IN

NORTHERN INDIA.

BY

CHARLES JAMES CONNELL,

BENGAL CIVIL SERVICE.

CALCUTTA:

THACKER, SPINK AND CO.

BOMBAY THACKER, VINING & CO. MADRAS: HIGGINBOTHAM & CO.

LONDON: W. THACKER & CO.

1876.

で

3

PREFACE.

THE main portion of this volume consists in the repro-
duction of a pamphlet, which was written in August
1874, and printed for private circulation among friends.
Some of those to whom the pamphlet was sent were
kind enough to say, that some passages and suggestions
merited a larger
larger audience; and, with considerable
diffidence as to the value of its contents, I publish this
attempt to present an untechnical description of the
Native and the English revenue systems, and to offer
some few proposals for the reform of our method of
revenue-administration.

It was not possible to point out the defects in our present system without proving my assertions by frequent quotations from published official reports. It may be thought, that some few remarks or quotations have a savour of personality, and that allusions to the performances of fellow-officials, all of them my superiors in experience and in ability, betoken a want of good taste and decorum on the part of the writer.

I can only say, that nothing could be further from my thoughts or wishes than in any way to cast reflections upon any particular official, nor would it be possible to do so without great impropriety. It must be recollected, that the point which the writer would strive to impress upon the

readers of this work is-not that the Settlement Officers or Collectors voluntarily fail in the performance of their difficult and onerous duties, but that our system, defective in its idea, and unsuitable in its form, urgently requires extensive reforms. It is impossible for officials, whether of ordinary or extraordinary ability, to carry out in any perfection a method of assessment which would probably