Proposed Withdrawal of British Troops from Morar and Gwalior [‎98r] (13/32)

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prevail against arguments relating to poli
tical and military safety. If the reten
tion of JVI orar be expensive, the expense
must necessarily be incurred for such
urgent reasons. The scheme consists in
completing, and, perhaps, in adding to,
the accommodation. If the present force
he not strengthened, then the work yet re
maining will not be great. If additional
accommodation is to be provided, then
the cost will be greater. But I believe
that the financial argument is wholly
illusory, and that no saving whatever
would accrue from the abandonment of
Morar. If the European regiment and
the artillery be withdrawn from Morar,
where are they to be placed ? They cannot
be sent to the Himalayan stations to be
cheaply housed there ; or if they were,
then the objections already submitted
would be intensified; for the political
danger would be increased. It would be,
indeed, an evil day for the British cause
if our European soldiers were to be
moved from places like Gwalior where
their services might be needed at any
instant, to hill stations whence they
could not be brought into action for
several days. The Morar troops, then,
on withdrawal would have to be can
toned at Agra, or at some neighbour
ing station in Hindostan. Not one of
the existing stations possesses the
spare accommodation which would be
required. Consequently new barracks
would have to be built somewhere for the
troops lately at Morar. In this case the
whole of the buildings would have to be
built ab initio, whereas at Morar some
at least have been built already. Eurther,
all the existing buildings at Morar
would be empty and useless, and the
money expended on them would be almost
wasted. So far, then, from there being
any saving from the withdrawal from
Morar, I fear that the difference might be
the other way, and that there would be
increased expense. 20
20. I cannot conclude this minute
without expressing the great regret I feel
on seeing that in two passages in the
present despatch of the Government of
India in 1871, reflection is cast on the
perfect good faith of the Government of
India of 1864. I deprecate these parti
cular expressions. “ It” (restoration of
the Eort to Scindiah) “ would restore
our character for good faith, which