The Reign of Queen Victoria (Volume 1); A Survey of Fifty Years of Progress - Tapa blanda

Reseña del editor

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1887. Excerpt: ... INDIA. The portion of Indian history which is co-extensive with the reign of her Majesty Queen Victoria is crowded with events of which the detailed mention would far exceed the widest limits which could be assigned to this paper. I propose in the following pages to dwell only on events which suggest some general conclusion, or which show the greatness of the changes which have occurred in a half-century of unusual importance, or which seem to me to have been misinterpreted, or which throw some light on a number of grave problems which may some day have to be dealt with by this country as controlling the destinies of a vast and populous dependency. It will be an inevitable consequence, not only of the narrowness of my space, but of the limitation of my knowledge, that I shall in a great degree avoid military affairs, and confine myself to civil history. Extent of When her Majesty first ascended the throne, the group 1837 in of territories under British authority which is known as India did not include the two frontier provinces which now form part of it. The Punjab, or 'Country of the Five Rivers,' in the north-west, and, save a small portion, Burmah in the south-east, were still under native rulers, owing no allegiance to the British Government or the Crown. It is observable that, though several attempts have been made to frame a definition of India for legal and legislative purposes, none have been successfully constructed except one founded on historical facts. We have here an illustration of a truth which governs, or ought to govern, all speculation and discussion about India, that, strictly speaking, there is no such country. It is very doubtful whether a single common name for India exists among the populations whom we are in the habit of calling it...