About four years ago, after the close of the Tirah campaign, considerable excitement was caused all over India by a speech made by a prominent Panjab eiviliap, who was on the eve of retirement, in the presence of the assembled magnates of Simla in the Institute. He had the courage to! attack the policy of the Indian Government, as regards the origin and conduct of the war, before the very authors of tnt policy. Of course, there was a howl of official indignation all over India, but the non-official world chuckled demurely to itself and echoed "haber." The cause of attack was mainly directed against. the deafness of the Government of India to the advice of the local officials. You are probably aware that for several years the headquarters of the Punjab Governme has been located for several months during the year at Simla; the reason being that the else neighbourhood of the Lieut.-Governor Viceroy in deciding matters connected with the Punjab was necessary to help the the boundary policy. Now Lahore is already a good distance from the North-west Frontier, and from Lahore to Simla it is also a far ery, Tt therefore seems easy to understand how at this distance voices erying in the far wilderness of the Frontier were not always listened to. One of the results of this deafness was the giving up of the Khyber Forts, which led to the Tirah campaign, Several other mishaps in the conduct of the campsigu were also attributed to the high official ignorance of local conditions. Now, after lapse of several years, the seed thus sowy in the midst of official displeasure has borne fruit and Lord Curzon has resolved to establish a new Trans-Indus Province, to be entirely independent of the Pun-Jab, and which will have the managen of the Frontier States, This should give an ample field for the employzient of local knowledge and experience, so thnt the new Lieut.-Governor will not in future have an opportunity of saying that his warning voice has been unheeled. 'This step seems tobe universally approved throughout India by the Press, and one of the effects will be that the' headquarters of Panjab Government will in future have to find' summer resort on one of its own hills, and the Secretaries will no longer be able' to enjoy the luxuries and Viceregal sunshine of the Himalayan Capua,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.