SCINDE.
Ix is to be hoped that Government will not ratify the annexation of Scinde to our Indian empire.
Leaving out of view the question whether it has been honourably acquired, which governments are at all times too apt to disregard,— leaving out of view the inconsistency of the act in the Governor- General who censured Lord AUCKLAND, and the Ministers who approved of the censure, which is in a great measure a personal question,—there are good solid grounds for believing that the ac- quisition of Scinde will be most injurious to our interests in the East.
If we retain possession of Seinde, it will for many years occasion a continued drain on the Indian treasury. Our supremacy is even more distasteful to the mass of the population than to their late rulers. The country must be held by an armed force, to suppress constantly-recurring insurrections, and incursions from the pre- datory hill-tribes. The country is at present too poor to sup- port a costly Anglo-Indian government ; and the unsettlement of illl social relations by British usurpation, and by the rash claptrap interference with slavery, will keep it from growing richer. The surplus revenue derived from the taxation of the Presidencies, in- stead of being applied to promote industry and civilization, will be thrown away to retain possession of a province separated from them by a broad desert, and only accessible at one extremity of the frontier by a circuitous land-journey, at the other by a coast- ing-voyage, impracticable during three months of the year.
The trade of the Indus is too insignificant to counterbalance this expenditure. At present, too, it is mainly a transit-trade. Any importance the Indus may possess, is as a channel by which to facilitate intercourse with the interior of Asia. One of the great emporiums of this commerce (Shikarpore) has fallen into our hands, but the other (Dera-Gazeh Khan) still belongs to the Sikhs : is that also to be occupied? If it was necessary for our com- mercial policy to occupy Scinde, it must be equally necessary to occupy the country of the Sikhs. Suppose that done—suppose the whole line of the Indus from Attock to the sea in our possession— still we shall not have advanced one hairbreadth toward an exten- sion of our commerce with Central Asia. The policy of Lord AUCKLAND has for years increased the difficulties and dangers of the caravan-trade through the countries of the Afghans and Beloo- chees ; and the policy of Lord ELLENBOROUGH will increase the jealousy of the rulers of Turkistan and the suspicious governments of Thibet. The commerce of the valley of the Indus and of Central Asia was trifling at the best ; but our usurpation will destroy the one, and apprehensions of our advance the other. The establish- ment of a just fair within our frontier on the Sutledge, as suggested by the late Sir ALEXANDER BURNES, would have insured the gradual development of the commerce of the Indus and the regions beyond it, and would have cost nothing : the occupation of Scinde will cost much, it has destroyed the trade for a time, and rendered the command of the river-navigation valueless. There are other mischiefs likely to arise from this foolish act of Lord ELLENBOROUGH, more remote perhaps, but scarcely less cer- tain. The jealous care with which the land-frontier of China is guarded is well known. Every year, pilgrims on their way to Mecca resort from that frontier, and even from within it, to Kurrachi in Scinde, or to Sunmiani, a port not far distant from it, and sometimes to Bombay. They will carry back with them the news of British usurpation, exaggerated by the devotees' hatred of men who profess another religion. The intelligence will be communicated to the Court of China, and obstruct our yet uncompleted commercial ne- gotiations with that state. The mere retarding of a definite settle-
ment as to the footing on which we are to trade with China, is, in the present economical condition of the country, a serious evil ; but misunderstandings may lead to renewed hostilities, and to what is moat of all to be deprecated, the occupation of additional terri- tories in China.
There are therefore substantial selfish grounds for repudiating
the conquests of the pacific, unaggressive Lord ELLENBOROUGIL And in addition to their impolicy in an economical point of view, comes what was waived at the outset in order that this position might be established independently of any extraneous considera- tion. Imputations—plausible imputations—are thrown out against
the honour and integrity of the measures by which the new territory has been acquired. The national honour should after all be the first thing to be attended to. Shall it be said, without inquiry, and without restitution if injustice has been done, that the Emirs of Scinde have been bullied into hostilities to obtain a pretext for dethroning them ?
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