On Monday at Jodhpur Lord Mintz read in Durbar a
Procla- mation which the King has addressed to the Princes and peoples of India. The occasion was the fiftieth anniversary of the assumption of the government of India by the Crown. The proclamation says : " We survey our labours of the past half-century with clear gaze and good conscience." Difficulties there have been, but they have been faced by the servants of the Crown " with toil and courage and patience, with deep counsel, and a resolution that has never faltered nor shaken." That is a generous tribute to the Indian Civil Service, but it is no more than is deserved. The Proclamation then alludes to the Charter of 1858, with its promise of just government. In spite of the redemption of the promises made by Queen Victoria, there have been plots against the Government, and it is now " a paramount duty to repress with a stern arm guilty conspiracies that have no just cause and no serious aim." The Proclamation next makes the announteniefiti customary on such occasions, that the sentences on persons who have offended against the law will be reduced or remitted in various degrees. And we may anticipate here, and mention that at the end of the Proclamation there is a welcome promise of rewarding at the New Year the "splendid discipline" and "faithful readiness of service" of the Indian troops.
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