Introduction
Samuel Smiles’s biography of George and Robert Stephenson opens with a heartfelt appreciation of the social and economic progress brought by the railways. He describes how this peculiarly British invention had by the 1870s already reached most European countries and beyond, and of course he could not fail to mention the railways of India.
WHEN Edmund Burke, in 1783, arraigned the British Government for their neglect of India, he said: “England has built no bridges, made no high roads, cut no navigations, dug out no reservoirs... Were we to be driven out of India this day, nothing would remain to tell that it had been possessed, during the inglorious period of our dominion, by anything better than the ourang-outang or the tiger.”
But that reproach no longer exists. Some of the greatest bridges erected in modern times — such as those over the Sone near Patna,* and over the Jumna at Allahabad* — have been erected in connection with the Indian railways. More than 5000 miles are now at work, and they have been constructed at an expenditure of about £88,000,000 of British capital,* guaranteed by the British Government, uniting Bombay with Madras on the south, and with Calcutta on the north-east — while a great main line unites the mouths of the Hooghly in the Bay of Bengal with those of the Indus in the Arabian Sea.
Abridged
The Koilwar Bridge in Bihar, about 25 miles from Patna in north east India, completed in 1862. It was the longest bridge in India until 1900, when surpassed by the nearby Upper Sone Bridge (Nehru Setu). The Sone is known today as the River Son.
The Old Naini Bridge at Allahabad (see picture above), some 200 miles west of Patna in north east India, where the Jumna (known today as the Yamuna) flows into the Ganges.
£88m in 1870 equates to about £8bn today in real terms. However, there are other ways of measuring the equivalence, e.g. in terms of opportunity cost or labour value, which would mean that to do the same again today would cost far more than this. See Measuring Worth.
Précis
Samuel Smiles recalled that in 1783, Edmund Burke had criticised the British government for doing too little for India. That, Smiles said, had now changed with the building of railways, a massive investment in India which had brought unmistakable signs of a progressive economy such as bridges that were the marvel of their day. (54 / 60 words)
Samuel Smiles recalled that in 1783, Edmund Burke had criticised the British government for doing too little for India. That, Smiles said, had now changed with the building of railways, a massive investment in India which had brought unmistakable signs of a progressive economy such as bridges that were the marvel of their day.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 60 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 50 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: although, despite, or, otherwise, ought, since, unless, whether.
Archive
Word Games
Jigsaws Based on this passage
Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Inglorious. Modern. Say.
2 Dig. Great. Would.
3 Bridge. Remain. Unite.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Confusables Find in Think and Speak
In each group below, you will find words that are similar to one another, but not exactly the same. Compose your own sentences to bring out the similarities and differences between them, whether in meaning, grammar or use.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
Add Vowels Find in Think and Speak
Make words by adding vowels to each group of consonants below. You may add as many vowels as you like before, between or after the consonants, but you may not add any consonants or change the order of those you have been given. See if you can beat our target of common words.
pld (10+1)
paled. pealed. peeled. piled. plaid. plead. pled. plied. plod. pooled.
upload.
You are welcome to share your creativity with me, or ask for help with any of the exercises on Clay Lane. Write to me at this address:
See more at Email Support.
If you like what I’m doing here on Clay Lane, from time to time you could buy me a coffee.
Buy Me a Coffee is a crowdfunding website, used by over a million people. It is designed to help content creators like me make a living from their work. ‘Buy Me a Coffee’ prides itself on its security, and there is no need to register.
