[To THE EDITOR OP THY "SPECTATOR. "]
SIR,—I hope that Sir Bampfylde Fuller's letter in your issue of the 23rd inst. will attract the attention of old Indian officers, especially of those who have passed through the Indian Civil Service, and we shall have numerous letters on the subject of the training of British officials for Indian service, so that it may be thoroughly ventilated, and the opinions of men competent to form a trustworthy one on it from actual experience in India may be elicited in addition to that of your correspondent.
It must be remembered that the opportunities for acquiring the knowledge of the habits, conditions, and sentiments of the peoples (I put this purposely in the plural number) of India differ considerably in the various positions in which British officials are there placed. For instance, how can a man in the Judicial branches of the Service who has to adjudicate in the comparatively few cases falling under the Penal Code that are committed for trial by Magistrates, and in such cases as appertain to moneylending and private contracts in civil matters generally, gain the experience necessary to enable him to form a right judgment in such as affect the daily life of a rayat or cultivator of the soil P Sir B. Fuller's letter calls attention to the proceedings of the Committee sitting under the presidency of Lord Cromer as chairman, and appears to be in favour of the establishment of a College or Colleges in India in which young officers could be trained in various ways, and fitted for such duties as may be allotted to them. But I would call attention to the point that no College could be established of which the Professors, European or native, would be possessed of such universal rndian knowledge as would fit them to be the guides, philosophers, and friends in all respects of men destined to conduct the general administration of such a vast continent as that of India, with its varieties of peoples, manners, and customs.
It appears to me, then, that a far more practical method of giving the necessary training to the budding administrators in question, as soon as the Department to which they are to be permanently attached has been settled, will be to place them in a position to see its actual working. I would accredit a young man entering the Revenue and Magisterial branch of the Bombay and Madras Civil Services to the smartest Collector and Magistrate known to the Government for several months of the camping season, where he would see him actually at work, hearing reports from his subordinates, listen- ing to and answering petitions from rayats and others, usually presented daily, and giving the necessary orders for their dis- posal. In the case of an officer destined for the Political Department I would similarly attach him to the office of some
able Resident at a native Court or Political Agent, or in that of a young policeman to that of a Police Commis- sioner. It would be an advantage to the neophyte occa- sionally to be deputed to report in special cases to the head of his office the measures he would recommend for adoption, in order to instil into the mind of the learner a sense of his responsibility and the importance of his work.
I believe that this method of practical training would far sooner fit a young officer for practical work, and teach him the modes, manners, and customs of the people over whom he was eventually to rule, than a far longer period of attendance in such Colleges as seem to be proposed.
Circumstances would, of course, vary in the different Presi- dencies with the varied appointments to be filled, but for practical and efficient training I believe such a system as that now briefly outlined would be the most speedy and efficacious and the least expensive that could be adopted.
I speak from an experience of thirty-two years in the Bombay Civil Service, and hope to find the question ventilated by others in your impartial columns.—I am, Sir, &c., ALEX. ROGERS (late Bombay C.S.)
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