Chapter 10

           Everybodyknowsthatthegreatreversedtriangleofland,withitsbaseinthenorthanditsapexinthesouth,whichiscalledIndia,embracesfourteenhundredthousandsquaremiles,uponwhichisspreadunequallyapopulationofonehundredandeightymillionsofsouls. TheBritishCrownexercisesarealanddespoticdominionoverthelargerportionofthisvastcountry,andhasagovernor-generalstationedatCalcutta,governorsatMadras,Bombay,andinBengal,andalieutenant-governoratAgra. 

           ButBritishIndia,properlysocalled,onlyembracessevenhundredthousandsquaremiles,andapopulationoffromonehundredtoonehundredandtenmillionsofinhabitants. AconsiderableportionofIndiaisstillfreefromBritishauthority;andtherearecertainferociousrajahsintheinteriorwhoareabsolutelyindependent. ThecelebratedEastIndiaCompanywasall-powerfulfrom1756,whentheEnglishfirstgainedafootholdonthespotwherenowstandsthecityofMadras,downtothetimeofthegreatSepoyinsurrection. Itgraduallyannexedprovinceafterprovince,purchasingthemofthenativechiefs,whomitseldompaid,andappointedthegovernor-generalandhissubordinates,civilandmilitary.ButtheEastIndiaCompanyhasnowpassedaway,leavingtheBritishpossessionsinIndiadirectlyunderthecontroloftheCrown. Theaspectofthecountry,aswellasthemannersanddistinctionsofrace,isdailychanging. 

           FormerlyonewasobligedtotravelinIndiabytheoldcumbrousmethodsofgoingonfootoronhorseback,inpalanquinsorunwieldlycoaches;nowfaststeamboatsplyontheIndusandtheGanges,andagreatrailway,withbranchlinesjoiningthemainlineatmanypointsonitsroute,traversesthepeninsulafromBombaytoCalcuttainthreedays. ThisrailwaydoesnotruninadirectlineacrossIndia. ThedistancebetweenBombayandCalcutta,asthebirdflies,isonlyfromonethousandtoelevenhundredmiles;butthedeflectionsoftheroadincreasethisdistancebymorethanathird. 

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