Page:McCosh, John - Advice to Officers in India (1856).djvu/75

 I by no means wish to insinuate that Indian society is deficient inhospitality. On the contrary, no part of the world excels it in this virtue;and the frankness with which it is extended is one of the most agreeable features of the country. This is particularly conspicuous in the interior, where, from the scarcity of inns, such is most needed. The door of every house is open to the traveller, and a hearty welcome is found within. Indeed, most people esteem it as a compliment to have a draft made upon their hospitality.

5. PATRONAGE.—All military patronage is divided between the Governor General and the Commander-in-Chief; but the line of distinction is not easily discerned. All civil appointments are filled up by the Governor General, or the Lieutenant Governors, with a line of demarcation equally obscure to the general observer.

Patronage in India, as in most parts of the world, is too often dispensed, not according to merit, but according to the interest,in the ordinary sense of the word, possessed by the candidate for preferment. Nepotism is the most certain means of getting on; strong letters from influential parties at home is another; some are promoted for talent; some by mere accident, and some convert their brass into gold by their impudence and importunity; patronage is a sort of property, and the holders of it are as sparing of it as if it