الانسحاب المقترح للقوات البريطانية من مورار وقاليور [ظ‎‎٩‎٧] (٣٢/١٢)

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be so useful for military purposes. For,
on the supposition of Morar having 1 been
abandoned, and a disturbance having
arisen at Gwalior, how could our troops be
sent by this railway to Gwalior, as the
Gwalior terminus would be in the hands
of the enemy ? Whereas, if Morar con
tinued to be occupied, that terminus would
of course be held by us, and the line
could be put to its full use. Therefore,
for political or military purposes, the rail
way to Gwalior would not be of much
importance unless Morar continued to be
held by our troops.
18. As to Morar having proved un
healthy, I admit that it holds a low place
in the sanatory roll of our military sta
tions. Whatever mortality there has been,
has, however, arisen chiefly from epidemic
cholera. The approach of this mysterious
disease is notoriously uncertain. No sta
tion is certainly liable to it—no station is
certainly safe from it. When, therefore,
cholera visitations are urged as a
reason for abandoning a station, I should
feel doubt on the subject. The disease
does not at all appear to be ende
mic ; that is, the place is not believed
to be permanently liable to visitations.
We may hope that it may be spared from
such in future; at all events there is no
reason for despairing. Again, there are
some stations (such, for instance, as
Peshawur) where there are known causes
of abiding and inevitable insalubrity. But
such is not at all the case with Morar.
The station lies in the midst of a fine
open country with no apparent cause of
insalubrity whatever. It was for years
occupied by a Native force with entire
welfare, and enjoyed a fair repute up to
the year 1860-61. If its salubrity is now
less than formerly, that may be (I should
say almost must be) owing to local
defects. There is a stream running by
the place, at one point dammed up into
an artificial lake. Possibly here may be
lurking the seed of sickness. Again, the
accommodation is incomplete; perhaps
that may be a cause of sickness. At all
events, I, for one, should not be prepared
as yet to give up Morar on sanatory
grounds. 19
19. Then it is urged that to give
up Morar will lead to a large finan
cial saving. In the first place, I
observe that the financial argmment,
however potent, would not ordinarily