even long before we do so, we shall have a hundred expenses to meet, presents to make, provisions to buy for our return journey, goods to purchase, and what in Spain are pleasantly called "gratifications" to bestow on the itching palms of Sirdars and Khans and greedy chiefs galore. We must therefore have money, but not coin; for we are entering a land where the sight of a gold piece will be the most certain method of meeting the fate which the gods decree for those they love. As we have as yet no desire for a sudden death, we seek a "shroff," who will give us a letter of credit-some kind of circular note, "of no value to any one but the owner." We have no difficulty in obtaining this, and, indeed, in Shikarpore bankers are proportionately more numerous than in the City of London, and for our purposes infinitely more so.* We e are recommended to one as more than ordinarily honest-or, rather, it would be better to say, less thievish than usual—that is, he will be strictly upright in his dealings so long as his credit is at stake, but when self-interest will allow him to steal, then the client has really no chance with him. He is a miserable, wizened-looking wretch, on whose countenance avarice has set its seal, and who, though probably worth a lac or two of rupees,† will submit to almost any indignity to increase the hoard. His turban and waist-cloth were once white (though not recently); his hand holds a rosary; behind his ear is a long reed pen, and over his shoulder he wears the thread of the "thrice-born." He is a Brahmin, and therefore scorns the rest of the world-and his present customer among the rest; yet he cringes to us, as he would cringe to the meanest Sindhian who ever wore a turban, if he saw his way to make an anna out of him. The Moslem fanatics curse his shaven pate, and though he could buy the principality of the mountaineers who insult him, yet nothing in the world would induce him to return insult for insult-nothing, indeed, but an attempt to steal one of the piles of copper or silver before him. Then all the gods of his fathers, all the incarnations of Siva and Brahma and Vishnu would not suffice to ease the Hindoo Shylock's mind of the latent execrations with which it is laden. The Hindoo Shikarporees are pre-eminently bankers, and in less than a century-for they were only allowed to migrate hither in 1786-have extended their operations over half of Asia. From China to Turkey, from Astrakhan to Hyderabad, a Shikarporee letter of credit can be easily cashed in almost any considerable town. The Shikarporee Hindoos, whom Timur Shah, the Afghan monarch, first permitted to settle here, chiefly belonged to Lohana and Bhatia castes, common in Scinde and the southern part of the Punjab, and by their enterprise have made Shikarpore what it is. Without question or demur, six months' journey from this remote Sindhian bazaar, the signature of that miserable-looking wretch-to whom, not without forebodings as to their latter end, we have pail our rupees-will be honoured by the condescending cashier of the Agra or London and Delhi, or by some shrivelled, rag-enveloped "anatomy" in Cabul or Candahar. "anatomy" in Cabul or Candahar. His circular note is called a * In these notes, throughout which it is hardly necessary to say I owe nearly everything to Captain Burton's works on Sindh, the famous bazaar at Shikarpore is spoken of as it used to be some years ago. Kurrachee has, however, now absorbed much of its trade, and in time will supersede it as the meeting-place of the nations. A lac is 100,000; a crore is 10,000,000. "Hundi," and is written in execrable calligraphy on a piece of bank-note paper, but the reader will see that it is so worded as to put the possibility of "raising" out of the field. Forgery is equally difficult, for the note has private marks, only known to the "shroff " and his correspondents, who would accordingly instantly detect the most cleverly-manufactured "Hundi." Here is a free translation: "1. True is the deity Sri.* "1. To the worthy of every respect: may you be always in good health. May you always be happy, Mr. Brother Jesu Mal. "2. From Shikarpore, written by Kisordas; read his compliments. "3. And further, sir, this one hundi of 1,000 rupees I have written on you in numerals, and in letters rupees 1,000, and the half, which is five hundred, of which the double is one thousand complete: dated.. .of................................in the year of Vikramaditya;† to be paid at ...........after the term of.. .......days to the bearer: the money to be of the currency of the place. In the year of Vikramaditya, &c. &c." If you have no money you can be "accommodated.” A "Sahib" is generally considered good security, though to be sure, if you are bound to a region of evil report-say to Cabul-you must pay something extra-say 15 per cent. For what says the Sindhian proverb: "Meet a cobra and an Afghan-kill the Afghan!" However, we have no intention of testing the wisdom of the advice, for we have still something to say about India proper, and about the tributary States, foreign settlements, and finances of that country. CHAPTER X. INDIA: NATIVE STATES: FOREIGN POSSESSIONS. In the preceding chapter, while speaking of the different Presidencies and provinces, we have had occasion more than once to refer to native States comprised within their bounds. These States are, in the vast majority of cases, only nominally independent. They are ruled by native princes, who owe allegiance, either as tributaries or as direct suffragans, to England, the cases in which they are actually "sovereign powers" being few. Even then, they must conduct themselves in a manner agreeable to the English "raj," otherwise they speedily discover that their independence is little more than a paper euphemism. In the brief sketch which follows the admirable account of Colonel Malleson will for the most part be followed, though in its compilation other authorities have also been consulted. The exhaustive work of the gallant guardian of the Maharajah of Mysore is, however, so complete that it was almost impossible to glean any facts into our narrow compass that had not already been found *This is the invariable preamble; but what is the meaning of "14," no one, not even the "shroff" himself, seems to know. + The founder of a Hindoo era. and sifted in that treatise.* Accordingly, following his arrangement, we may first notice those States which are in subsidiary alliance with the British Government; next the mediatised and minor provinces, those which, though "under the suzerainty of, are not in direct alliance with, the British Government;" and finally—but in another chapter-Beloochistan, Nepaul, Gurkha, Sikkim, Bhotan, Afghanistan, and Persia, which in different degrees may be said to be independent. Beloochistan and the now broken-up kingdom of Afghanistan can hardly be said to be their own masters. Nepaul and the three States classed with it are more so, while Persia is, of course, though in close relation with India, a power-theoretically, at leastas much independent as Russia and China, both of which are becoming our close neighbours. Burmah and Siam we have already fully considered, so that their relative degrees of independence need not be further discussed. There may be said to be four great epochs in Indian history. The first is that early unhistorical one in which the Hindoo race lived more or less peaceably, and advanced to the high stage of culture which we know it possessed at the period when first we became acquainted with it, from more exact sources than traditionary poems and monuments, which tell a tale after the manner in which the questioner chooses to interpret them. When Mahmud of Ghuznee invaded the country, in the eleventh century, the Moslem epoch began. Under his rule the native kingdom-and more especially those peopled by the fine race of Rajputs-enjoyed a great degree of prosperity and even of independence, a favour which in varying degrees was extended to them under his more or less able successors. But with the rise of the warlike Mahrattas the Mogul Empire fell, and with it the large measure of freedom enjoyed by the other native princes. The Mahrattas continued to rule over large portions of the country, either directly or as suzerains, until, in 1818, the English, for good and all, crushed them. From that date the British era for India may be dated. Little by little-and sometimes very rapidly-the area of the native States of India has been, by the force of circumstances, circumscribed, nor unless some great misfortune befalls our race is it likely that the country under the rule of Hindoo or Mohammedan princes will ever be much extended. Indeed, the chances are that the little kingdoms will merge into the greater empire, either by the wish of the people or by the folly of their sovereigns, and thus be fortunate enough to share directly in the newer and better régime which may in the future dawn on India under the wiser rule of its latest conquerors. However, there are still 600,000 square miles-three times the area of the German Empire, nearly five times that of the United Kingdom, three times that of France, and not much short of a sixth as great an area as is comprised by the United States-under native princes. This region is inhabited by nearly 50,000,000 peopleas many as there are in North America, and fully 15,000,000 more than are contained in the British Islands-comprising some of nearly all the nationalities which find their homes within the bounds of Hindostan. They do not, it is almost needless to say, live all in one great tract of country, but are scattered over the whole of the empirehere a small kingdom and there a large one, in the midst of this Presidency several, * "An Historical Sketch of the Native States of India in Subsidiary Alliance with the British Government" (1875). |