The despatches published bear out the worst accounts of the
Indian muddle. It is useless to go into details until the Par- liamentary statement has been made, but Lord Cranbrook distinctly admits that the " error " in the estimates is at least 24,000,000, besides one million thrown forward to the following year. On April 8th the Viceroy telegraphs that he cannot now estimate the amount necessary to go through the year, and that the drawings of 2450,000 a week must stop, or that he "cannot answer for the consequences." He evidently apprehended inability to cash the bills—that is, bankruptcy—and throughout his explanatory despatch there is an admission that we do not yet know the worst. He says the Military Depart- ment are still confident that the total cost of the Afghan war will not exceed ten millions, which is far beyond previous calculations, but that their estimate is not reconcilable with the outgoings. It will be noticed that a large portion of the deficit allowed for has been actually paid out, and the depletion of the balances must have been visible to the Indian Government every month.
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