270 
EXPANSION OF ENGLAND. 
[lsct. 
1839 and 1850, but of this the first part was unfortunate, 
and only the second part led to conquests, of which it fell 
to Lord Dalhousie to reap the harvest. 
Now there was no correspondence whatever in time 
between these territorial advances and the advance of 
trade. Thus we remarked how insignificant the trade of 
India still was in 1811, and yet this was shortly after the 
vast annexations of Lord Wellesley. On the other hand 
trade took a great leap about 1830, and this is one of the 
peaceful intervals of the history. About the time of the 
mutiny annexation almost ceased, and yet the quarter of 
a century in which no conquests have been made has been 
a period of the most rapid growth in trade. 
And thus the assertion which is often made and which 
seems to be suggested by a rapid survey of the history, 
the assertion namely that the Empire is the mere result 
of a reckless pursuit of trade, proves to be as untrue as the 
other assertion sometimes made, that it is the result of a 
reckless spirit of military aggression. 
Our first step to empire was very plainly taken with 
a view simply of defending our factories. The Madras 
Presidency grew out of an effort, which in the first instance 
was quite necessary, to protect Fort St George and Fort 
St David from the French. The Bengal Presidency grew 
in a similar way out of the evident necessity of protecting 
Fort William and punishing the Mussulman Nawab of 
Bengal, Surajah Dowlah, for his atrocity of the Black 
Hole. 
So far then the causation is clear. In the period 
which immediately followed, the revolutionary and corrupt 
period of British India, it is undeniable that we were 
hurried on by mere rapacity. The violent proceedings of 
Warren Hastings at Benares, in Oude, and Rohilcund