FORCES OF THE NATIVEINDIAN PRINCES.

Kumara Times, Issue 669, 19 November 1878, Page 2

FORCES OF THE NATIVEINDIAN PRINCES.

It is a singular commentary (says the London correspondent of the Argus) on the ridiculous coup de theatre by which Lord Beaconstield attempted to make np for the numerical weakness of the British army in Europe by the assist* ance of a detachment of 8000 native soldiers from India, that the Ministerial papers have, suddenly discovered that the forces of the native princes are a disturbing element in Indian politics. The British army in India, European and native, is 200,000 Strong. The native princes could bring into the fie'd 300,000 men. The nileis.of Nepaul and Cashmere have large armies, and they are independent princes, who help to guard our frontier, but who might assail it. The Nizam has 50,000 welltrained troops, and the three Mahratta States between 50,000 and 60,000. Scindiah has 22,000, and the other feudatory princes nearly 100,000 amongst them. Uutil recently it was the fashion to deride these native soldiers, and to represent' them as armed with weapons which were only dangerous to the persons who fired them off. Now we are told that the Indian founderies turn out excellent caution and rifl-v ; that every improvement which Europem skill cm devise is in,rroduced int.o native tactics ; and that if only the Nizam and the Mahratta princes desiivd to strike a blow they might be extremely dangerous. There is no doubt that the despatch of a small Indian contingent to Malta gives the' natives of Hindustan."a notion of their prowess which they never entertained before.