Fall of the Mughal Empire v4.c59.s3.11

v4.c59.s3.11

By this time India had ceased to produce leaders, with the solitary exception of Mahādji Sindhia; I do not include Jaswant Rao Holkar, because after a short and fitful career, his genius crossed its limits and merged into madness. Thus, in war, which is the supreme test of a nation's efficiency, our people willingly accepted the leadership of foreigners and colourable imitations of foreigners. The clearest proof of India's failure to produce leaders from among her sons was, the fact of our Rajas giving the command of their armies to French and Portuguese mestizoes, Eurasian lads run away from school, without a tincture of English education, illiterate European sailors,† who used to dictate letters to their Indian clerks in Urdu for Persian, and even pure Indian black Christians of Goa.