of a ryot for a balance of rent is now a rare occurrence. On the 30th of September last the number of persons in gaol under this presidency, confined by the several Collectors for arrears of rent, was forty-five; but of these only two were ryots-the rest were adventurers, who generally engage in farming the sale of spirits, intoxicating drugs, and tobacco, and are usually fraudulent defaulters. When we consider that the land-rent is collected from 954,952 individuals holding immediately of Government, this result is extremely satisfactory.

the ruling

Government.

Our great error in this country, during a long course of Innovation years, has been too much precipitation in attempting to better vice of our the condition of the people, with hardly any knowledge of the means by which it was to be accomplished, and indeed without seeming to think that any other than good intentions are necessary. It is a dangerous system of Government, in a country of which our knowledge is very imperfect, to be constantly urged, by the desire of settling everything permanently, to do everything in a hurry, and in consequence wrong, and, in our zeal for permanency, to put the remedy out of our reach. The ruling vice of our Government is innovation; and its innovation has been so little guided by a knowledge of the people, that, though made after what was thought by us to be mature discussion, it must appear to them as little better than the result of mere caprice. We have in our anxiety to make everything as English as possible in a country which resembles England in nothing, attempted to create at once, throughout extensive provinces, a kind of landed property which had never existed in them; and in the pursuit of this object, we have relinquished the rights which the sovereign always possessed in the soil, and we have in many cases deprived the real owners, the occupant ryots, of their proprietary rights, and bestowed them on zemindárs and other imaginary landlords. Changes like these can never As instanced effect a permanent settlement in any country; they are rather calculated to unsettle whatever was before deemed permanent. We erroneously think that all that is necessary for the permanent settlement of a country is, that Government should limit its own demand, and that it is of no consequence by whom this demand is collected; and that, provided the amount be not exceeded, the ryot is not injured, whether he pay it

by the

creation of

zemindárs.

T

Necessity for

an accurate

survey of

each pro

vince.

to the officer of Government or to a newly created zemindár landlord. But nothing can be more unfounded than this opinion, or more mischievous in its operation; for it is a matter not of indifference, but of the highest importance, by whom the Government land-rent is collected and paid. Every proprietor or ryot, great and small, ought to pay his own rent and that of his tenants, when he has any, to the Government officer. If, instead of doing this, some hundreds of proprietary ryots are made to pay their public rents to a zemindár, they will soon lose their independence, become his tenants, and probably end by sinking into the class of labourers. Such an innovation would be much more fatal to the old rights of property than conquest by a foreign enemy; for such a conquest, though it overthrew the Government, would leave the people in their former condition. But this internal change, this village revolution, changes everything, and throws both influence and property into new hands it deranges the order of society: it depresses one class of men for the sake of raising another: it weakens the respect and authority of ancient offices and institutions, and the local administration conducted by their means is rendered much more difficult. It is time that we should learn that neither the face of a country, its property, nor its society, are things that can be suddenly improved by any contrivance of ours, though they may be greatly injured by what we mean for their good; that we should take every country as we find it, and not rashly attempt to regulate its landed property, either in its accumulation or division; that, whether it be held by a great body of ryots, or by a few zemindárs, or by a mixture of both, our business is not with its distribution, but with its protection; and that if, while we protect, we assess it moderately, and leave it to its natural course, it will in time flourish, and assume that form which is most suitable to the condition of the people.

I have in the course of this Minute urged again and again the expediency of lowering our land revenue, and of establishing a moderate and fixed assessment, because I am satisfied that this measure alone would be much more effectual than all other measures combined, in promoting the improvement both of the country and of the people. But before we can lower the land revenue to the best advantage, we ought to

revenue

lowered

when ciradmit of a and raised

cumstances

reduction,

know clearly what it is we are giving up. As the information requisite for this purpose can only be obtained from an accurate survey of each province, these surveys, where still wanting, should be undertaken wherever the Collectors are equal to the task. When completed, they will furnish a groundwork on which the land revenue of the country may with safety hereafter be lowered or raised, according to circumstances. We should look forward to a time when it may The land be lowered. India should, like England, be relieved from a should be part of her burdens whenever the state of affairs may permit such a change. Whatever surplus might remain after the payment of all civil and military charges, and of all charges connected with the improvement or protection of the country, should be remitted. The remission granted in peace might be again imposed in war, and even something additional. This would probably obviate, in a great degree, the necessity of raising loans on the recurrence of war. The people would bear the addition willingly, when they knew that it was for a temporary object; and the remission which had been previously granted would dispose them the more readily to place confidence in the assurance of Government, that the increase was not intended to be made permanent.

again in time

of war.

THE SUPERINTENDENCE OF TANK REPAIRS.

Unnecessary correspondence and delays in connection with the

repair of tanks.

Remedies proposed.

Advantages of the

proposed changes.

8th August, 1825.

THE present system under which the repairs of tanks are conducted, leads to much unnecessary correspondence, and to inconvenient delays in commencing upon the works, which, I think, might be remedied by adopting the following alterations:

1st. The whole of the Tank Department, including the Inspector-General and his office at the Presidency, to be placed under the immediate directions of the Board of Revenue.

2nd. All communications on the subject of tank repairs, roads, and choultries to be addressed by Collectors and Civil Engineers, as at present, to the Inspector, who will conduct the duties of the department in communication with, and under the orders of, the Board of Revenue, corresponding by order of the Board direct with Government, the Collectors, and Civil Engineers.

3rd. As it is proper, however, that Government should have the advantage of receiving the individual opinion of the Inspector in cases where it might differ from that of the Board, he should be at liberty to record it whenever he might think his doing so would be for the good of the service.

4th. The chief advantages which would result from this change would be:-(1) Greater celerity in the despatch of business, which, in the Tank Department, is of the first importance; (2) the rendering unnecessary the frequent correspondence and references between the Board of Revenue and Inspector-General, which now occupy much of the time of both officers; (3) the settling at once of all questions involving revenue, by personal communication with the Board;

(4) the superior weight which the directions and suggestions. of the Inspector-General would have with Collectors and Civil Engineers, when issued under the orders and known to be the sentiments of the Board; and (5) the benefit of a ready reference to the records of both officers.

5th. The present system has perhaps too much the effect of removing responsibility from the Collector, and of making him take less interest than before its introduction in watching over the due repairs of his tanks. It has also a tendency, by the length and minute detail of its estimate forms, to cause the proper season of repairs to be lost in waiting for the preparation of the estimate, and it gives allowances to the native surveyors educated at the expense of the Company, far beyond what persons in that class of life seem to be entitled to. The Board of Revenue, in communication with the Inspector-General, should be directed to revise the existing rules, and to suggest such alterations as would, in their opinion, remedy the defects which have been noticed, and at the same time secure the efficiency of the system.