Contempt for Commerce?

THE London correspondent of the Englishman in his account of the deputation of Lancashire millowners to Mr. Austen Chamberlain on the question of Indian representatives were allowed to make speeches expressive of Indian feeling. Evidently the writer did not like the speeches of Sir S.P. Sinha and of the Maharaja of Bikaner, but we are afraid he misrepresents one of them. Referring to the Maharaja of Bikaner's speech, he writes:-"By way of demonstrating the disinterestedness of the Maharaja, he said he belonged to the highest caste of the great Rajput race, addicted to military pursuits, and entertaining a contempt for trade or commerce." We are sure the Maharaja himself could not have said he or other military races in India have a contempt for trade or commerce. What he said probably was that the warrior classes in India were so faithful to the traditions of arms that they considered themselves unelevating to become tradesmen, &c.