A History of the Mahrattas v2.c36.24

v2.c36.24

Although the choice was more than questionable in regard to the mere military aid they could afford, yet the political effect was very considerable; and had the Deccan become, as the Coromandel coast had been, the theatre of war with France, this enterprising march would have proved of much importance in raising friends to the English, and in spreading opinions of their power essential to their preservation. In England, however, in the language of the day, it was considered one of ‘the frantic military exploits’ of Mr. Hastings¹; but had the English Councils in India not been at various periods guided by men whose views and genius went far beyond the ordinary opinions of their contemporaries, the British Empire in India might never have existed;—nor is it too much to suppose that we should at this moment have lamented our errors in the overgrown prosperity of our European rival, the exhaustion of our resources, or perhaps the annihilation of our power.