 turned out of office, no matter how faithfully they have served 

 the country, to make room for the political henchmen of members 

 of Congress, and an opportunity is afforded every four years foi* 

 eighty thousand " outs " to try and oust eighty thousand " ins," 

 we cannot expect either a satisfactory public service or a prosper- 

 ous state of business. In 1876 England maintained in India an 

 army of about sixty thousand Europeans, and one hundred and 

 thirty thousand native or Sepoy troops, while the military force or 

 retainers of the native chiefs numbered, all told, about three hun- 

 dred and eighteen thousand. If these were a unit against British 

 rule, England might have hard work to maintain her position — 

 a fact that she well understands, and, therefore, carefully fosters 

 the rivalries and jealousies of the rival chiefs, for which they are 

 noted. These, in connection with the improved means of com- 

 munication and the occupation of strategic points with white troops, 

 makes her position, as before stated, almost impregnable. 



In religious matters she does not interfere, and in this respect 

 everybody is free to follow his own preferences. It is estimated 

 that of the two hundred millions of population, about one hundred 

 and sixty millions are Hindoos, forty millions Mahomedans, and 

 about eight hundred and fifty thousand are Christians, of whom 

 more than six hundred thousand are Catholics, resident principally 

 in the south of India. 



" Caste " is one of the prominent features in Hindoo life, and 

 furnishes a most interesting study in itself. It is really a division 

 of the population into several ranks, each of which is profaned by 

 coming into contact with the others, or with Europeans ; formerly 

 infractions of many of the mles of caste were punished by death, 

 but now, under English government, this practice has been abol- 



