CURRENT LITERATURE.
Proceedings of the Royal Colonial Institute, 1888-89. Edited by the Secretary. (Sampson Low and Co.)—This volume contains the proceedings of the Institute for the year ending June, 1889. Among the papers is one on " Western Australia," containing many interesting details as to the resources of the Colony. One is not less inclined to hesitate, after reading it, about handing over the greater part of it without conditions to the forty odd thousand people, the population of a fourth-rate English town, who happen now to inhabit it. Another Australian Colony described is Tasmania (by Mr. Braddon, the Agent-General). Sir Lepel Griffin contributes a paper on the " Native Princes of India and their Relations with the British Government," a vigorous and outspoken document, as every one will readily believe. Sir Lepel is strongly in favour of the colonisation of Kashmir, of whose rulers past and present he speaks with admirable plainness. But he thinks little better of other Indian Princes than be does of the race of Gholab Singh. "There is no reason to conceal the truth that in the vast majority of Native States the mad-administration is phenomenal ; tyranny and ex- tortion the rule ; while the officials, from the highest to the lowest, are hopelessly corrupt." It is only right to give the exceptions which Sir Lepel names :—" Nahan, in the Himalayas ; Nabha, in the Punjab ; Oorcha, in Central India." But what are these among so many ? Oorcha contains about a quarter of a million people. Of Nahan and Nabha we can find no statistics. Unfortunately, the people of India hold us responsible for these abuses, so that, as the writer of the paper puts it, we do not even get the advantage of the drunken Helot.
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