The Indian Mirror
October 5, 1886

Legal Document No 15

(Extract)

The settlement of the Anglo-Indian-Cashmere means, in our opinion, the practical annexation of that State to the British Empire and as the presence of the Bangal is not very favorable to the quiet development of this scheme of annexation, their immediate departure and future exclusion from that State have really become a necessity of the situation … we do not know how far the Maharaja is to blame in respect to this affairs. Our own apprehension is that much pressure has been brought to bear on His Highness to compel the resignation of the Bengali officer in his State. These Bengalis are always thorn on the side of the foreign office and the officers of the political department and as the foreign office is evidently revolving some plans in regard to Kashmir that will not bear exposure to light, the removal of the Bengalis from position of influence in the State, necessarily considered the first step toward the accomplishment without disagreeable friction. The death of the old Maharaja was most unfortunate at this moment, and an the present ruling Prince very greatly needs advice and, guidance, the reported exodus of the Bengalis from Cashmere is the more to be regretted In course of time, too as Cashmere is to be shortly connected with British India by an extension of our Railways system. The Govt. may think fit to remove its summer residence from Simla to the "Happy Valley."

For no better place can possibly be selected for the purpose... It has been a veritable Naboths Vine Yeard, at which our Govt. has always been casting wistful eyes, longingly and lingeringly, and now under the plea of guarding India from Russian invasion, it is sought to colonise that territory with Anglo-Indians as a preliminary step, we believe, to its absolute annexation afterwards. The settlement of Kashmir with Anglo- Indians cannot fail to be followed up with the almost immediate absorption of the State …. We pity the lot of poor Cashmere and its Maharaja, and the present policy of Lord Dufferin in regard to that State is very much to be condemned. Lord Dufferin may imagine or plead, as we found him to do in regard to upper Burma, that he is justified by grave political reasons but such repeated acts of high-handedness will, we are afraid, lead to serious and unexpected disasters in the end. The Russian progress towards India may be put forward as an excuse for the present policy in connection with Cashmere, and, in trying to avert or remove danger, immediate peril is courted.