THE CLOUD IN NORTH AFRICA.
[TO TUE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR:'] SIB,—In an article headed "The Cloud in North Africa," in the Spectator of March 10th, I note you say : "At this moment all the fighting races, Sikh, Ghoorka, and Malratta, are Hindoo." This is a somewhat misleading statement. Are we to consider the Pathan, the Afridi, the Punjabi Mahon], medan, and the Rajput Mussulman as unwarlike races? A large proportion of our best Indian native troops is recruited from these classes. In your enumeration of the Hindoo fighting races you omit the Rajput proper, the finest warrior clan in Hindostan, and only too rarely represented at present in our ranks. As an habitual reader of the Spectator I depre- cate your frequent advertisement of the soldierly virtues of the Sikh and the Ghoorka, to the neglect of other equally valuable varieties of the Indian sepoy. This attitude of your contributors is often a cause for comment among those having recent experience of our native Indian Army.—I am, Sir, &c., H. BERKELEY HILL, Captain. Hales, near Market Drayton, Staffordshire.
[Since when have the Pathan and the Afridi been considered Indians ? We had no intention whatever of representing the Mussulmans of India as unwarlike, but the specially warlike races are those we named.—En. Spectator.]
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