Government on its native subjects, not only more suitable to their condition, but such as they can hardly abuse, I mean landed privileges and rights. These ought to be well defined, and their value such as not only to render their acquisition an object of desire and ambition, but, when obtained, confer on the possessor a certain degree of influence and respectability.

The mode in which this desirable object could be effected, with the best chance of success, is the redemption of the Indian land-tax, at twenty or twenty-five years' purchase, by the zumeendars—thus converting them from the character of perpetual leaseholders to a body of independent freeholders.

The formation of such a powerful middle class would bring a prodigious accession of strength to the Government, for the individuals could not fail to acquire that influence among their countrymen which is generally connected with extensive landed possessions, and the conviction that that influence depended on the stability of the Government would have the effect of commanding their exertions in its support with the energy which springs from selfinterest.

The principal objection to the redemption of the Indian land-tax which presents itself, is the acknowledged difficulty of finding any other productive source of revenue in India, where the land constitutes the only, or at least the most valuable, taxable commodity; consequently, the prospective rights of the Crown would be compromised, if the tax on land is redeemed by purchase, as it would be deprived of the only available resource it can look forward to when our Indian territories are transferred to it. This objection, however, derives its force from an assumed fact, which is clearly impossible, namely, the supposition that the measure is to be carried into execution throughout the whole of the British dominions at once, or even in the space of five or seven years. Now, to purchase a tax amounting to about fifteen millions per annum would require three hundred millions sterling. From whence is such a mass of wealth to come? We know that the amount of disposable capital in the hands of the richest natives is never very great, and as the number of sales must bear a proportion to the amount of capital they have at command to apply to that purpose, the redemption of the tax never can proceed at any other than a gradual pace, thus affording sufficient time for the growth of other sources of revenue to supply its place. We must not, however, forget that the Crown is mixed up with this question in more characters than the one I have mentioned. If it has rights to protect, it has also obligations to fulfil; and under this view of the case it is quite clear, that the transfer of the British territory in India must be accompanied with the debt which that territory is saddled with; it therefore cannot be a matter of any importance to the British ministers, whether they receive the territorial revenue as it now stands with its debt, or receive it without the debt, minus that portion which has been applied to its liquidation. It is impossible to say when it may be found necessary to change the mode of governing India through the East-India Company for another system, but it cannot take place in less than thirteen years, and it is highly probable, that if the system of redeeming the land-tax were to be carried into effect instanter, it could not, under the most favourable circumstances, suffer by the liquidation of the debt during that period; therefore, the prospective rights of the Crown are in no danger from the operation of such

a measure.

There is another feature in the system I have been describing, which appears objectionable to many well-informed persons, namely, its tendency to aggravate the evils which were inflicted on the Government by the permanent setAsiat.Journ.N.S.VOL.36.No.144.

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tlement. They say, that in that celebrated financial and political blunder, Lord Cornwallis had the same object in view which this measure aims at, that of giving to the zumeendars a permanent interest in the soil, and as a necessary consequence, a permanent interest in the stability of the Government, and that these expectations have been attended with nothing but repeated disappointments: the zumeendars, so far from being loyal and attached subjects to a Government which has done so much for them, always have been the most discontented and factious portion of the inhabitants of Bengal; and to heap more favours on them would only make them more factious still.

That a spirit of disaffection pervades the great body of Bengal zumeendars is evident enough; but that Lord Cornwallis should have expected any other consequences to follow from his settlement, only proves to what a degree inveterate prejudice will sometimes overpower the soundest judgment. In his precipitate haste to form a landed aristocracy, he appears to have quite lost sight of the imperfections of his favourite schemes; his zumeendars, so far from being landholders, in the sense in which that term is understood in England, were nothing more than farmers-general of the revenue, which they had to collect in detail from the cultivators (the real owners of the land), and pay over to Government that portion of the revenue for which they had contract. ed: a rate which was, unfortunately for Government, fixed in perpetuity. Now, this system carried within it the seeds of dissension, for it placed irresistible temptations in the way of the zumeendars, to give as little as possible to the Government, and to take all they could squeeze out of the cultivators. One would suppose, from the moderation of the assessment in 1793, that the zumeendars would have been too happy to hold these tenures on such easy terms, and that they would have performed their part of the contract with cheerful alacrity; but this is not human nature in Asia, where every man tries to make a good bargain better. The zumeendars of Lord Cornwallis's creation were not only dissatisfied with the terms he granted to them, but resorted to the most fraudulent means for the purpose of reducing their assessments. Unfortunately, the documents which furnish the best proofs of the existence of such practices are not available to many of your readers; but those who have access to the files of the Calcutta Gazette for the ten or fifteen years immediately succeeding the permanent settlement will find the pages of that official journal teeming with advertisements for the sale, by auction, of estates in satisfaction of arrears of revenue, not arising from inability to pay, but withheld by the proprietors for the fraudulent purpose of forcing on public sales, that they might be enabled to purchase in the estates at a reduced rate of tax. Any person who attentively studies the system here described, cannot fail to perceive in it a tendency to produce an incessant clash of adverse interests, and a fruitful source of hostile feelings between the Government and the zumeendars. But let the principle of the settlement be changed from annual payments to a total exemption by purchase, and a revolution of feeling will instantly take place; the character of the whole body of zumeendars will undergo a change from discontent and indifference, to warm and undeviating attachment to the Government, originating in that most powerful of motives, identity of interest.

It was my intention to follow up the discussion, by pointing out the advantages of the measure, but I have extended my observations beyond the limits I proposed to myself; I must, therefore, reserve them to another opportunity: in the mean time, I remain your obedient servant,

VERUS.

THE BHARWUTTEEAH'S BRIDE, A ROMANCE OF GIRNAR.

BY MRS. POSTANS.

[During my journey through a large portion of the Saurashtra peninsula, and my temporary residence in the city of Junagarh, I obtained, while on a visit to the harem of the nuwab, the leading incidents of the following romantic fate of a beautiful daughter of one of its Hindu princes; and I imagine they may, in the present form, excite the interest of the readers of the Asiatic Journal, as well as prove an agreeable illustration of native customs. I feel it, however, necessary to remark on the apparent incongruity, of having represented a Rajpoot girl as respecting the temples and religion of Buddh; but, at the period in which these incidents occurred, a more strange mélange of Brahminical and Buddhistical opinions existed in the Saurashtra peninsula than finds its parallel in any other portion of the religious history of India.-M. P.-Sindh, July, 1841.]

"Look, dear Kishen Koor," said the beautiful Ruparibah, as she threw her arm lightly round the neck of her companion; "see, how lovely the sacred mount appears, as the morning vapours are clearing from its summit." And the maidens, leaning against the richly-sculptured windows of the harem, looked admiringly upon the scene, for beautiful indeed it was.

The palace of Kumarapal, the Hindu Rajah of Junagarh, and the father of Ruparibah (or 'silver-bodied'), was situated in the eastern portion of the city, immediately below the sacred mount of Girnar, crowned with its hundred Jain temples, and clothed to its very base with luxuriant vegetation. Between the city and the mount, lay gardens rich in fruit and foliage, while among their dense shades, sparkled the rapid Paleshini, a river whose bed was said to be of gold, and whose waters gleamed like liquid crystal.

It was early morning; the fresh breeze was rapidly dispersing the wreaths of snow-like mist, and as the maidens gazed, every moment revealed some new beauty in the scene. There were the grey granite temples, perched in sites almost inaccessible to man, and bluffs of rock, peaks, and fissures, so fantastic in their forms, that they seemed rather to be the works of art than natural productions; while immediately below them were noble forest trees, tasselled with gaudy-coloured creepers, and intermixed with shrubs bearing luscious berries, the chief refreshment of the wearied pilgrims who, travelling from afar, climbed with staff and scrip the mountain path. Around the base of this cone-like hill were extensive forests, in which, as the maidens knew, were the lairs of savage beasts, and on the adjacent mountain range, men, scarce less fierce than they-outlaws, who, from the desperate life they led, were feared by all the country. None, it was said, could follow them to their mountain fastnesses; but when the shades of evening fell upon the temples of Girnar, and the night-dews shrouded the landscape, fires, glancing on the neighbouring hills, and tall figures thrown out in full relief by the glare, would indicate the where-abouts of the Bharwutteeah band.

"Is it not lovely?" asked Ruparibah with enthusiasm, as she gazed upon the landscape. But the face of her companion was sad, and its expression replied not to the admiration which shone in the bright eyes of the rajah's daughter. "Dear Kishen Koor," said Ruparibah, noting with surprise this apathy in her favourite, "why do you not admire this scene? See, the mist has just passed from that tall pointed rock, which seems to pierce the skies; and how beautiful is the contrast between the black stone and that fleecy vapour, as white and as transparent as your veil! What a lovely world this is !"

And the maiden pressed her soft cheek closer to the sculptured window, as a poor bird would force himself against the wires of his splendid cage, longing to spread his wing towards heaven.

"And yet," returned her companion with a shudder, "that point, Ruparibah, is the Leap of Death,' and from it, as you know, hundreds of poor pilgrims cast themselves into that deep glen below, where they are crushed by the rocks, while the eagle, which cannot soar to the summit of the peak, waits mid-way, and as the poor wretch falls, darts downward its circling course to feed upon his body. And then, are there not within those shades the fearful robbers, with their cruel chief?-me -men who bear away our maidens, tear infants from their mothers' arms, murder the helpless pilgrims, and, 'tis said, feed upon human flesh? Oh, Ruparibah, I cannot think on all these things and look admiringly on that scene." "Ah," replied Ruparibah, her eye still fixed upon the rolling mists, "but is it not a glorious thing to purchase immortal health, and life, and beauty, riches and rank, by a leap from yonder peak? Think of the poor pilgrim, hungry and toil-worn, a handful of grain his only food, a strip of cotton his only garb; he stands on that towering peak, and springs from it, not to the frightful depth of yon dark glen, for his spirit suffers not the dreadful fate you shudder at, but to the robes and palace of the rajah, born to a new and bright existence. The Bharwutteeahs are terrible indeed, but not so terrible as your fears paint them, Kishen Koor. Robbers they are, and outlaws; but some, doubtless, are merciful and brave. The chief, Badouriah, is the son of a powerful prince, who, refused command of his father's army, fled to the hills, and raised a standard of rebellion there. As yet, he eludes all means to take him; but my father has sworn to destroy the robbers to a man, and the chief cannot long escape. Why do you fear? Is King Kumarapal to be defied by an outlawed robber ?" And the blood of the Rajpoot girl mounted to her cheeks at the suspicion.

Ruparibah was certainly very beautiful, and a little angry pride becomes a Rajpootnee, so that, now as she stood beside the window, her slight form drawn to its utmost height, her eyes beaming, and a rosy tinge appearing through the singular fairness of her skin, no one could have viewed her without admiration. Her boddice, of plain blue satin, was richly wrought with pearls, to assimilate with the embroiderings of her little slippers, and the bands entwined in her glossy and braided hair; her veil, or saree, of white muslin, was studded with gold stars, and floated carelessly round her graceful 'person, while, to confine its flutterings, a portion of the rich border was fas'tened to her hair beneath a bunch of roses, freshly gathered from the palace gardens. She was now fourteen, and having been long since betrothed to the Raj-Kumah, a neighbouring prince, preparations were making for the marriage. The affianced had not, of course, seen her intended husband, but she knew that he had already seven wives, was about forty, was celebrated for his sanctity, and remarkable for his ugliness. As Ruparibah, however, had seen none of the male sex but her father, and Powan Singh, her brother, with now and then a grave ascetic, permitted by virtue of the sanctity of his class free access to the harem, she thought little of this, and seemed herself rather anxious to escape from the control of her mother, the Beemah Bhye, who possessed all that violence of temper so common among Rajpoot women, when neglected by a capricious husband.

"I think, child," said the Beemah Bhye, when her daughter, reclining on a pile of cushions, was languidly tossing over some of her bridal finery, and lis

tening to Kishen Koor's exclamations at the beauty of the embroidery and the rich patterns of the gold and silver kinkaubs-“ I think that, as your marriage is so near, you should visit the great shrine, and lay some costly present on the altar, to gain the saint's protection."

Ruparibah hastily threw aside the jewels and the rich attire, and sprung lightly from her cushions. The idea of freedom, if but for an hour; the prospect of being borne above those lovely shades, up through the tangled forest to the crowning temples of the sacred mount, was to her a thousand times more charming than the glitter of all the gold and silk that were strewed around. She went to the window, and, looking out again upon her favourite scene, clapped her little hands together with delight at the anticipation, and asked quickly, "When-when, dear mother, shall I go?" "When the guards return, child," was the reply. "You must go with a proper escort. The troops are scattered now about the hills, seeking the robber chief, Badouriah; but a price is set upon his head, and Powan says he cannot long escape, for he will trace him like a beast of the forest, and slay him like a dog! Yet, if he is not tracked soon, we must summon the Rajpoot warriors for a day, and Powan shall command your escort: his thirst of blood must stay for your pious visit to the shrine." "Ah, mother, how I hope that no traitor will be found to betray the rebel prince! it would be an inglorious conquest. Powan must meet the chief with his band, and fight him hand to hand, as a Rajpoot warrior; it will be then a victory worthy of my brother's sword." "I care not how he meets his fate," was the reply of Beemah Bhye; “but I hope, ere many weeks have passed, to see the eagles soar above the whitening bones of Badouriah and his followers." "Is the Bharwntteeah chief young ?" inquired the trembling Kishen Koor. "I know nothing about him," returned Beemah Bhye; "but you shall see his head, child, if you will, when it graces the eastern gate of Junagarh." Kishen Koor turned aside her face; but a big tear stood upon the lash of her dark eye.

And now, not many days had passed when the young prince, Powan Singh, returned, unsuccessful from the pursuit, to escort his beautiful sister on her pilgrimage. Badouriah was still unharmed; his midnight fires still blazed upon the distant hills, but his footsteps none could trace. His followers loved their chief too well to betray him for the price of blood, and his home of refuge in the mountain glens, and among the sheltering trees of the skirting forests, could not be readily found. Thus, while Powan Singh, with his determined band, scoured the hills, Badouriah, lying on the soft turf beside the mountain rill, or in his cave, where the moonbeams never strayed to disturb his rest, would laugh gaily at the vain attempts to secure him. He had heard of the reputed beauty of the daughter of King Kumarapal, and in his wildest mood, or when Powan Singh pressed the most closely on his track, the chief would vow on his bright blade to dare in disguise the dangers of the rajah's palace, and judge of her fairness for himself.

The day so eagerly desired came at length-the day for the journey of Ruparibah to the mountain temple. A cloth of gold, richly embroidered with a border of flowers, each flower represented by a cluster of gems-the mogree by the diamond, the chumpa by the yellow topaz, the pomegranate by the brilliant ruby-was the gift prepared for the saint; and Ruparibah was to offer it at the shrine alone, her guard and attendants remaining without the doors of the temple. The whole city of Junagarh was in commotion; every aged woman of the lower class left her house, every blooming maiden pressed to the window of her harem, and the youths crowded the broad ways, to see the