INDIANS FOR HOME SERVICE.
London, 17th May 1859. Sra—Though we are not a military nation, yet our own safety and even the very desire for peace may force us to become so. Our military resources are at present in a miserably deficient state. We have a young small army, and notwithstanding the much reduced standard at which we now take men for the service, there is still a difficulty in finding good men. However little in this country we may admire the general policy. of Austria, there is no reason why we should object to borrow an idea from her. Austria, having antagonistic peoples to keep in order, does it in this way ; the sol- diers she raises in Hungary and Germany fight in Italy. Those she raises in Italy garrison Hungary and Germany, and the plan seems to succeed. Now we have many races to govern among the natives of India, we keep these in subjection by sending some hundred thousand Englishmen. Why should not the Sikh assist in garrisoning Gibraltar, Malta, Corfu, the Cape, and other possessions; for my part I see no objection to having here in England Punjabee Zouaves, Punjabce Light Dragoons. We might goon secure twenty thousand* efficient soldiers with broad shoulders, iron constitutions, who could in their strong right hands lift from the ground the miserable lads of 5 feet 3 inches we beg and buy in every town. We know to our coat the North-western Indian can fight; we know he is dangerous at home ; he might be valuable here. Then, why not try to get him ? We have other sources from which we might obtain men. Malta, for instance : the Maltese are flue-looking men, and there are plenty of them.
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